As Christians we are often saddened in our hearts as our Western Culture slips further and further away from a Judaic/Christian moral center. Our modern day seems to be enveloped in a growing moral darkness. The evil desires of men seem to have no restraint and all that is good is being swept aside. We intuitively know it's more than a culture war, however, and more than a fight for a nation's soul. It is spiritual warfare, and the battle is for the rule and ownership of hearts and minds.
In the midst of this colossal struggle, there stands shinning the hope of a simple, yet profound message. It is the message of the gospel. It stands in sharp contrast to the empty promises of fulfillment the world is offering today. As the dark gets darker, the light of the gospel appears brighter. The more the spiritual forces of darkness believe they are winning, the more their defeat is revealed in the light of the gospel. The more a nation struggles with its values, the more the gospel of Christ pierces the night. We as Christians have an incredible opportunity today to hold out a message of hope, forgiveness, fulfillment, restoration, peace and love.
What then should be the Christian message today? Should it be fire and brimstone as in times past? Should it be health, wealth and prosperity? Should it be condemning in any way? Should it be all about grace and love? Should it be moralistic and focus on right and wrong? Should it be introspective and focus on the Christian life? Should it be Christian activism? Should it be political? Should it only be evangelism? Well, you see what I'm trying to say. The Church today has a multi faceted voice. It may be helpful to define "gospel" so that our message is clear and bright.
The gospel is good news and bad news. It can be simply described this way. God has found the human race morally guilty and has pronounced judgment. This is the bad news. God has also provided a Savior to live perfectly moral before God, and then to endure the judgment of God on our behalf, thus, forever appeasing the wrath of God. This is the good news. What the culture seems to be hearing from the Church today is the first part, only the bad news. This is why people want to reject God and go their own way. Their own way is like self salvation. It is like a temporary bandage that will alleviate the pain for only a time. Their foolish hearts get darker and darker, and more ready for some good news.
In the book of Micah, God pronounces the guilt of the people, and announces that judgment is coming. It is interesting to note that with each pronouncement there is also a promise to redeem and to restore. The book of Micah perfectly points to the mission of Christ, as does all the Old Testament. On the cross we see both judgment and forgiveness, both wrath and restoration. We see God's love for us on the cross, and his justice against sin. This explanation of the gospel must be spiritually discerned. It must be revealed to a person's heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. For a person who is being saved this message is the very power of God, but to those who are perishing it is foolishness.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1Co 1:18 ESV)
We find many hundreds of individuals in every generation that hear this message and believe. The question is, is this the message that the Church puts out there? Of course the answer is many individual Churches do a spectacular job in proclaiming the gospel. The Church, however, is made up of individuals. So, the question comes to us as individuals. Is this the message we preach daily to our families, friends and co workers? Whether with words or in deeds we are proclaiming something. Often it's in our everyday words. Our words are messages of judgment or of grace. We can misrepresent the gospel by speaking in terms of judgment with no grace, or in words of grace with no judgment. The message of the cross is both judgment and grace.
The challenge for our day is to seize the moment. To fully appreciate the times we live in. It is dark and people are running away from a perceived god who judges them. On the other hand, teaching that God is only about grace, love and forgiveness misses the whole point of grace itself. Who is like our God? He is a God who must judge sin, and who is full of mercy and pardons sin. This is the message of the cross. This should be our message as well.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Read articles and reviews of grace centered Christian books at www.gracechristianbookreview.com
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