And the invariable tenderness of the offer.
Last week I blogged about the Actual Gospel, and I mentioned a statement I’d heard that we Christians can be rough on people concerning their utter sinfulness. Maybe, this person said, the preacher’s too hard on the congregation with his constant sin bashing. The long-time believer surprised me when he threw in, “It’s not like we’re ax murderers or anything.”
This is where the severity of the Gospel begins to waver. Surely
he wasn’t insinuating ax murderers are the only condemnable sinners. If you
want to know who needs a rescue from sin, just take a walk down the Roman Road.
If you’re unfamiliar with Christianese, the Roman Road is a quick and easy
way to explain the Gospel by walking a sinner through selected verses in the
book of Romans.
If you want to know how I feel about Christianese, read this: A Beginner’s Guide to Talking like a Real Christian
Now, don’t think I’m opposed to repeating comfortably memorized scripture when you’re sharing your faith. Go ahead and do it. There is nothing more perfectly designed for reaching the lost as the Word of God. Here’s that walk through Romans:
3: 23 …for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
6:23 …the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
5:8 …God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were
yet sinners Christ died for us.
10:9 …if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10:13 …whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Is it that simple? Yes.
Can a sinner repeat these verses three times and go to Heaven? No. Can a
believer forget, or never realize, the depths from which he was rescued? I don’t
know—that’s God’s call. I do know people who never did anything horrible and
seem to feel they deserve to be saved, but they’re not sure those other people—the
ones who sin big—deserve God’s grace. I’ve never met a redeemed ax murderer but
if I did, he’d probably be sure about it. He’d understand the severity of the
Gospel.
I call it severe because
it’s strict in its application. You can’t choose the light serving instead of
the mega platter. It’s difficult for a rebellious heart to grasp, and harsh in
its demand of death as penalty for sin. It causes irreversible and ongoing destruction
to the sin nature of an individual, and eventually to the overall effect of sin
in the world. Another definition of
severe: plain, unelaborated. Nothing added. That’s the Gospel.
I use the word wavering
not as an indicator of the Gospel’s lack of stability. It is not unsteady nor
does it fluctuate. But sometimes we believers can waver. We disregard the fact
that we were hell-bound sinners. We thoughtlessly suggest salvation is for
church people, not for the freaks who insult our sensibility. Or just as
misguided, we insist that sin is sin and it doesn’t matter if you tell a white
lie or bludgeon someone to death. God’s got it covered.
Wait, doesn’t He? Does it matter if I sin big
or sin little? No, it doesn’t matter—not when comes to settling my eternal
destiny. To the person at the other end of my little lie, or the blade of my
ax, it matters severely. The guy I lied to can forgive me if I go to set things
right. The other guy, well, he’s dead.
If he could, he’d say my sin against him was much, much greater. Will
God forgive me? I can ask Him. From prison. Does God redeem imprisoned,
entirely guilty murderers? Of course. What do you think He meant when He said, “ALL who
call on the name of the Lord…?”
Will there be good
people in Heaven who never did anything worse than tell a white lie? I’d like
to meet that person. But yes, good people will be there. Not because they were
good, but because they met the One who put an end to their self-righteous
speculation of their own goodness. Will there be murderers in Heaven? I hope
so. Otherwise, it’s a thin Gospel God poured out for us. Of course, it isn’t
that kind—not lean or wimpy. Not at all wavering. But gloriously severe. What
other kind could rescue us?
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