As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:19 KJV) When Christ rebuked the church in Laodecia with stern and severe words, He wanted them to know that it is His love for them that resulted in such sharp words of rebuke. He said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” To rebuke one’s sins is not being unjustly captious or fault-finding. It is neither some kind of hypocritical nitpicking that is done with impatient, bitter, retaliatory spirit. Its actual intent is not to destroy a good person or a good action. “Rebuke” is the setting of sin clearly and convincingly before the mind and conscience of the erred person to convict and to turn him into the path of righteousness. It is what a loving person does when someone whom he loves errs in his ways. Nothing but pure love rebukes another’s sin. And that is what Christ has done to the erring Laodiceans. The Lord also “chasten” His people. The word “chasten” describe acts of discipline, correction, and corporeal punishment to change one’s sinful and unwise behaviour. The Lord’s chastening can be an unpleasant and painful experience for erring Christians. Although unpleasant, it is not to be confused with the wrath or the ultimate judgment of God. Its purpose is to correct and restore us into ways of truth and holiness. It is done with love like that of a parent, who applies the rod of correction on his erring child. In Hebrews 12:5-7, we are told, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” A chastened servant of God says in Psalm 118:18, “The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.” Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” The purpose of painful chastising is to lead the erring believers to repentance and to restore them to God’s blessing (cf. Jer. 31:18-19; Ps. 94:12). The Lord’s love for His people require that they quickly quit the sins they have embraced. So He said to the Laodecian Christians, “be zealous therefore, and repent.” Let us not hesitate, but be wholehearted and earnest to turn to God from our sins. The Lord desires us to come to Him in repentance, humility, and commitment to do His will. So Help me God. Good morning.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 05:41:49 +0000
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