I see nowhere in the scripture where we are commanded to first convince men and women that they are in possession of a depraved nature before presenting them with the Good News. I understand the declarations of the likes of Paul in Romans concerning the pre-Christ creation, but that still does not speak to the way that we approach, address, and observe the world and its inhabitants. Whether one believes it to be theologically true or not is beside the point, but the overly legalized version of the Gospel in which we are criminals by nature, deserving of an eternity in solitary confinement, and guilty until declared innocent is simply not the Gospel that the Apostles are recorded as having preached to the masses. What impacts a person more, a declaration that, at the core of their being they will always be a filthy sinner, but that Jesus is willing to play peekaboo with their sins by hiding them beneath a robe of righteousness and a layer of sacrificial blood, or the message that the Father, in His beloved Son, has redeemed the innocence, worth and glory of His sons and daughters? What is more likely to move the soul, a scathing message on the inherent evils of your average human being, or a declaration that God never changed His mind about the masterpiece He created, and that the reason He went to such great lengths to save us from corruption was that He loves us immensely, and was only ever working for our betterment? What you observe as the primary truth about a person and then crystalize through your declarations about them is what they will either live up to or down to. When you constantly call out uncleanness, and identify the world as those despised and disdained by God, you ought not to be surprised when they live up to your expectations. Behold the redemptive value of a person, and call out the beauty and original glory within them! Declare a God who so values them that He rescued them at great cost to Himself! Bottom line - Preach Jesus and the loving Father that He reveals. If you have rebukes, save them for the religious machine that entraps and kills, but not for the victims of sin and death. They simply need to be reminded of how greatly theyre loved, and how far God was willing to go to save them from their blindness.
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 16:43:40 +0000
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