February 5, 2009

The Gospel Message

“And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How [is it] that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard [it], He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call [the] righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’” (Mark 2:16-17 NKJV)

There is something seriously wrong with a gospel message that doesn’t major on the need for repentance. In the passage above, Jesus makes a point that those who believe they are righteous, those who are self-righteous like the scribes and Pharisees, are not the object of God’s affection and calling. He did not come to call the righteous!

Instead, He came to call sinners to repentance. Adam and Eve wanted to be like God so they disobeyed God and took themselves out from under His authority so they thought. However, what they discovered was guilt and fear of condemnation as seen by the fact that they hid themselves from God.

Salvation is really about coming back under God’s sovereignty, coming back under His lordship. We do others a great injustice when we don’t expose their wickedness by silhouetting their sinful lifestyle against the pure Word of God. Men and women, boys and girls need to understand and feel the impending judgment of God so that they might be driven by the Spirit to forsake their lawlessness and cling by faith to the atoning work of Christ.

The knowledge of good and evil devastated the human condition. We can’t really comprehend how far we have fallen. We do know that it was far enough that only God can save us. This happens of course by the will of God as the following verse declares. “Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:13 NKJV)

However, God uses secondary means to accomplish His will. He uses the preaching of His Word. “So then faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 NKJV) If we don’t faithfully proclaim that word, then like the watchman their blood is on our hands (Ezek. 33.6). Don’t be guilty of misrepresenting the truth