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Pastor to Pastor

Sin Matters

Shepherds must deal with the matter of sin.

The Work of Shepherds (6)

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2.38

Christianity and Liberalism
J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)
“According to the Bible, man is a sinner under the just condemnation of God; according to modern liberalism, there is really no such thing as sin. At the very root of the modern liberal movement is the loss of the consciousness of sin.”

According to certain sectors of contemporary evangelical Christianity, sin exists, but we don’t need to get too worked up about it. After all, the Christian faith is all of grace. God knows we’re sinners, and He accepts us anyway. We should do the same for one another, without making people feel guilty by calling them to repent of their sins. Pastors who preach the Bible will not deny that such a thing as sin exists. But by neglecting to preach sin, and to call people to repentance from sin, we push the consciousness of sin to the back burners of people’s minds, and encourage them to think about other, more relevant, matters. But there will be no progress in the life of faith apart from ongoing detection of and repentance from the sins that so easily beset us – whatever those sins may be. Sin is a cancer in the flock of the Lord, and faithful shepherds will work hard to eradicate it.

How would you counsel a young pastor to keep the matter of sin before the minds of his people?

Prayer for Revival

Revival begins as God moves on His people to seek Him in prayer (Ps. 80.18). He is appointing watchmen on the wall to take no rest and given Him no rest, as they unite in prayer for revival, renewal, and awakening. Shouldn’t you be praying with other men for revival? Write for our free series of daily readings, Give Him No Rest, and let Jonathan Edwards explain why praying for revival is so important. Write to John Nunnikhoven at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and request your free copy in PDF. Then write to me and I’ll tell you how you can join an existing group of men who pray together online each month for the Lord to revive us. Or find out how you can start a group of your own. Write me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you want to learn more about praying for revival, order our book, Restore Us! by clicking here. When you write me, request a free copy of Restore Us! in PDF, and I’ll send it along.

The Fellowship of Ailbe is supported through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
All quotations from J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism(Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1923, 1974).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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