The Main Thing is STILL the MAIN THING
“Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you – unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures,” - 1 Cor 15:1-4
From a blog post at Pyromaniacs called The Christian’s Priority and Presence: Things We Agree On:
Among other things, the Christian is the person who boasts only in the Cross; to whom the world has been crucified, and he to the world ( Galatians 6:14).
The sole unique possession that every Christian has, that all his neighbors most desperately need, is the Gospel ( Romans 1:16). The Gospel is itself not actions nor outreaches nor programs; the Gospel is a message, communicated in words that express propositional truths ( Romans 10:14-17). While what we do may at best adorn the Gospel, it must never supplant or eclipse the Gospel (cf. 1 Timothy 2:10; Titus 2:10). The message and aim of the gospel is redemption ( Galatians 4:5; Titus 2:14) not merely reform. The gospel itself is the only instrument of redemption; it “is the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).
The life of the believer in Christ begins at, and ought to revolve around the Cross of Christ, His death and resurrection. Too many times we remember that our lives began at the Cross, but in the conduct of our lives, and in the sharing of our lives and testimony with others we seem to go right back to focusing on ourselves. Instead of dying to ’self’ as Jesus and the Apostles taught, we get wrapped up in ourselves in more subtle ways. Sure we talk about Christ, but mostly with terms and in ways that seem to include a lot of personal pronouns, betraying who is REALLY at the center of our lives. I call it the tyranny of self and I suffer from it as much as anyone else.
In our Bible studies, wherever and however they are conducted, we get wrapped up in ‘our’ insights, whether they be in the text or not, even patting ourselves and each other on the back for being so ‘deep’. In our conversations with those who do not yet know Christ, we are apt to spend a lot of time ‘proving our spiritual points’ and omit the very message of the Cross that we are to convey (1 Cor 15:1-4). Or, we present our ‘transformed lives’ as proof of the power of the Gospel, but fail to share the message itself!
Interestingly enough, I don’t see much of the ‘us’ described above, in the pages of the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, with the equivalent of several post-graduate degrees, refused to draw on his own intellectual prowess and preached the simple message of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ ( 1 Corinthians 2:1-5). When conversing with the intellectuals of his day, he (Paul) unashamedly brought the discourse to the foot of the Cross and the power of the Resurrection ( Acts 17).
Should we who profess Christ act otherwise?
Have a blessed weekend,
Dan
The Father’s Bargain
An excerpt from the sermon The Covenant of Redemption between the Father and the Redeemer, John Flavel ,1671
“How reasonable it is that believers should embrace the hardest terms of obedience unto Christ, who complied with such hard terms for their salvation: they were hard and difficult terms indeed, on which Christ received you from the Father’s hand: it was, as you have heard, to pour out his soul unto death, or not to enjoy a soul of you. Here you may suppose the Father to say, when driving his bargain with Christ for you:
Father: My son, here is a company of poor miserable souls, that have utterly undone themselves, and now lie open to my justice! Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them: What shall be done for these souls And thus Christ returns.
Son: O my Father, such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their Surety; bring in all your bills, that I may see what they owe you; Lord, bring them all in, that there may be no after-reckonings with them; at my hand shall you require it. I will rather choose to suffer your wrath than they should suffer it: upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt.
Father: But, my Son, if you undertake for them, you must reckon to pay the last mite, expect no abatements; if I spare them, I will not spare you.
Son: Content, Father, let it be so; charge it all upon me, I am able to discharge it: and though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, (for so indeed it did, 2 Cor. 8:9. “Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor”) yet I am content to undertake it.
Blush, ungrateful believers, O let shame cover your faces; judge in yourselves now, has Christ deserved that you should stand with him for trifles, that you should shrink at a few petty difficulties, and complain, this is hard, and that is harsh? O if you knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this his wonderful condescension for you, you could not do it.”
In Christ Alone - Stuart Townend, Keith Getty
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.- Stuart Townsend, Keith Getty
The song and video are here. The story behind the song is here.
When I first heard this, I thought it was an historic hymn of our faith with more contemporary styling, until I read the story of how it came about. I’ve also found out that it was sung at a denominational Christian convention and the lyrics were modified in that setting. From the second verse, the words “The wrath of God was satisfied-” were changed to “the price of sin was satisfied”. How sad. That’s not unlike when, years ago, words to the hymn Amazing Grace were changed from “Saved a wretch like me” to simply “Saved someone like me”.
