In Mark's Gospel, he quotes Jesus as saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Jesus's gospel begins with "repent and believe." Jesus claimed, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). That is, God's love is demonstrated in eternal life for those who believe in His Son. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (Joh 14:6). His claim was that He was the sole access to the Father. In Luke's Gospel, Jesus left the desert experience and went to Nazareth. There, He read from Isaiah.
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." And He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:17-21)Well, there it is. Jesus's gospel. At least, that's what He read from Isaiah. And He said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." So, that's it. The gospel of Christ is that captives are liberated, the blind can see, the oppressed are freed, and God's really feeling good toward everyone. "Today," He said. Is that it? If it is, we have a problem. There are still poor people, still prisoners, still blind people, still oppressed people ... and Jesus declared, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Not "sometime soon." If we take it at face value, Jesus failed. Oh, He helped a few in His day, but ... He didn't, by any means, make a dent in the problem then or now. Is Jesus talking about the poor people of the world (who still exist unabated), or something else? Here's a clue. In Luke, Jesus says, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Luke 6:20). Compare that to Matthew's version (Matt 5:3). Matthew quotes Jesus speaking of "the poor in spirit." Huh. How about that? Could it be that neither Isaiah nor Jesus had people without funds ("the poor") in view, but the spiritually poor? Is it possible that "the gospel" that Jesus proclaimed was more concerned with the spiritually poor, the spiritual captives, the spiritually blind, the spiritually oppressed? Is it remotely possible that Jesus actually accomplished on the Cross the spiritual freedom for all these spiritually oppressed people?
Of course, that won't do for some. They're sure Jesus's was a social gospel. He meant well; He just didn't quite pull it off. He intended good things for the socially oppressed, but humans have blocked His efforts and we still have all these "lost sheep" in the physical world. If we could all just get on board, maybe we could make this world a better place, because that's Jesus's gospel. Or ... not. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd" (John 10:14-16). Jesus's spiritual sheep were not in question; they were assured. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27-28). The spiritual sheep -- with spiritual poverty, blindness, captivity, oppression -- had the certainty in Christ of eternal life ... because He would lay down His life for them. Jesus's gospel wasn't a social gospel. It was a gospel of redemption. And it was accomplished in Him. Like Paul and the rest of Scripture preached.
7 comments:
I really don't understand anyone that claims Christianity but says caring for the social woes of the world is of paramount importance. What is saving everyone from poverty, blindness, captivity, and oppression worth of they still have no eternal improvement? Yes, we should be caring for these people, but if all our efforts end there, what have we really accomplished? Our temporal life is but a drop in the bucket of our existence. I would rather scrape and scrounge and starve for the rest of my life, and then spend eternity with God, than to love in comfort and ease now, and then burn for eternity.
Agreed. Although if we look at the early Church, it seems clear that they prioritized those in the family when it came to meeting those needs. Not that we shouldn't do so more broadly, but the notion that the primary focus of the gospel is to meet the physical needs of every person on earth simply doesn't fir with the whole of Jesus' teachings nor the example of the early Church.
Jesus preached a Gospel that was, as Stan notes, primarily spiritual, not a works based gospel where it's all about giving the right things to the right people in the right way, without mentioning Jesus at all.
Stan, Before commenting today, I took the time to read a good number of your blog posts that came up upon a search for “social gospel,” in order to refresh my memory. From the outset of your blog, in the course of presenting the true Gospel, you have made these points (among others) on this topic (please correct me if I err in any of them):
(1) Addressing the temporal needs of our fellow man is a natural outcome of our new nature in Christ, i.e. a good work of the Lord in us as He produces the fruit of the Spirit.
(2) The sufferings of society that are being addressed by so-called “social justice warriors” are manifestations of mankind’s sin; addressing the symptoms but not the root problem is not at all wise or loving.
(3) Easing humanity’s “social ills” is not the reason Christ came to earth to die for us; we need peace with God, atonement, and forgiveness of the sin that separates us from the Lord for all eternity.
(4) The “social gospel” is another gospel and not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and the apostles and must therefore be rejected by biblical believers.
These points concur with my own Bible study as a disciple of Jesus Christ for 48.5 years. With exposure to the entire Scriptures, I do not see an emphasis above all else for this movement, which to anyone considering the true plight of humankind, equates to putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. To me, this emphasis reveals very narrow vision--i.e. a concern only with “the here and now”--while it is our eternal soul that needs deliverance. (Mark 8:36 and Matt. 16:26 come to mind once again!) Frankly, proponents of the “social justice gospel” seem to be thinking very superficially and revealing a lack of true spiritual discernment regarding what really matters (while purporting to be the more “spiritual” ones). Just this morning I saw the following quote: “Discernment grows through a combination of biblical knowledge, practical wisdom, and spiritual maturity. Conversely, discernment falters when someone doesn’t know the bible very well, doesn’t walk in biblical wisdom, and is spiritually immature.” I believe that enemies of today’s post--and of the true Gospel--should take those words to heart.
Lorna, excellent points. Although I do think that Jesus did come to deal with all of those things. He just didn't do so in the ways or time frame that the SJ folx wanted Him to. Ultimately, all of those issues will be put right, just not right now. Which doesn't mean, as you note, that we shouldn't get a head start on that.
Praise God, yes, the new heaven and the new earth are coming!
I just had this thought. The social gospel is a pale imitation of the full working out of The Gospel. It's people trying to take the place of YHWH and give temporary help, without addressing the more permanent problems that Jesus came to solve.
It is an imitation. When God had a much bigger plan -- saving from sin and shaping into the image of Christ -- this poorer version wants people to feel better now. Feeling better now is a fine illustration of what He has in mind, but falls way short of the reality.
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