The Truth of the Gospel

Over the past year or so, God has been doing a remarkable change in my heart and within my theology. I have been a Christian for a long time, yet have only recently realized that I have, for much of that time, denied the fullness of God's power and sovereignty over my life and this world. As Ashley and I prepare ourselves and our family for missions in the near future (shout out to Bolivia - we're comin' soon!), we have been immersing ourselves in God's word, seeking revelation and insight, so that our theology would be strong and the message of Christ, clear. I guess this journey could be summed up in this passage (from Romans 11:36 through 12:2):

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

All my life, I have assumed a value that was not mine to assume. I have walked with the idea that my will was important. I have believed that I was necessary to God's kingdom. I have perpetuated the idea that God created man for fellowship. I have taught that the purpose of Christ's death was to bring man back from the fall of sin in Adam and into right relationship; this, I declared because I was taught to believe that the highest purpose given to creation was relationship with God. All my life, I believed a lie.

It sounds nice to tell someone, "God loves you!" or to preach that relationship, not religion, is the answer. Its seems practical and good to declare God's desire for our hearts. It feels good to be taught that the choice is mine. 2 Timothy 4:3-5 says:

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

We tend to presume that we know God's heart and we, at liberty, appropriate God's love as we see fit. We, church-going believers, act as if we know the mind of God. We cannot know the mind of God; we cannot fathom the mind of God. 1 Corinthians 1:20-25 says:

"Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

Over many years, hundreds of years, we have let humanism creep into the church to substantiate the self-proclaimed deity of man. We have exalted ourselves, petitioning the throne of God for a chance to sit in it. As someone once said (I can't remember who), "we, who were made to occupy the foot of the throne of God, now sit at the throne expecting God to bow at the foot of ours." This is truth. It may not be evident in our statement of faith or in the words of our speech, but it is truly evident in the script of our behavior. We have slowly and without observation distorted the enormity of our God. His reach has no end and his power is without limit. He is all-knowing and ever-present. "Who can resist his will?"

We overlook scriptures like, "You hate all who do wrong" and "whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." We don't like to talk about God's hate or his wrath because its scary and doesn't draw a crowd. However, it does draw people to repentance; which, incidentally, is the first step to salvation (you know, before you say the prayer and sign the card). We like nice neatly wrapped packages, and the truth of the Bible does not necessarily fit this bill. But, it is the only truth that will set you free.

Through my next few blogs, I will attempt to explain what God has shown me to be the truth of scripture. I will warn you, though, it is a truth that I believed to be a lie for most my life. On the other hand, it may be the millionth refutation of Aminianism (free-will salvation) or one of a great many defenses of Calvanism (pre-destination). One limits God's power and exalts man's authority, while the other recognizes God's might and enjoys man's frailty.