Why do I find that incredibly sad, you ask? When clear biblical teaching is tampered with and modified so that it becomes more ‘palatable’ or non-offensive, when we soften the ‘hard’ truth about the nature of the unregenerate and what Christ actually accomplished on the Cross, at a minimum we have cut out the ‘heart of the matter’. Far more seriously, we have tampered with the very sovereignty and glory of God!
Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing - Christ died for OUR SINS
According to Paul, along with Peter, John and the rest of the early disciples, Christ died for OUR SINS. God the Father did not send His own Son to die so we could have our best life now, although our best life is to be found in Christ. He didn’t send His Son to the cross because He couldn’t imagine Heaven without us, although one day we will be with Him in Heaven. Jesus Christ died because of OUR SIN. What does that really mean?
We know the story - God created a perfect world for perfect children. Those children willfully disobeyed the only rule they had been given. Satan tempted, but they disobeyed. the result was that sin entered into god’s perfect creation and corrupted it. The sin of Adam has been passed down to every human being since the fall, except Christ, who was totally God and totally man, lived a life of perfect obedience to His Father and died for OUR SIN.
In today’s non-threatening, ’seeker-friendly evangelicalism, if the subject of sin is approached from the pulpit stage, it is called everything but SIN. When the term SIN is used it normally refers to a great gulf or dark cloud that separates us from God. If it ever means ‘personal’ sins it is restricted to one of the substitute terms we use like ‘mistakes’. If we look closely at scripture however, we find that sin is much more than things we do (or don’t do). When sin entered god’s creation it left humans in such a sad state that:
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” - John 3:18
“For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” - Romans 5:10
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.” - Ephesians 2:1-3
“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” - Romans 3:10-11
What is Scripture telling us about the condition of all who have not believed in Christ? They are:
- Already condemned
- Enemies of God
- Dead in trespasses in sin
- Objects of God’s wrath
- UNABLE to seek God
That’s quite a different portrait of the ‘natural man’ than the one painted by the modern/postmodern gospel that sends the various messages mentioned in this post, and either omits or gingerly tip-toes lightly over something of “first importance” - that Christ died for OUR SIN.
The ‘Popular’ Gospel
For some time now I’ve been listening for a genuine gospel message, or at least a hint that Jesus died for OUR SIN when I read popular Christian books and magazines, listen to popular pastors and teachers, and even when I listen to contemporary Christian music. The intent in my ‘listening’ is not to intentionally look for false teaching or brand anyone a heretic or apostate, but only to hear how the ‘good news’ is being presented in our American evangelical culture. Here is some of what I’ve heard in the last few months being presented as as the gospel:
“God loves you so much He can’t imagine heaven without you. . .”
“Jesus would rather die than live without you.”
“God hugs us WITH our sin. . .”
“Jesus accepted you a long time ago WITH your sin. . .”
“The core of Christianity is. . .the news of ‘a God who is passionate about his relationship with you.”
“God sent his Son to die for us because he wants a relationship with us.”
“When the gospel is reduced to a legal transaction shifting our guilt to Christ and Christ’s righteousness to us, the gospel focuses too narrowly on a transaction and becomes too impersonal.”
Now compare any of the above statements with the Apostle Paul’s definition of the gospel:
“Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” - 1 Corinthians 15:1-5
What’s the difference between the ‘popular’ gospel and the Gospel Paul preached. . .and why does it matter?
Three Classes of People
In his book about the wonderful grace of God, Good News for Bad People, Roy Hession proposes that there are three classes of people:
1. “The bad who do not know they are bad. The great majority of us, whether we are in churches or out of them, do not regard ourselves as bad. Whatever our lifestyle or conduct, we have found some way to justify ourselves. . . . The fact that he may be religious only reinforces his good opinion of himself.”
2. “Bad people who are trying to be good. Sincere as their trying to be good may be, whatever direction their efforts may lie, it is vain for such [people to hope that it is going to improve their relationship with God at all, or that it will greatly change their personal experience.”
