Something has gone terribly wrong with the way the American church is preaching the gospel, and evangelist Ray Comfort believes the consequences could be eternal.
In a recent conversation with Pastor Jack Hibbs, Comfort sounded the alarm over what he sees as a dangerous shift in modern Christianity: churches moving away from preaching repentance, sin and the reality of hell in favor of a message that makes people feel good but fails to confront their spiritual condition.
When Hibbs asked how the American church had strayed from the message of repentance preached by Jesus and His disciples, Comfort pointed to a problem that has plagued God’s people since the Old Testament: idolatry.
“An idol is your creation of a deity that approves of everything that you want to do,” Comfort explained.
He argued that when churches abandon God’s moral standards, they risk presenting a version of God that does not challenge sinful behavior or call people to genuine repentance.
“When the law is taken out of the pulpit, then you get a wrong image of God preached,” Comfort warned.
According to Comfort, this is also why many modern preachers avoid discussing hell. He believes they have become so focused on presenting God as loving and accepting that they struggle to reconcile that message with the biblical reality of judgment.
However, Comfort emphasized that understanding God’s law is essential to understanding why humanity needs a Savior in the first place.
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He compared the situation to a doctor attempting to give a patient medicine without first explaining the deadly disease threatening his life. Without recognizing the danger, the patient sees no reason to accept the cure.
“And what’s happened in America is we’ve preached the cure, the cure, the cure, the gospel, the gospel, the gospel,” Comfort said. “They’re familiar with the cure, but they don’t know anything about the disease.”
For Comfort, this issue is far more serious than simply changing the way sermons are delivered. He believes it has contributed to a generation of people professing Christianity without experiencing genuine conversion.
Reflecting on his earlier years in ministry, Comfort recalled examining church growth records and discovering what he described as an alarming trend: Approximately 90% of those making decisions for Christ in the records he reviewed were falling away from the faith.
“If you go fishing and nine out of 10 fish get out of your net, you better check your net,” he said.
That discovery prompted Comfort to reconsider how he presented the gospel. After studying Charles Spurgeon’s preaching and passages such as Galatians 3:24, he became convinced that God’s moral law must reveal sin before people can fully understand the significance of grace.
Comfort explained that preaching repentance isn’t about withholding God’s love. Rather, it helps people recognize the seriousness of their spiritual condition so they can understand the extraordinary gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
His warning raises a sobering question for the church today: Are we leading people into genuine repentance and a transformed relationship with Jesus Christ, or are we simply making them comfortable with a version of Christianity that never confronts their sin?
Scripture makes clear that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. Yet the same Savior who offers forgiveness and eternal life also calls people to repent and turn away from sin.
The church cannot afford to exchange that message for one that merely fills seats, attracts crowds or makes people feel better about themselves. Eternity is at stake, and the gospel was never meant to make sinners comfortable in their sin. It was meant to bring them to the foot of the cross, where true repentance, forgiveness and transformation begin.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
