Is the Gospel We’re Believing the Right Gospel?
Galatians 1:6-7
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is no gospel at all.”
What is the “Good News” of Christ? Well, lately there’s been a lot of focus on the fact that God loves us and that He wants to bless us. But far too often, there is no mention of the cross. After all, that is such an offensive, gruesome picture of the penalty of sin that only seems to conjure up a sense of shame and guilt. The same is true of our sin and its consequences. These are unpopular topics in today’s seeker-friendly culture. So, the “fluffy stuff” gospel of “God loves you” and all that you have to do is give Him your sin and you’ll be saved is a much easier gospel to swallow.
There’s also the popular prosperity gospel that advocates success and the good life for every believer. Then there’s the “work your way to heaven” gospel that saves those who go to church, read His Word, and pray every day. This gospel satisfies the performers and the perfectionists who need to earn God’s love to somehow feel worthy of His grace. Let’s not leave out the “once saved always saved with a license to sin” gospel that states that all one has to do is say a sinner’s prayer and salvation is theirs and they can go on with life as usual…no change required.
A Divine Revelation
As a result of these false gospels, we embrace an attitude toward sin that is less than serious…an oops that we offer up a simple “I’m sorry” or “please forgive me” for when we hurt someone or feel the sting of conviction. But other than that, we don’t give much thought to the deeper consequences of our actions. As a result, there is no desire to confess our sin (agree with God about it) or repent (turn away) from it. The effects of our sin on us and our relationship with God are too heavy to contemplate and to stop doing it seems like an unrealistic request from a far-off God that can’t possibly understand how difficult that is for us to do.
A Divine Challenge
However, Jesus was hung on a cross, forsaken and despised by men, bloodied and beaten, and put to death to pay the penalty for our sin. The sin He died to save us from carries a heavy weight of shame, guilt, pain, and heartache that isn’t easily remedied by the things of this world, nor can we afford to trivialize it or ignore it. If we don’t trust Him with it, we will experience eternal separation from a loving Father and the paradise He prepares for us. Therefore, beloved, this is no “fluffy stuff” gospel but a gospel that requires us to pick up our cross and follow after Him daily, It requires a willingness, out of our love for Him, to suffer for His namesake, to forsake the things of this world, die to our flesh and its worldly desires, and place our relationship with Him above all else. It also requires us to submit to Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
The gospel of Jesus Christ acknowledges the need to confess sin; agreeing with God about sin and how it affects us and our relationship with Him with an attitude of thankfulness for the price His Son paid to forgive us of that sin.
This gospel embraces an attitude of repentance that truly grieves over sin and manifests a desire to turn away from that sin and surrender one’s life to His Lordship, His Word, and His Will for our lives.
This gospel produces obedience motivated by a love for God that captivates our minds, our hearts, our souls, and our strength and loves others as we love ourselves.
This gospel promotes salvation that doesn’t have to be earned or deserved but is given as a free gift of grace to wretched people who are desperate for a SAVIOR and willing to surrender to Him as LORD.
And finally, this gospel equips us with the tools to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (reverent humility, and awe) to preserve it so it will endure to the end.
Regrettably, this gospel doesn’t seem to get much airtime on our radios. It’s not seeker-friendly enough to teach about from our pulpits or talk about in our social gatherings. Have we, as believers “become guilty of deserting the One who called us by the grace of Christ?” Have we bought into a different gospel that is no gospel at all but a lie? If we have, whatever gospel we’ve bought into will not transform our lives, nor does it offer freedom from sin, and it has no power to provide hope to a lost and dying world that needs it. It will also expose our HYPOCRISY which will give the world its biggest reason to reject Christ!
Call to Action
What gospel are you believing in? Beloved, GO TO THE CROSS, VISIT THE EMPTY TOMB, and let the truth you find there give you a conviction and boldness that willingly testifies to a gospel worth dying for… a gospel that is not ashamed of the nail-scarred hands of Jesus or requires less than everything from you to embrace them. Then beloved, ENDURE TO THE END!
Father, You desire that none perish and that all come to repentance, nor did You hold anything back in Your pursuit to save us. May we realize how precious the hope of salvation truly is and hold nothing back as we share it with others in faith and in truth! In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!