In my last posting – Pig Food – I talked about Christians unable to see sin for what it is due to deception. The focus was on their unhealthy appetite for so-called harmless entertainment. In this posting, I lay part of the responsibility for that happening at the feet of certain preachers. Most of the responsibility, of course, is with each pew-sitting person. After all, each one of us will stand alone before God and be held accountable for our actions. However, it cannot be denied that the preacher’s role as a spiritual shepherd is to guide the flock. Sadly, many don’t exercise the fullness of this responsibility when they leave out the preaching and teaching of the Law (The Ten Commandments).

Martin Luther said, “The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare God’s Law and show the nature of sin.” Luther may have been moved to say that by the Apostle Paul who said he didn’t know what sin was without the Law (Romans 7: 7).

Nowadays, what’s mostly heard from the pulpit is how to be selfish. The teaching is to seek God as a companion because He can dispense health, wealth, and prosperity. When that happens, the self-sacrificing basis of Christianity – “Not my will, But God’s will be done” – goes out the window. The church becomes all about the self-serving comfort of “My will be done” (what feels good to me).

That’s why the nature of sin and its ability to blind its victims must be talked about, exposed, unpacked. Otherwise, Christians will have a hard time realizing sin’s presence and how exceedingly sinful it is in all areas of life.

So we should thank God for His Law and that He designed it to be a mirror; one that we can look into it to help us examine ourselves. The Law, in one form or another should be a frequent topic that’s preached and received – in order to keep from being deceived.