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The Need for Negative Lessons
The Need for Negative Lessons
A young mother took her mischievous son to the store. As older women are wont to do, she bent down to talk to the young boy. “What’s your name?”
He responded, “Johnny NO!”
A steady diet of negative lessons can have a negative impact on souls and congregations. Likewise, a constant diet of positive lessons can create a self-satisfied, doctrinally weak, easily offended and easily tempted believer.
Have you seen those videos of entitled children who have never been told “no” until the police arrest them them?
Do you know the first occurrence of a restrictive command? It followed a permissive statement. It was in the garden of Eden concerning from what trees Adam could and could not eat. Restrictive commands are for the safety of God’s people.
Do you know how many of the 10 Commandments have the word “not” or “no”? Nine out of 10! Even when they are summed up positively as found in the Two Great Commands (Matthew 22), positive commands include the negative.
Parents, know that balance is needed with your children. Be willing to give your loved ones freedom. Be wary if you are not giving restrictions. Preachers and elders need the same wisdom.
On Judgment Day, we don’t want to hear, “Johnny, NO! I do NOT know you” (Matthew 7:23).
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