We are called to suffer for Christ. It saddens me when
Christians shy away from sharing the gospel, and therefore suffering, because
they would rather live comfortably by pleasing man rather than God. I am very
guilty of this. There are many times I would rather someone like me than know
that I am a Christian. But I know that by doing this, I am not doing what I am
called to do.
Now, hear me out, I am all about being respectful and kind…
God calls us to love… even those who do not believe! But when we make even tiny
adjustments to the gospel to avoid the possibility of others getting offended,
we are committing an injustice to them by not telling them the truth that saves…
Any plus or minus to the gospel results in no gospel at all:
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who
called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not
that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to
distort the gospel of Christ.” Galatians 1:6-7
Yes, it sucks to be persecuted, particularly when all you
want to do is please the Lord. In fact, many times I find that others will get
offended even when I say nothing at all! All I have to say is that I am a
Christian and BOOM someone is offended. You can be sweet as pie while sharing
the gospel and people will find it invasive and rude regardless. Why? I firmly
believe that the gospel, in many ways, is naturally offensive to unbelievers.
1) It says that we are more sinful than we could ever imagine.
The first time I came to understand this, I
felt helpless. This truth, if understood, can bring one to their knees in shame
and guilt. For others this truth instantly results in defensiveness. “Who are
you to say I am a sinner? Who are you to say what is right and wrong? Let me
live how I want to live.” It is a shot to the ego for many because most people
build their lives around the belief that they are basically a “good person” and
do not need any of the Jesus “crap”. Regardless, it is necessary to understand
our true nature, the BAD news, before truly understanding the GOOD news.
2) Therefore,
there is nothing YOU can do to earn God’s favor.
This truth was revolutionary to me…
particularly because I always felt like God worked this way: You work hard at
making good choices in life and, if you are basically a “good” person, you go
to heaven. FALSE.
For many people, this truth is offensive.
In our “work hard, earn everything” world, people generally do not like being
told that they cannot take credit for something. Once again, it hurts their
pride. For me and for many Christians, it is disarming. I was offended at first
because I felt like all the hard work of being a “good” person MUST count for
something right?! No, actually before I put my faith in Christ, I was doing
everything in vain and never giving out of gratitude to God. Even if I happily did
something good for someone else, I would usually applaud myself afterward
thinking, “Wow, I am SUCH a good person.” This led to a self-righteousness that
looked down upon others. It also produced pride in my own justification. I didn’t
need Jesus to pay for my sins, I could earn his love with my works and he would
owe me! It led to a sense of entitlement.
The truth is, however, I was
exhausted. I had been chasing after this invisible moral standard my whole
life. “When will I know if I am good enough?”
I would think. “Is there a level of ‘goodness’ that I can graduate to in
order to rest assured that I am going to heaven and that God loves me?” And
when I would fail or mess up, it felt like the end of the world. Tremendous
shame would overcome me. Once I understood that because of my very nature I was
unable to attain the favor of God through works, I felt helpless… but then God
led me to the most important point…
3) You don’t have to earn favor with God
because Jesus did it for you.
What?! You’re saying that because I am
helpless and unable to earn my place in God’s kingdom, he sent his Son to die
in my place and receive the punishment for MY sins? Yes. Beautiful isn’t it?
Many do not think so. I have often wrestled
with why anyone would find this part offensive but I get it now.
The fact that
Jesus had to endure such pain, persecution, and the fullness of God’s wrath to
pay for our sins implies that our sin is much more serious and much bigger than
we could ever fathom (point 1). Once again, people do not like to hear anyone
tell them that they actually do need a savior. Because if they need a savior,
it means they are not good enough by themselves. A shot at the ego once again.
“Christianity is a crutch for the weak.” They’ll
say… Sure, what they don’t understand is how weak we ALL are.
4) Jesus
literally covers us in his righteousness.
