This post I would like to look at a few things that are important when sharing the gospel. In order to show the importance of getting the gospel right I am going to bash what is probably a sacred cow for many people. Lets look at the, "Four Spiritual Laws". I personally used this method in the past and have seen many use it. There are several problems with the message here that are important because they put roadblocks to repentance in the gospel message.
It begins with God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. This is a problem. Everyone you talk to loves themselves and they have a wonderful plan for their lives too. If God has a wonderful plan for their lives then God is on the same page as they are. This is misleading at best. Romans 1:18-21 tells us that the unsaved man does not want God. They do not honor God or give thanks to Him. Malachi 1:4 says that God is angry with the wicked forever. So to tell someone that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life is a lie because if they reject God He will be angry with them forever.
So this brings us to important point number 1 which is ironically point number 2 in the four spiritual laws. Fallen man must first and foremost recognize that he has a problem with God. He has sinned against God and needs to be reconciled to God or face His wrath forever (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Jesus never shied away from talking about hell. He talked about it more than He talked about heaven. This is the present potential state of the unsaved person we are witnessing to. The other thing that is really important here is that Jesus pointed out to people that the sin problem was a personal problem. In other words Jesus made sure that His hearers understood that the problem of their separation from God was a personal one. They are not just a part of a group. They have personally sinned against God. It is not just an issue of being unable to know and experience God's love and plan. They are in very real danger of eternal damnation because of their personal sin and rejection of Jesus. It is only in recognizing their separation problem and the seriousness of it that we have any hope of introducing a real solution to them. It is like Jesus said He did not come for the well but for the sick (Matthew 9:12).
This brings us to point number two. When someone clearly recognizes that they are sick or in need then we introduce them to Jesus. Jesus is the answer to their separation from God. The 4 Spiritual Laws would have us looking to get God's love and this great plan. I think this misses the whole point of Jesus death. Jesus died so that we might be reconciled back to God. It is not about getting God's love or some great plan. We get God. Sure we get His love in the mix but the reason Jesus died was to reconcile man back to God (Romans 5:8). The Gospel is not about God accommodating Himself to men and their plans with a big showering of love. The Gospel is about taking men who hate God showing them they are sick and in need and introducing them to the one who can heal them and make them acceptable to God. This is the Gospel it is God focused and it brings people to repent of their sin and place their faith in the Lord of all Jesus the Christ (Romans 10:9-10).
No comments:
Post a Comment