Do We Water Down the Gospel?
Yesterday was Easter. It was the day we most celebrate our risen Savior, even though we should celebrate it everyday. :) Churches across the nation hopefully banded together in the desire to share the Gospel to the lost who sometimes only come to church this Sunday and maybe Christmas. Pastors from all over shared the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, no longer dead, but ALIVE! My question and concern with this is did they water down the Gospel?
Mark made a very good point in his sermon yesterday that I pray every pastor realizes and communicates with their sheep. Yes, there is good news, but in order for us to have good news, there has to be bad news. You can't have the good news without the bad news as well. Stick with me here. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 is a popular Easter Sunday passage. It states "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" -can I get an AMEN! This is an amazing passage, but there is one part I fear we skim or even skip over entirely; for our sins.
This is where the bad news comes in. Yes, Christ died, was buried, and was raised in 3 days in accordance with the scriptures. But why did He have to die in the first place? Why was it necessary that he lay down His life? The answer is simple, yet terrifying. For our sins. The Bible is clear that the payment for our sins is DEATH (Romans 6:23). That death includes an eternity with God's wrath and condemnation poured out on us. I think sometimes we think Jesus died to save us from Satan or something on those lines. Totally not true. Christ (God in flesh) died to save us from God the Father's burning and unending judgement. Let that sink in.
We give Satan way more credit then he is due. He is not ruler over Hell. He is simply a pawn that is used in God's great plan. He will be subject to God's wrath just like everyone else who fails to believe in Jesus. Scripture says that we are all walking around condemned if we have not believed in Jesus and what He did for us on Calvary (John 3:18). So why does this matter? Because, we water down the Gospel when we don't fully explain the bad news. How can someone appreciate the Good news if they don't understand why it is necessary or why it is good. Hell is not a separation from God. It is a separation from the goodness of God. God is in Hell. This might be contrary to what some have believed, but He is present pouring out His wrath and judgement on those there. I don't know about you, but that isn't a place I want to be.
So next time you have the opportunity to share the Good news of Jesus and how He died as the spotless lamb, make sure to explain why that was necessary. We are all sinners who are condemned to spend eternity under the wrath of God. Period. We do not deserve better. We are not entitled to heaven. Only in God's tender mercy did He make a way for us to instead spend eternity under His goodness and love. That way is Jesus and our believing in what He did on the cross on our behalf. This is the best news of all. But great news comes because their is bad news on the other side. Remember that. I love you all. Till next time.
Worship our risen Savior with me today: