Oh beloved who know Christ, if you're preaching a gospel that is primarily man-centered, I beg you to repent. How has the gospel become all about mankind's need for joy, peace and comfort? That's not Biblical!!! Don’t get me wrong; all who are in Christ, through the working of the Holy Spirit, do partake of the fruits of spiritual life in Christ, which these things all are. But don't you see the problem with making that the gospel; with hanging that out as bait for the unregenerate? The core of who they are is self-seeking. Then you come along and tell them God can give them joy and peace. But if the God you proclaim to them is a God who exists to better their existence, rather than inform them He's a holy God who judges sin, and a Savior who calls them to repent and believe that they might be saved from His wrath, will they not be deceived and never repent of their wickedness, and then cling to an idol? You tell them "God has a wonderful plan for your life", and inside they think "perfect, because I also have a wonderful plan for my life, and maybe this God could help me accomplish it!" Those of you who listen to Paul Washer know the essence of the last sentence I got from a sermon of his. Such a person will never see their need for a Savior. They won't repent of their sin because they haven't been informed of the realities of their condition. When things get difficult as a "Christian", they will blaspheme God and rebel even more, because they were promised a God who provides them joy, rather than being drawn to see their need for a Savior because of their terrible lost condition. Their destiny of damnation never changed. They were a false convert. Such cases abound in churches today!
Christ did not die primarily to bring us comfort, peace and joy. Christ died to reconcile us to God! Mankind's deepest need is not joy, peace and comfort. Mankind's deepest need is forgiveness. Do you not know people who run to Christ for selfish reasons and yet never bow their knee to Him? Do you then encourage that by enticing their selfish nature to follow a God who will fill the void in their heart? The problem is we've made the gospel all about mankind. I'm sorry if you've been deceived in this, but MAN IS NOT THE VICTIM! God is!! God has been wronged. God has been sinned against. God has been traded for lesser substitutes. God has been disregarded. God has been blasphemed. God has been rejected. Just look at the life of Christ. If Jesus were to have preached the way most people do nowadays, He would've never been rejected as He was! Yes mankind suffers the repercussions of the fall and their own sins, but mankind is chiefly to be understood as in need of spiritual life, not emotional stability or fulfillment.
The fruits of new life are glorious, but these are not to be the draw in preaching the gospel. There are of course exceptions to this rule... people who have already been humbled by the hand of Christ, who do not need the Law of God to shut their mouth (Romans 3:19-20). BUT THESE ARE THE MINORITY. In such cases we say "grace to the humble, and Law to the proud". I mean seriously, whatever happened to telling men to count the cost, take up a cross (death to self), forsake everything else, and hate all else in comparison to Christ (Luke 14:26-33)? Are not these the words of Jesus, spoken to "large crowds", primarily unbelievers? And whatever happened to warning people about the wrath to come? We're so superficial! We're so trite! Awaken oh bride of Christ! Repent and return to the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Forsake this man-centered, self-preserving, humiliation and rejection-avoiding gospel, and cling to what is so plainly revealed in the Holy Scriptures!!
You are a steward of the Gospel of Christ... sober up, study to show yourself approved, hit your knees in desperation, reject man-made methodology and man-centered theology. Stop viewing man as the victim! By all means, don't go off the deep end and lose sight of the grace, compassion, and kindness that ought to walk hand in hand with truth. But then again strike the balance. Pray for balance. Because when you share the glories of Eternal, God-centered truth, with indifference, dryness, and no fire, you betray your lukewarm spirit! How can we not proclaim passionately, from the rooftops, with the gracious authority of Almighty God, this life-changing, Christ-exalting good news? We most certainly ought to brethren!
If you're unfamiliar with much that I am addressing, and would like further clarity on something, please email me at blood-bought@live.com. If you're interested in furthering your understanding of the gospel, please read the article I wrote entitled, "What is the Gospel". Also, I recommend you look up Paul Washer or Jeff Noblit and "the gospel" in a search engine, to hear some great Biblical preaching on the subject of the gospel. Thanks for your time and consideration. May the Lord bless these truths to your life, that through it He might be magnified!
Soli DEO Gloria
About Me
- Thomas Karrer
- I'm determined to treasure Christ above all other things in my life. God alone is supremely worthy, and supremely satisfying; therefore, casting aside all vanities, I'm determined to, by His grace, pursue knowing Him as my only end in life. Things that hinder the accomplishing of that end I view as obstacles to my happiness.
I'm not allowing blog comments right now, but if you have a question or comment, please email me at thomaskarrer@hotmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!