The offensive gospel – many people today believe the gospel is offensive. The thought that Christ had to die on the cross for our sins is repelling to people. It’s not uncommon to see statements like: “A loving God doesn’t beat up or kill His Son.”
These sentiments aren’t new. You can find examples throughout church history. The concern is that they are steadily becoming main stream. Jesus’ death on the cross is being portrayed as an example for Christians rather than being necessary for the propitiation of our sins. The gospel is being mixed up with social justice narratives. We are seeing gospels which aren’t gospels at all.
Paul Washer was once kicked out of a church for presenting the pure gospel. See the video below. At the very start of the video Washer says that: “America is not hardened to the gospel – it is gospel ignorant.” He adds that this is because its preachers are gospel ignorant. I agree to a point. However, I’ve seen too many online articles by professing Christians which work very hard to get around the texts they know are there. It isn’t just ignorance. It’s also a rebellion against what Scripture plainly reveals.
The need for the cross is directly linked to the Attributes of God. For example, God is just and cannot allow sin to go unpunished. For more information on the Attributes of God visit the Monergism Website. See also Thomas Watson’s A Body of Divinity.
I like what the Puritan George Smeaton wrote:
The Father’s love to the Son is the very foundation of the gospel. The Father cannot be an enemy to him who is his very heart. To shew that the Father cannot cease to love him, let us bear in mind that, when he came forth as Mediator, it was not a new affection that the Father bore him, but the very same that had been borne to him before the world was.
When he put off his glory and appeared eclipsed, self-emptied, humbled, the Father said of him, what had been upon his heart before time began, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” When he put on his peoples’ sin, he met the anger of an offended Judge, not the enmity of an offended Father. Even when his God forsook him, as he hung surrounded by the terrific garment of our sin, and his human soul wanted all sensible comfort, he was the object, amid all his woe, on who Eternal love was resting.
The great triumph of the cross is, that he who hung there was more pleasing in the Father’s sight than even sin was hateful – that the sin could be consumed, and yet the love remain entire. Had this love not been as full as ever, as high as ever – had there been an interruption of it but a moment – our salvation had been hopeless. But while Christ took on him what was due to us, he did not lose, he could not lose, what was eternally his own: the light of everlasting love did not forsake, and could not forsake, the temple where it ever dwelt. ~ Sermon by Smeaton The Free Church Pulpit
We ought to take great care when presenting the precious gospel. Heed the Apostle Paul’s warning:
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! Gal 1:8-9
Sharing is caring!
