Let's Put Some Sin Back in the Gospel

Ever wonder why up to 90 percent of those who make decisions for Christ end up falling away from the faith, dropping out of church or rejecting the Lord altogether?

I recently visited a church in another city that served up Jesus as a remedy to all life’s problems. The service was geared for seekers, and portrayed Jesus as the best thing since peanut butter. He is!! But there was very little mention of sin, God’s justice, or, heaven forbid, any talk about hell. About the closest thing to any of that was when the word “immoral” squeaked out of the pastor’s lips. Ouch, how convicting!

But the point of this service was not to convict people of sin. It was to make people feel comfortable about Jesus. We should!! Ironically, a thorough understanding of the consequences of sin, and the reality of hell, will get us comfortable with Jesus real quick. If the law of God convinces me that I am a sinner, I will gladly leap at the offer for Jesus to die on my behalf. Suddenly, I have tremendous reason to need Him. Furthermore, I will love Him all the more for setting me free from the law’s consequences.

Unfortunately, in today's world of seeker sensitivity, the church seems to have forgotten the critical role that God's law plays in effecting true conversions. If this is true for the lost, how much more so does it apply to those of us seeking deeper communion with the Lord's heart? Let's take a look.

:: converting the soul ::

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. …” (Psalm 19:7)

The law was made to convict us. And the kindness of God then enters to lead us to repentance. You’ve got to have both. The law doesn't save us, but it serves as a school master, pointing us to the Lord.

Now, I am not a hellfire preacher; I don’t make it a habit to criticize church services, and normally I wouldn’t have a problem with the way things were done at the aforementioned service. But it points to a larger epidemic. See, this was specifically an evangelism service, geared toward saving souls. In the midst of it all, a very big point was missed.

I have found that the church today loves to depict Jesus as the solution, without ever adequately discussing the problem. Sure, we talk about the problems of addiction, sorrow, poverty and disease – and we love to rightly point out that the Lord can bring victory over these things in our lives. But the dire problem of mortal sin and damnation rarely get addressed.

As an example, consider a man with an incurable disease, who is not aware he is sick. I can bring him the antidote, but unless he is convinced that he is sick, why should he take the medicine? It would be ridiculous to drink medicine if he thinks he is completely healthy. But the scenario gets more ridiculous. Suppose I tell the man he should take the medicine simply because it tastes good. Because it will give him fulfillment he never realized was possible. Because he has a “medicine-shaped hole” in his heart that is just longing for this particular potion.

Well, he might actually taste a little of the stuff, but his motivation for taking it probably just won’t be strong enough to down the whole bottle.

But now, suppose I first tell the man that he is afflicted with a terminal illness. This particular disease is vicious, and in just a short while … that’s right … he will be dead.

By the way, I also mention that I happen to have the antidote – only if he is interested, of course.

Suddenly, the tables turn. The man recognizes his need, lunges for the bottle, and his heart is truly grateful for having found the cure. He gulps down the entire dosage in just one swallow, and goes to share the good news with his friends.

:: jesus loves you ::

The law of God is quick to point out our sickness. It highlights our need. But if we try to pass off Jesus onto people, without first illustrating this, they will, at best, accept Him for shallow, selfish reasons. Perhaps never really reaching a saving faith.

If we want souls to get saved, we have to stop giving lip service to trite statements like “Jesus loves you.” It’s true, but not a very Biblical approach. It is impossible to gauge the fullness of God’s love for us without first understanding the grave severity and consequences of our own sin. Jesus said that those who have been forgiven much will love much (Luke 7:47). But if we never understand where we have broken God’s laws, we never have reason to turn to Him for His mercy and loving kindness.

People think they are generally good. They think that no matter what, they will get into heaven because God is good. In our evangelism, it is therefore important that we walk people, at least to some degree, through the law, to show how they fall short. When people see that they have clearly broken more than half of the 10 commandments ­– at least in their heart, which is equal to an outward commission – then lights begin to turn on. It gets personal. It gets real.

People must see where they have transgressed before they can ever truly repent. Otherwise, they may “accept” Jesus, but they cannot truly value His sacrifice or know what they are signing up for. John Wesley actually instructed pastors to preach 90 percent law and 10 percent grace! That sounds extreme, but why did he do this? Simple. If we do not understand how severely we have broken the laws of God – and are not gripped with dire conviction for it – then we will never, in a million years, understand the grace of God. We must come to grips with our need for the cross.

:: consumer christianity ::

A lot of people will turn to Jesus as an answer to their immediate problems – or just to try something new. But these spontaneous decisions mean little once the going gets tough. When they are persecuted or criticized for their faith, these “poor soil” converts simply drop the cross and move onto something else. They never understood the value of the blood of Jesus to begin with, because their hearts were never pierced with personal conviction to the point of true repentance.

I do not suggest we solicit fear-based responses and coerce followers with legalism. And in fact, there are quite a few churches that preach a salvation message to the choir every Sunday, without anyone getting fed beyond a basic, rudimentary understanding of how to keep your rear end out of the brimstone. That’s not what I’m shooting for.

What I mean is this: Let’s do away with the four-minute altar calls. Let’s show people that they are lawbreakers: murderers if they have hated, adulterers if they have lusted, liars if they have lied, and every one of them an idolater. Convince them that, in God’s eyes, they really are not “good” people. Don’t condemn them, but show them that they stand condemned already by their own actions. They are sinners in the hands of a good and just God. And because He is good and just, he will not allow lawbreakers into His heaven.

When people are convinced of this truth, then they are primed and ready for a savior. The need is clear: they see the sickness. This kind of preaching is not very popular today. And granted, without the anointing, it can veer toward harassment. Yet, without God’s law to illustrate how sinful I am, I cannot recognize my need for salvation. If a man is truly convicted of his sin and makes an honest conversion, you will not have to chase him down for time consuming follow-up work. Yes, he needs to be taught and discipled, but if he is born of the Spirit, the Lord will keep him and set him on course.

Furthermore, let’s sit with these people and weep for an hour, making sure they are delivered. How do you pass over from death to life in four minutes? That is consumer Christianity. Coming to Christ is not a simple transaction like writing a check. In the old days, revivalists preached repentance. And every conversion was a matter of hours of snot and tears and travail and birth pangs.

In the church today, I believe we have a crisis of false conversions and shallow Christianity, because we have sold Jesus as a source of fulfillment, blessing and a better life. It is true that He brings us these things. But without understanding the utter depravity of our sinful nature and our absolute need of mercy before a just and holy God, we can never appreciate the extent of His love and sacrifice for us. We choose Jesus not just for a better ride here on earth. Inevitably, trials will come, the going will get tough, and our cross will get heavy – will we then toss Him aside like last year’s fashion wear? Freedom from sin and hell is the bottom line that should silence all our complaining and petty reasons for throwing in the towel.

These principles extend well beyond conversion. Remember, the goal of our studies is to attain a deeper experience of God’s love in our lives. We each have untapped depths that must be exposed to the light. But only those of us who come to a full recognition of the darkness of our hearts can expect to enter the deeper levels of divine intimacy we desire.

The path of intimacy is a path of purgation and refining flames. It is truly a narrow pathway that few will traverse.

We can slap one another on the back and reminisce with grace parties all day long, but without the cleansing lamp of God searching out the back alleys of our souls, we can never fathom the extent to which grace reached in its nail scarred hands and pulled us out of the flames.