“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

Something has happened to the church. Things Christians once recognized as sin are now explained away, softened, ignored, or even defended. What Scripture clearly condemns is often treated as something we should simply “understand,” “accept,” or refuse to judge.

That is not compassion. That is compromise.

It usually does not happen all at once. First we overlook evil. Then we tolerate it. After a while, we defend it. Eventually, some begin celebrating what God calls sin, and the people who still stand on Scripture are accused of being hateful, narrow-minded, or out of touch.

God already warned us about this.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20)

The church does not have the authority to rename sin. If God calls something evil, the church cannot call it good. If God calls something sin, the pastor cannot call it personal expression. If God commands repentance, the church cannot replace repentance with acceptance.

Paul warned Timothy:

“For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires.” (2 Timothy 4:3)

Notice what happens. The people do not want truth, so they find teachers who will tell them what they want to hear, and there will always be teachers willing to do it.

Why? Because preaching against sin can cost you something. People may leave, giving may drop, attendance may fall, and someone may accuse the preacher of being judgmental. So some pastors learn to stay away from certain subjects because avoiding them keeps people comfortable.

That may keep people comfortable, but it will not keep them holy.

God told Ezekiel:

“When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person will die for his wrongdoing, but I will require his blood from your hand.” (Ezekiel 3:18)

That should frighten anyone who stands behind a pulpit. A pastor is not called to protect people from uncomfortable truth. He is called to preach the Word.

Paul said:

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

Correct. Rebuke. Exhort. Those words have nearly disappeared from some churches because they do not fit the modern desire to make everyone feel good.

But Jesus did not come merely to make sinners feel better about themselves. He came to save sinners, and salvation requires that we understand what we need to be saved from.

Jesus said:

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)

You cannot preach repentance while refusing to identify sin. You cannot call people out of darkness while telling them darkness is acceptable. You cannot claim to love someone while watching them walk toward destruction and refusing to warn them.

Scripture says:

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” (Proverbs 27:6)

Sometimes love wounds. Truth can hurt, and correction can sting. But a church that refuses to speak the truth because someone might be offended is not loving people. It is protecting itself.

Jesus never promised that truth would be popular.

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.” (John 15:18)

Some churches seem determined to make sure the world never hates them. They want applause from the culture and want to be considered welcoming, modern, enlightened, and accepting.

But James gives us a warning:

“Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

The church was never called to follow the world. The church was called to follow Christ.

Paul wrote:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

Yet in too many places, instead of transforming the world, the world has transformed the church. Its language changed, its standards changed, its preaching changed, and its definition of sin changed.

But God did not change.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Neither did His Word.

Church, wake up. Stop asking what culture will tolerate. Stop asking what will keep people in the seats. Stop worrying about whether biblical truth sounds too harsh for modern ears.

Ask one question: What does God say?

If God calls it sin, call it sin. If God commands repentance, preach repentance. If Scripture says something is wrong, do not apologize for saying it is wrong.

When the world tells you that calling evil “evil” makes you hateful, remember this: the loving thing is not to help someone become comfortable on the road to destruction. The loving thing is to tell them the truth and point them to Jesus Christ.

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

The church does not need a new message. It needs the courage to preach the one God already gave us.