EXCELLENT counsel from the "Doctor of the Holy Spirit", John Calvin. There are those who are overly harsh and who destroy rather than offer life to needy souls. But in our present hour, the opposite is unfortunately true. It is most popular today to gloss over sins and to deliberately obviate man's natural depravity and enmity toward God. Man's utter helpless and hopelessness is rarely ever heard from the mouths of the modern pastor, evangelist or common Christian who has self-appointed themselves as God's 'soul winner'.

Perhaps we should call this "ecclesiastical correctness"? Every attempt is made to not offend anyone by speaking "smooth things" (cf. Is. 30:8-13) which only serves to produce spurious professions of alleged faith and a false assurance of eternal life. Therefore, it is essential that we all beat sinners down and thereafter lift them up and point them to the Lord Christ, who alone is their only hope in life and death.