3. “The third class is composed of the group in whom the Holy Spirit has done a melting work, the bad humbly confessing to God that they are bad and not pleading any extenuating circumstances. As far as they are concerned, there is only one person at the bar before God and that is themselves. When they take that stand they immediately become candidates for the good news Jesus has for them and for the grace that is greater than all their sin. For them, Jesus is the end of their trying and the beginning of all their finding.”
Much of today’s evangelism, with all of the pop-psychology that is now part and parcel of it’s presentation either ignores the real problem of sin, or speaks of sin as if it’s some non-personal entity that merely separates us from God. Jesus died to remove the gulf or cloud between fallen man and God (expiation) rather than died in our place (propitiation).
I would offer the question - Which is it, expiation, propitiation, or are there elements of both to be found in scripture?
It’s ALL About the Love?
Lyrics in a popular contemporary Christian song offer this explanation of why Jesus went to the Cross:
“It was all about the love
That was bigger than a life . . .
‘Cause you would rather die
than to ever live without me”
I am in no way implying that Christ’s love for those God would give Him (See John 6)) was not one of the reasons He died for us. There’s a tremendous love element in Christ’s death for our sins! In fact there is NO GREATER LOVE! But is it ALL about love? The song would have us believe that it is by telling us that Jesus would rather die than live without us, as if he’s some sort of love-sick teenager!
To the above lyrics and the ALL ABOUT LOVE theme that is so pervasive in contemporary music (and today’s evangelism), I have a something to say - There’s more!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OBEDIENCE held Christ to the Cross. Over and over again throughout the Gospels we find the theme of Christ’s obedience to His Father. The awesome perfection of that obedience was expresseed in the Garden of Gethsemane hours before His final suffering and crucifixion.
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
OUR SIN held Jesus to the Cross. Christ bore our sins to satisfy the law of God. God accepted His death as payment for our sins.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way: and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53 :5,6
“Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4
- “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Ezekiel 18:20
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
To say ‘Cause you (Jesus) would rather die than to ever live without me” is not even close!!!!!!! That’s right up there with the sentiment expressed in “God sent his own Son to die because He (God) could not imagine His heaven without us!”
I cannot find that Jesus, or that God in scripture! Can anyone help me out here? What Jesus and what God are they talking about?
Is God’s "Unconditional Acceptance" a Biblical Concept?
Some time ago I participated in a Bible study concerning the importance of knowing what we believe as Christians - a great subject! A major point of the study book and materials was the topic of “unconditional acceptance” - God’s unconditional acceptance of us and the need for our unconditional acceptance of others. We should accept others with all their sin and faults, because we know that God accepts us even with our sin. This has become the mantra of much of today’s evangelical church - the new gospel, if you will. But is it biblical?
Well, I can’t find in anywhere in the Bible, and believe me I did my homework. What I do find in the Bible is Christ’s death for our sin as the first point of the gospel message that Paul preached, among others. What the death of Christ in our place means is that God can only accept us through the shed blood of His own Son. Saving faith hinges on recognizing our sin, repentance and a wholehearted turning from it, not bringing it with us!
I found that “unconditional acceptance” became the centerpiece of humanistic psychology beginning in the mid ’50s. It gradually invaded the church until the condition we have today that it is this ‘new gospel’ permits avoiding the sin issue in the proclamation of the good news, as well as the need for continuously confronting the sin in our lives and turning from it in the process of sanctification as we grow spiritually.
Did I pose a rhetorical question? You bet, as far as I am concerned! The myth of God’s “unconditional acceptance” of sinners is the greatest lie the enemy has ever fed the human race (especially the church), except for the original lie in the Garden when he hinted that we can be like God and the first couple bit.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, unless someone can offer solid scriptural proof that I am wrong.
Salvation Apart From Repentance?
Is salvation apart from repentance even possible? I am not talking here of some agonizing exercise of dredging up every little sin ever committed in order to make a verbal confession of each and every one. I am speaking however, of recognizing one’s sinful wretched state apart from Christ and a consciousness turning away from sin and toward God.
“The idea that God will pardon a rebel who has not given up his rebellion is contrary to the Scripture and common sense. How horrible to contemplate a church full of persons who have been pardons but who still love sin and hate the ways of righteousness. And how much more horrible to think of heaven as filled with sinners who have not repented nor changed their ways of living.
