"The 'what-ifs?' increase exponentially when your heart is walking around outside of your body wearing Buzz Lightyear light up shoes."
- BlestWithSons
Monday, July 27, 2009
This is a view of the matter that I'm not sure I've contemplated before (from the same source referenced in my earlier post):
Always teaching about sin makes no sense without the broader context of the Gospel. A pastor who replaced all his messages about gays with messages about divorcees would still be doing a great disservice if the Gospel takes a back seat. Jesus had some harsh words when it came to sin, and often, they weren't qualified by an explicit message about the love and all-surpassing mercy of God. Some Christians (incidentally, almost all of them young men) use this as an excuse to be ungracious and hawkish when it comes to calling out sin. What they seem to forget is that the same Jesus who turned over tables also died for the moneychangers and Pharisees. Tough, "edgy" messages about sin are fine, but they're worthless without the message of Grace, because letting Jesus be Jesus means unleashing both the firey, street-wise revolutionary and also the gentle, meek lamb, being led to slaughter.[Emphasis mine]
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Comments on "On Turning Over Tables and Teaching On Sin":
2. nhe
- 07/28/2009 9:02 am CDT
Actually, the edgiest messages are the ones that cut both ways.....make depravity specific and clear and then crescendo with the the glory of the gospel.
The truly scandalous message is the one that tells us we are utterly in debt to Jesus, but that debt is paid. That's the ultimate offense to the heart that wrestles with the gospel - I messed up, and there's NOTHING I can do about it, Jesus did it all. That can be really offensive, because the world doesn't work that way.
A Bill Parcells half-time speech when you're down 30-0 is fire and brimstone for sure......but it would be far more jarring to our sensibilities to come back in after the game (when we've lost 60-0) and Parcells smiles and tells us its ok. We have a hard time getting our arms around that.
3. Tom
- 07/31/2009 7:53 am CDT
This is a great point. Coming from a holiness tradition, I can understand the need to rail against sin, but how can I square this with the Lamb who gave himself up for me? Simply by understanding each concept fully and fully embracing both. Thank God for His holiness; thank Him for His grace.
Leave a Comment:
Tough, "edgy" messages about sin are fine, but they're worthless without the message of Grace ...
Exactly! Thanks. We should be shouting this from the rooftops.
And to whoever else is typing right now, yes, there are plenty of mainline and liberal churches that need to hear that the message of grace is worthless unless we understand the sin that makes it necessary. Yes. But that's their main problem, not the main problem of the "tough, edgy" churches we evangelicals have these days.