Goodness and Severity / Part 3

"'Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God,' writes Paul in Romans 11:22. The crucial word here is 'and'. 

The Christians at Rome are not to dwell on God's goodness alone, nor on His severity alone, but to contemplate both together. Both are attributes of God - aspects, that is, of His revealed character. Both must be acknowledged together if God is to be truly known." ( J.I. Packer; Knowing God ) 

Last blog I was focusing on God's wrath, the one before that his goodness, and the difficulties and questions we can face when sharing our faith, but how vitally important it is that we not leave the hard parts out because half a gospel is no gospel at all, in fact it is a different gospel altogether and saves no one. 

As Dr. Packer explained, "God's goodness and severity are inseparable." It's only when we are crushed by our sins against a holy, righteous God and their consequences that we can behold and appreciate the beauty of Christ's atoning work on our behalf.

But we have to share the true Gospel for it to bring true freedom in people's lives. It's been said, "How much do we have to hate someone not to tell them the truth?" If we are in Christ, we are commissioned to proclaim the Gospel to every nation and to speak the truth in love. ( Matthew 28:16-20, Ephesians 4:15 ) If we saw someone walking inside of a railroad track who couldn't see or hear an oncoming train, we wouldn't hesitate to do all we could to alert them and push them to safety.  

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain." ( 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ) 

Paul has just finished addressing a multitude of problems with this church in Corinth including sexual immorality within the congregation ( a man sleeping with his father's wife ), the wealthy eating the Lord's supper and not leaving any for the poorer members of the church, confusion, arrogance, and disorderliness in the structure of the service and in the operation of the spiritual gifts, to name a few. 

Paul calls for all things in the church meetings to be done "decently and in order" and then reminds them of the Gospel he preached to them. Similarly in much of the American church throughout the last century and into this one, we've seen a slow and sad movement of Christ and the core doctrines of the Christian faith out of the center and into the fringes at best, being replaced in many churches with emotional encounters, works righteousness, and materialism. 

And it's not just the American health-wealth gospel, but any teaching that does not exalt the Gospel above all else, from the mainline progressives to the social gospel to the word of faith message to the new apostolic reformation. It's any movement that moves Christ and his Word from the center and replaces them with self and one's own interpretation, desires, and agendas, even if some of those things are good things. We become our own god, not reading the entire counsel of Scripture and allowing it to "reprove us, teach us, correct us, and train us in righteousness," but rather reading ourselves and our purposes into the biblical narrative. ( Exodus 20, Deuteronomy  2 Timothy 3:16-17 ) 

It started in the garden of Eden and continues to this day. And Paul reminds the Corinthians and all of us of "the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved.." 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can save us, Paul reminds them. In fact, it is the only way that we can ever "stand" before a holy God - in the righteousness of Christ, and not a righteousness of our own. ( Philippians 3:9, Romans 1:16 ) 

"if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believed in vain." 

This is strong and sobering language. "In vain" - meaningless, worthless, fruitless. As difficult as it may be to share my faith and the concept of hell and God's wrath with someone who has very little biblical knowledge, I've found an even more daunting task to be sharing my faith with someone who thinks they're saved, but may not be. 

Evangelism seems to take many forms. 

I think of a beautiful, young college student who visited the farm from South America and had literally no knowledge of the Bible or Christianity. She admitted this and claimed to be an agnostic. I found it easy to share Christ with her after we had spent a morning together feeding the animals. Of course, when you're surrounded by God's country and his amazing livestock ( especially when those livestock are guarded by fluffy, white, gentle giants ) it does create an atmosphere of beauty and belief to work within. Creation was on my side. No doubt it was a team effort. 

On the other hand, when someone already thinks they know the Bible and have been in church their whole lives, but it's clear by their language that they do not have a proper understanding of the Gospel, it can be quite challenging. I was in that group. It's so easy to offend them. I've learned this type of witnessing takes careful finesse that I've had to develop as to not be a bull in lipgloss. 

You might be called a heresy hunter or a Pharisee or accused of having a religious spirit, but again, I have to pose the question: "How much do we have to hate someone not to tell them the truth?" I have begged people to please examine the teachers, prophets, and ministries they follow to see if what they are teaching and proclaiming lines up with the Word of God. The Bereans fact checked the Apostle Paul's preaching! And were commended for it! ( Acts 17:10-11 ) 

Even if it means being called names, that is nothing compared to what my kids in Indonesia or our brothers and sisters in Christ around the globe experience when they share the true gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, and I'm not making light of our persecution, but I believe the persecution we face here isn't at times worth mentioning because of what they suffer for the name of Christ. Everyday these dear ones are risking their lives and their family's lives for the sake of the Gospel and the name of Christ and should be at the forefront of our prayers. 

So we must not let it slide when people identify as a Christian without displaying a knowledge of Christ. For instance believing simply because they are an American that that automatically makes them a Christian or believing if they do enough good works or have enough faith, that's their "ticket to paradise." 

Or believing all they have to do is "reach out and take a hold of God" or "repeat after me" without being broken over their sins, repenting, and trusting in what Christ alone has done for them. 

Most often these folks have been presented with a false gospel to start with either through another person or social media or sadly, a church. It can prove to be a thorny situation when attempting to counter their arguments with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we must. 

Wolves in sheep's clothing seduce their followers by teaching a message that contains a measure of the truth making it believable and almost undetectable and very sinister, appealing to our fallen natures. Only the power of the true Gospel can break the chain of unbelief that can take hold of us through false teaching. 

But again, I was in that category for years, so I understand the deception. I didn't at the time though. It wasn't until the fog of false teaching began to lift from my eyes and I started to read the Bible with those fresh eyes that I could see the truth. Another thing I can say is that it has bolstered my prayer life because I know how crafty the enemy can be and how easy it would be for me to stumble again. 

We must continually guard our hearts, praying for ourselves and others without ceasing. The Holy Spirit is the only One to keep us from stumbling. Don't think for a moment we could ever stand without Christ. We must live in repentance and humility about the vulnerability of our true condition with our dependence solely resting on Christ alone, and in the knowledge that sinless perfection doesn't come until the next life and that Jesus will sustain and keep us until the end. 

Amen. 

"And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray." ( Matthew 24:11 ) 

"Many" 

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." ( Jude 3-4 ) 

"And have mercy on those who doubt, save others by snatching them out of the fire;" ( Jude 22 )

Some doubt and some fall into the fire, we are called to both. After all, we've been shown mercy and graciously snatched to salvation ourselves. Now we have a commission. God uses our prayers and our obedience to accomplish his purposes.   

Remember the verse I mentioned last week in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8, God is the only one who can perform the miracle of a new birth and regenerate the human heart, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, but we must do our part in planting and watering the seed. ( Romans 1:16 ) 

"How much do we have to hate someone not to tell them the truth?" 

💜

 

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed." ( 1 Corinthians 15: 1- 11 )