Dear COA Family,
Last week, while preparing my sermon on “Who Is My Neighbour?” for our anniversary service, I came across a blog post by a Christian author reflecting on Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan.
In his article, he argued that the main point of the parable is to show us the impossibility of loving others through our own efforts.
According to him, we can never truly be like the Good Samaritan who stopped for a wounded stranger, dressed his wounds, and paid for his care. Only Jesus can love in such a sacrificial way. Therefore, he concluded that we should not even attempt to love others, but simply rely wholly on Jesus.
While I can understand where he is coming from, I believe he has missed the point of
the parable. Jesus does not excuse us from loving our neighbours simply because we are weak and imperfect. In fact, His concluding words to the lawyer were, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37).
This is written as a command. Scripture consistently calls us to love not merely in words, but in deed and truth. The good news is that the Lord also grants us strength through His Spirit to obey what He commands.
This reminds me how important it is for all of us to be discerning about the content we consume online. We should not automatically accept every teaching simply because it comes from a Christian pastor, speaker, or writer. Always compare what is taught with the full counsel of Scripture, pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and seek clarification from trusted spiritual leaders when necessary.
I think of another person who once told me she had heard a famous Internet preacher say that God will forgive all our sins, and therefore we should not worry too much about how we live. She used this teaching to justify continuing in an adulterous relationship, finding comfort in the words of that preacher rather than conviction to repent.
But this is a serious distortion of biblical teaching. God’s will is always for us to repent and walk in holiness and righteousness. The book of Hebrews warns us: “If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment” (Hebrews 10:26–27).
To live according to false teaching is to place oneself in spiritual danger. In this Year of Wise and True Living, one crucial aspect of spiritual maturity is learning to discern truth from error — whether those falsehoods come through the internet, popular culture, or the opinions of the world around us.
Only when we recognise deception can we reject it and choose instead to live according to the truth of God.
May the Lord grant all of us wisdom, discernment, and hearts that are humble before His Word.
God bless,
Revd Ian