Onward, Christian Strangers: Three "Onlys" for the Gospel

Opening Series: "Onward, Christian Strangers"


Our first series to explore together is all about what it looks like to share the Gospel message in this new day, where Christians (ought to) feel more like strangers than perhaps we ever have before. In a cultural climate where both the religious and non-religious groups are growing at the same time, the "Good News" we have to share is both more relevant and yet more marginalized than ever. How do we seize the opportunity to speak the "old, old story" to a "new, new day?"
_____________________________

     Part of recognizing the beauty in something is determining what is unique about it- what it contributes that nothing else can. The same is true for seeing the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Having grown overly accustomed to the Gospel message, we set against the backdrop of other beliefs and religious groups, and it suddenly comes into sharp relief with some of the declarations it makes and the news it announces.

     In his letter to the Galatians, Paul is trying to accomplish exactly that- to remind the Christians there of the unique nature of the Gospel, of what only it can say and do, and that to put one's trust in anything else is foolishness.

     Three of those for our consideration today:


1. Only the Gospel comes TO me, not FROM me.

"I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." -Gal. 1:11-12

     In the legal system, judges who are too close to a certain case personally are deemed unfit to rule in it, and are called to recuse themselves. Our condition of sinfulness and our role as the very ones responsible for our sinful state make it impossible for us to be a part of our own solution. We will always overstate our own moral goodness and, in doing so, understate the severity of our sin and the ultimate response to it. In doing so we cheapen grace and the depth of compassion and humility shown to us at the cross.
     In other words, the message of the Gospel is too honest about sin, too radical about love, too serious about the cost, and too wonderful in its promises to have ever come from us. It could only come from God.
     It is precisely because God's solution is conceived, planned, and executed by someone who is outside of the problem that it is such wonderful news in the first place! The fact that Gospel story of God's rescue plan through Jesus Christ has its origin completely in the perfect mind and will of God, and not in the minds of imperfect and sinful men, is the very thing that makes it powerful and effective to accomplish our salvation.


2. Only the Gospel says I am part of the problem.

"For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin..." -Gal. 3:21-22

     In bringing us the "Good News," the Gospel also brings us the "Bad News," which is that we are completely lost without Jesus Christ. That is a hard reality with which to come to grips, even for those of us who have been Christians for a long time. We will always fight against it, sugarcoat it, believe we are really better than all that. But God's standard of holiness is too great and our own selfish tendencies are too strong for us to ever be capable of meriting God's favor. And only Christianity is that brutally honest about humanity. Despite the acts of altruism and generosity many of us see everyday, in our hearts we are ultimately rebellious creatures, and our acts of sincere and honest goodness are not enough to "balance the scales" in our favor.
Good deeds with good motives today do not undo the misdeeds and wrong motives of yesterday. Only the Gospel tells us that, too.
     But that sobering reality doesn't just shed light on our own sinfulness, it also brings into relief just how deep and wide God's love and compassion is for us. Because it declares that even in our lowest state as enemies of God who saw no need for him, God still counted us worthy of the sacrifice of His only Son, so that we could have the opportunity to respond in faith and be counted as righteous. 


3. Only the Gospel replaces me with Christ

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." -Gal. 2:20-21

     A bad spark plug on a lawnmower has only one clear solution- to be replaced with a good one. The "Bad News" of the Gospel story, that we are completely incapable of saving ourselves through good deeds and moral effort, has by its very nature only one solution, that of doing away with the sinful self and having it replaced by something good and perfect. The Gospel says this is exactly what has transpired not just through the cross and the empty tomb, but through the entire life of Jesus Christ. The Gospel presents the radical story of vicarious atonement, of God taking on human flesh in order to redeem it in every aspect, mediating to us those very things we could never achieve on our own.

     In his life, Jesus merits us perfect obedience. In his death, he merits us justification for our sins, by taking upon himself the punishment due us. In the resurrection, Jesus merits us the new life of righteousness, i.e. "right-ness" with God. In every way, Jesus stands in our place and replaces our "self" with his "self," and thus through faith in him we become a new creation.
The Gospel presents us with a problem worse than we could imagine and answers it with a solution greater than for which we could ever hope.      

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Go To Church? Part 2: The Dialogue of Faith

Image
     Four years of solitude.      Four years without another human being with which to interact or converse.      This is Tom Hanks' experience in the epic film "Castaway," and as the film shows us, when we are left only with monologue, only conversing with ourselves, it can drive us a bit nuts.  Like, "talking-to-a-volleyball" nuts.  We will invent another person in our minds and attribute an entirely fictional personality to them, if only for the purpose of having a place for our own thoughts to be reflected.      We were made for a life of dialogue, not just monologue.       It is through dialogue that our ideas are sharpened, affirmed, and, when necessary, challenged.  How often have you had an idea that never would have taken off without the small tweak or correction by another?  How often has someone else's comment sparked an entirely new thought in your own mind, something you ...
Read more

Onward, Christian Strangers: 3 Things to Remember About the Gospel

      Hello again, Internet world!  It is good to be back in the world of study and writing as a part of my new ministry position focused on Outreach & Evangelism.  I look forward to sharing the many "gleanings" that come as a result of teaching, preaching, and the many conversations I am privileged to engage in each week about what God is doing in the world and how He is inviting us to join in His work in the ways of outreach and sharing the Gospel message.      My other passion is found at the intersection of faith and grief.  To that end I have another blog entitled "Toward a Theology of Grief" that explores what God is doing when we are at some of our lowest points, and how He walks with us in his own ways for his own purposes.  You can find that blog here . ________________________________ Opening Series:  "Onward, Christian Strangers"         Our first series to explore together is all about what...
Read more