I often see post on social media warning people about “ear-tickling” preachers and their deceptive message. They warn that an ear-tickler is a preacher who tells you what you want to hear. Preachers who preach grace are often dismissed as ear-tickling preachers. Which is kind of funny since the Apostle Paul was the apostle of Grace, the one who called the true gospel the message of the Grace of Christ and admonished Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” and finishes his epistle with “Grace be with you.” Paul brackets everything he writes with grace. Ear-tickling teaching is actually any message that leads us away from relying on God’s grace and trusting in the dead works of religion.
Who we really need to be warned about is all these bullies with bibles. A bully with a bible is one who tells you what he wants you to hear, and he does so with the fire of an Old Testament prophet. They brag about how they are tuff on sin, and they are constantly preaching against sin. If warnings and threats about sin stopped people from sinning, there would be no more sin. Trying to overcome sin by focusing on sin is like trying to overcome eating sweets while staring at chocolate cake.
Jesus reveals there is only one thing that can empower you to sin no more, and that is radical grace. I’m talking about the kind of grace that defends the sinner from her accusers, (John 8); grace that turns a thief into a giver, and the chief of sinners into the apostle of grace. Rules don’t change people and bullies definitely don’t change people, grace changes people.
These bullies with a bible will make sin their focus and will have you turn from sin and turn again until you are just a dizzy sinner. It is not turning from sin that frees you from sin, it’s turning to Jesus. The Bible tells us in Hebrew 12:1-2, to “lay aside every sin that ensnares us”, but then tells us how to do it: “looking unto Jesus”. You make Jesus the focus, not your sin. The good news that Jesus revealed, and Paul preached reveals a God infinitely more appealing than any sin. A bully will use threats to compel you to turn, and you might, for a little while, but a grace preacher reveals the goodness of God that leads you to genuine and lasting repentance (Rom. 2:4).
These bullies use the Bible as a stick. Their sermons are packed with scriptures but are devoid of Truth. They take God’s grace and add just enough of the law to control and manipulate others. They portray God as angry and tell you that God loves you, but He’s also mad at you. Religion says, “God punishes you when you sin”. Prior to the cross, it made sense to talk about a righteous God being provoked to anger by sin. But it doesn’t make sense anymore. Why not? Because Jesus Christ “took away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus didn’t “cover” our sin, He removed the sin of the whole world, not just the sin of the believers.
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2 (NKJV)
The word propitiation means the appeasing or acceptable sacrifice. It literally means that Jesus satisfied the wrath of God toward sin. If the cross was the once and final solution for sin, and you have placed your faith in Christ, then God will never be angry with you again, no matter what you do. What has God got to be angry with you about since He keeps no record of your sin?
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19 (NKJV)
God is not keeping a record of your sin. You sin account has a zero balance! God is love and “Love keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor 13:5). Everything He does is an expression of His love for you. If the wrath of God scares you, then you have the wrong picture of wrath because there is no fear in love.
No Bullying Allowed
My purpose in writing this is not to shame anyone. I know a lot of church bullying is unintentional. Unfortunately, in my early ministry before God’s grace was more clearly revealed to me, I with the best intentions, bullied people from the pulpit. I was just echoing what I heard other preachers say. I want people to know the God who sits on the throne of Grace and be free from religious bullying.
Below is a list of common statements that you will hear from a bully with a bible:
- “If you’re not careful, Jesus will blot your name out of His book”.
- “God don’t hear your prayers because of your sin”.
- “If you take Communion with sin in your heart, God might kill you”.
- “God loves you more if you obey Him.”
- “If you don’t tithe, God will take it off you in doctors’ bills. You are under a curse”.
- “Your baby died because God needed another angel in Heaven. God took your baby, don’t question Him”.
- “God allowed this sickness to come on you because He’s trying to teach you something”.
- “If you’ve been divorced and remarried, you’re living in sin”.
- “The KJV is the only version of the bible we accept; all other versions are wrong!”.
- “Even though Jesus died, you still must pay for your sin!”
I hate that these types of statements and many more have been preached from pulpits and have done so much damage to people in the name of God. Jesus was certainly not a bully and His church ought to be free from these bullies. There’s hope and grace, even for bullies. Paul was once the bully of all bullies. The good news is that Jesus loves us at our worst and his love changes us. He turned this bully into the Apostle of Grace!
This grace is beyond our understanding. Our memory sometimes seems to hold us back from the freedom of God’s promise of “I will remember their sin no more”. We keep reminding ourselves and others of past sins when He has cast them as far as the east is from the west.