Why It's a Big Deal

So why am I making such a big deal about all of this? “Aren’t you splitting hairs or maybe just emphasizing a part of the Gospel that others don’t?” Fair questions. Let’s look at what we get if we stick with the jacked-up Gospel.

Relativism: If I’m a person who has done “bad things,” the easy out is relativistic thinking. “Well, I do more good than bad so that makes me good so I should get Heaven.” Or, “I do more good than she does so I’m probably OK.” If God isn’t the True King, then this might be right. If He doesn’t have the right and obligation to punish sedition in the Kingdom, then being “mostly good” or “better than most” is good enough, right?

Self-Righteousness: If we are all in a struggle to do what’s right and not what’s wrong, it creates a dynamic where we are constantly comparing our deeds to others.’ We feel justified when we do better than others, especially with “public” sins that can’t be hidden from the community. And we feel failure when we aren’t doing as well as those around us. And, rest assured, they will let you know when you are not living up to their standards for behavior. Have you seen judgmental people in Christ’s Church? I hope you’re honest enough to answer “Yes!” to that question, because the Church is filled with judgmental attitudes and words. If you can’t see it, just ask any non-Christian if he thinks we are judgmental. You won’t like the response, but maybe we need to shut up long enough to listen. And being judgmental is the fruit of self-righteousness.

Bondage: The jacked-up Gospel makes our life all about sin. Discipleship becomes the never-ending battle to overcome our “badness.” Becoming like Christ means becoming sinless since that’s how He was. Because of the judgmental atmosphere in the Church, we hide sin and break fellowship, precisely the opposite of what we are commanded to do. We put on our best face and try to fool everyone into believing we have it all together. Even heading to church on Sunday morning is a nightmare as we make sure our family “looks right” to everyone else. “Can the kids just behave for an hour?!?!” Ultimately, we become obsessed with our sin. We struggle against it, battle it, confess it, hide it, overlook it, deny it…. worship it! We become trapped in our sin, enslaved to it. Our sins become our master.

Self-Centeredness: The Gospel being peddled has “me” at the center. “I have a sin problem, I will spend eternity being uncomfortable, I can’t fix my problem, I need to receive God’s free gift of salvation in Christ, and then I’ll get a SWEET eternity.” And if the Gospel is all about me, then church is all about me and my life is all about me. I had better get what I want and like from church. If things don’t go the way I like, I will punish the church by withholding money or service or leave for another church if it gets really bad. The opportunities at the church have to suit me or I won’t participate. “Don’t you dare change service times, music style, programs, personalities, temperature, carpet color, (and the list goes on and on)!” In life, your money, talent, and time are yours. Your kids are a reflection of your value so they had better be on best behavior so others will know how wonderful you are. And if your marriage isn’t going well, it’s better for both of you and even the kids if you just split up. And the best that Christianity has to offer you is the opportunity to be the best little you that you can be. After all, there’s nothing more important than your happiness.