When we trust in Christ, we are made new. Out
with the old and in with the new. The Father now sees us as he sees his holy
and perfect Son Jesus: with delight and total favor. We become his children.
Timothy Keller explains it perfectly:
“Jesus’ salvation is not only like
receiving a pardon and release from death row and prison. Then we’d be free,
but on our own, left to make our own way in the world, thrown back on our own
efforts if we’re to make anything of ourselves. But in the gospel, we discover
that Jesus has taken us off death row and then has hung around our neck the
Congressional Medal of Honor. We are received and welcomed as heroes, as if we
had accomplished extraordinary deeds.”
― Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You: For
reading, for feeding, for leading
5) True
freedom can only be found in Christ
How could we NOT respond to the gospel with
a desire to please the Lord?
Justification and his righteousness should
lead us to live righteously. Not to earn God’s favor or a place in heaven (remember
we can’t do that), but rather to please God out of a heart of gratitude. Thankfulness
should drive us to live holy lives. This process of growing into the likeness
of Jesus is called sanctification. This is important because real, true, saving
faith always results in a changed life. It always results in good works. As
Christians, we may not be sinless on this side of the grave, but we sin less.
We
can now be free from the chains of sin and freely express our love for the Lord
without fear of punishment when we fail. We are fully accepted when we trust in Christ’s sacrifice
for our sins. It’s about what he DID, not what WE do… this is totally humbling
and beautiful and it drives us to love him more.
“I don’t want to be a Christian because I
want to truly be free”
The problem with this statement is that it simply isn’t
true. When we are apart from God in Christ, we are slaves to sin. We were
created to worship. Therefore, if we are not worshiping God, we are worshiping
something else (money, the affirmation of others, success, etc.) None of these things will ever satisfy. Therefore it results in an endless battle. Jesus tells us
that, because of the cross, we are already accepted by the one whose opinion
matters most. When we understand this, we are no longer slaves to ourselves or
our sin but we are free in the Lord.
My overall point is: We should not be surprised when others
are offended by Christianity.
“Beloved, do not be surprised at the
fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange
were happening to you. But
rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and
be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are
blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” 1 Peter
4: 12-14
The Bible tells us that it is not unusual
for people to hate us for our faith:
All Christians, having placed their faith
in the Messiah, have had to endure persecution at the hands of sinful men.
The gospel is described as, “A
stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” 1 Peter 2:8
“Do not be surprised,
brothers, that the world hates you…” 1 John 3:13
“If the world
hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would
love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out
of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:18-19
We should be reminded that it is often a
good sign when one is offended… it means their assurances and beliefs have been
challenged to the core and even disrupted. It means a seed has been planted. We
must remember that it is a miracle ANY of us are saved since none of us can
take credit for our salvation. No one is too far from the grace of God.
Lastly, we are given encouragement. Soak
it in brothers and sisters:
“But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you
will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled” 1 Peter 3:14
Jesus gives us every reason to stand firm in our faith.
Christians have a living hope that assures them that they are God’s people.
Because we are God’s people we are able to stand firm during persecution and
trial.
A snippet from Ligonier’s website regarding 1 Peter:
“If the
Lord of the universe suffered before being exalted, then those who are united
to Him by faith will have to suffer as well (2:21–25). But make no mistake, the
suffering that is our calling is the suffering that comes for confessing Jesus
(4:14–16). Though God can be honored when we acknowledge the justice of the
earthly consequences for our sin, let us never endeavor to suffer as evildoers
(4:15). Rather, let us follow Christ so that in the trials that result we will
fulfill the call to suffer just as He did (2:19–21; 3:8–17; 4:12–19).”
I hope this was encouraging and eye-opening for believers.
Remember, He has overcome the world. Do not be afraid of them. We can be put to
death and still lose nothing because he has conquered death itself. Those who
stand firm in their faith, entrusting themselves to God, are promised one day
to be vindicated by the Father. Now go forth and share the good news without
fear!