I think there is little doubt that the teachings of salvation without repentance has lowered the moral standards of the church and produced a multitude of deceived religious professors who erroneously believe themselves to be saved when in fact they are still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.” A. W. Tozer - The Root of the Righteous
There are those who would say that ‘repentance is an act, something one ‘does’, making it a work and therefore not necessary for salvation. I have even heard on more than a few occasions and from various sources that you are accepted by Jesus and will be embraced by God “with” your sin. Such is the popular notion of “unconditional acceptance”, and what appears to be the modern definition of grace. Not only that, it is being preached as the gospel of Jesus Christ in churches all across America, not to mention ’sold’ as the gospel in Christian bookstores filled with ’spiritual junk food’ as the main fare.
Step right up! Come to Jesus! NO repentance necessary! If you give up on sin later, that’s ok. If you don’t, that’s ok too! God loves you SOOOOOOOO MUCH he cannot imagine heaven without you!
My friend, the creator of the universe did not send his Son to die for our sins so that we could just drag them along with us when we eagerly raise our hand, walk down front, or sign a little card in order to have our ‘best life now’. God sent his own Son, literally ‘gave him up’, so that when faced with our sin, we would hate it, forsake it, turn to Him and live the rest of our lives for His glory!
Keeping first things first. . .
The Apostle Paul probably ascertained some misplaced priorities within the church at the church in Corinth, for he had this to say to them in a letter written to them to point out that very thing - divisions and misplaced priorities.
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep (died).” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) (Emphasis mine)
The above verses are nearly always used to answer the question “What is the core of the gospel message?” I know I refer to them constantly when discussing the definition of the “gospel”. Paul was a, in his own words, a ‘Jew among Jews’, with what some term the equivalent of several Masters degrees and Doctorate or two in his curriculum vitae. He nearly always preached in Jewish synagogues first before taking his message to his primary audience, the non-Jewish Gentile community. Wherever he went, his message revolved around the crucifixion of Christ and the work of God in reconciling men and women to Himself through that death and resurrection. More of Paul’s words to the same crowd. . .
“. . ., but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” (1 Corinthians 1:23)
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)
Many times I’ve heard this sort of reaction to what Paul says is ‘of first importance’:
“So what? That was then and this is now. Just talking about God’s love and how much he wants us to find our special purpose and have our best life now is what attracts people to church. We don’t need all that sin and repentance stuff!”
If you ever get that, a reply to those objections just might be. . .
Well, you might be filling pews (and theater seating) with the ‘unchurched’, and pronouncing anyone who ‘makes a decision’ because they liked the show ’saved’, but how many ‘newly churched/saved’ folk actually remain ‘unsaved’ because things ‘of first importance’ were not part of your marketing/advertising campaign to get them through the front doors, nor are they preeminent (and in some cases even included) in your preaching, stage presentations?
Something to think about. . .
So that’s what I was thinking about during my ‘morning’ time before I went to work today and during my drive to work. Pulling into the parking lot, I heard a Keith Green song that literally made my whole day. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
There is a Redeemer
There is a Redeemer
Jesus, God’s own Son
Precious Lamb of God
Messiah, Holy One
Jesus, my Redeemer
Name above all names
Precious Lamb of God
Messiah, O for sinners slain
Thank You, O my Father
For giving us Your Son
And leaving us Your Spirit
‘Til the work on earth is done
When I stand in glory
I will see His face
And there I’ll serve
My King forever
In that holy place
About The Battle Cry
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Eph 1: 4-7
From the moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are not only assured of spending eternity in His presence, we actually become citizens of heaven while we finish our earthly journeys. We become soldiers of the Cross on a mission ‘behind enemy lines’. We are called to do battle for the souls of men.
“Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” 1 Cor 14:8
P.S. If you are wondering about the Born4Battle moniker, it has nothing to do with wanting to fight/bicker/prove MY point about anything. It comes from two specific things from my past. A song that made a deep impression on a soldier was one- “Run to the Battle”, by Steve Camp. The other was a book - “Born for Battle” by R. Arthur Matthews dealing with spiritual warfare.