Enter postmodernism. Postmodernism's primary contribution to modern society is the obliteration of the meaning of words. Oh, sure, there is much, much more, but this one is quite large. And, to be fair, it's not new. In my lifetime, for instance, we've shifted our question from "Are you a Christian?" to "Are you saved?" to "Are you born again?" to "Are you a follower of Christ?" because every time we've alighted on one of these words, it has shifted. I am not, in fact, at all clear what the proper question would be today.
The point, however, is not "What is the the right question?" The point is the meaning of words. We all agree we're to share the Gospel, but ... what is the Gospel? All of the sudden, we can't seem to agree on that simple word. I mean, sure, we're all sure it's the "good news", but what exactly is that news? There is a loud and proud segment that assures us that the Gospel is the good news that life will get better. Indeed, they're quite sure that we're supposed to make that happen. Help the poor. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. That sort of thing. Where would they get such an idea? Well, from Scripture. I mean, isn't that the point of the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt 25:31-46)? Jesus speaks of taking care of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the prisoner. "As much as you did it unto one of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me" (Matt 25:40). Now, I can point out that the reference is to "these brothers of Mine", but this doesn't change the fact that the Gospel does include taking care of people. In Matt 4:23 and 9:25 we read of Jesus "proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people." The good news, then? Well, it's the "gospel of the kingdom". It is the declaration that, in Christ, His promises are fulfilled. Good things are going to happen.
What promises? Isaiah brings this Gospel in Isaiah 61-65. "The LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners ..." (Isa 61:1ff). "You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD" (Isa 62:3). "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me" (Isa 65:1). "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind" (Isa 65:17). "No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days. For the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed. They will build houses and inhabit them. They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit" (Isa 65:20-21). "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain" (Isa 65:24-25). There is a good world coming, and the Gospel (Isa 61:1) is that this is so in Christ. Where do they get the idea that the Gospel is about doing good? It's in the Bible.
And, yet, we know otherwise, don't we? What is the Gospel? Is it not, clearly, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31)? Indeed, this is what Paul says in his letter to Corinth.
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered 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, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve (1 Cor 15:1-5)The Gospel is simple and straightforward. Nothing about "good things will happen" or "get to work helping people". It is clear. Christ died for our sins and rose again. End of story. Then the Bible does appear to say that the Gospel is simply that we are sinners for whom Christ died so we can, through faith, be made right with God.
So ... which is it? Is the Gospel the good news that things will get better and we need to get to work on that now, or is it simply "repent and be saved"? I would answer, "Yes!" We are commanded to do good to people (Gal 6:10). And the Gospel is found in the glorious truth that Christ died for us and, by grace through faith we can be made right with God. These, in fact, don't contradict. Jesus preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt 4:17) and healed (Matt 4:23). All of God's promises are fulfilled in Christ (2 Cor 1:20) and we are called to preach the good news that righteousness is credited not by works but by faith (Rom 4:5). The difference, of course, is that one version is talking about "the gospel of the kingdom" and the other is talking about "the good news of how we can be right with God".
What are we to preach, then? Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31). Repent, for the kingdom is at hand (Matt 4:17). And what about doing good? Yes, that's commanded. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt 5:16). But don't mix the message ("Repent, for the kingdom is at hand") with the means ("Do good to all men"). Ephesians 1:3-14 offers a long list of blessings already bestowed on us "in the heavenly places in Christ"(Eph 1:3). And that is good news. But we are not called to bring about the New Heaven and New Earth. That is God's job. Good thing, too. It's somewhat beyond our capabilities.
1 comment:
God is perfectly holy and righteous and requires us to be also.
We are rebellious and sinful enemies of God, deserving of God's wrath and destined for eternity in hell.
BUT in His love, grace, and mercy, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to atone for our sin on the Cross and raised Him from the dead so that we may have life in Him.
God commands us to turn away from our sin and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness and salvation. If we turn toward God and have faith in the Lord Jesus and what He has done, we are saved and born again into a new and eternal life with God our Creator.
That is good news! (the Gospel).
All the doing of good is a result of the Gospel, not the Gospel.
"Activism in social issues is not the gospel but a fruit of it."
-- Will Metzger in the book "Tell the Truth"
There are many good things that we can do as Christians, but the fact is that most of those good things will happily be done also by people who are not Christians.
But if we Christians fail to proclaim the gospel of Jesus, who else is going to do that?
No one.
Yes, the real Gospel will lead to all sorts of good deeds. But the good deeds aren't the Gospel. If you tell people that they must be good to be saved, that's the bad news, not the good news, because we will always fail. Without Christ, our good deeds are like polluted garments to God (Isaiah 64:6).
The real Gospel is Jesus dying for our sins and rising from the dead. If we focus on sharing that, then transformed lives and cultures will follow and you'll get all sorts of authentically good deeds.
Post a Comment