The Bad News Part 1: The Truth that Makes the Good News Good
The good news that Jesus died on the cross for me makes no sense outside the context of my sin. Sin gives the cross its purpose. Human sin and rebellion against God, with its impending and deserved punishment, is bad news that makes the good news about Jesus good. Consider this summary of sin and the gracious gift of Jesus from Will Metzger in his excellent book Tell the Truth.
Grace only functions as grace when it comes to people who have absolutely nothing to recommend them as a candidate for God's favor. People deserve the very opposite--his disfavor in this life and for eternity. Grace is magnified when I see myself as undeserving. I have no right to and no claim on God's mercy. God is not obligated to love me. He does not exist just to make me happy. Grace is highlighted by my inability to keep from sinning. Salvation by my efforts is unattainable, no matter how hard I try to improve myself.
This may seem obvious to anyone who follows Christ, but I believe it is a point of vital importance for the believer as it pertains to how we think about our own faith in Christ and how we share that faith with other people. For many who talk about Jesus with others, the reality of sin, the bad news, is never shared as part of the good news.
Why? If the good news is that we can be saved from the punishment of our sins by the God who created us and took the punishment himself in our place, why wouldn't we share that?
Over the next several posts, I am going to try to unpack this question under the following titles:
The Bad News Part 2: Speaking of Sin as a Universal Problem
The Bad News Part 3: Is it Intolerant to Talk About Sin?
The Bad News Part 4: The Consequences of a Sinless Gospel
The Bad News Part 5: Sharing the Whole Gospel with Humility and Love
I'm excited about the discussions this will raise. Please post your thoughts in the comments section and feel free to interact with me and each other on these topics.
Labels:
Evangelism,
The Bad News,
Theology
2 comments:
Usually I think of myself as a pretty good person who probably has some faults that can most likely be overlooked. ;) Ha Ha. However, once when I was struggling through a particularly hard life experience, I prayed for God to show me my sin. Let me tell you, it was UGLY, and very humbling. Be careful if you ever pray for this because you will be convicted.
I wonder how many people are really in touch with their own sin? It's so easy to see the fault in others, but when it comes to seeing it in ourselves, I think most people tend to justify or downplay it. If we say to ourselves,"I'm not really that bad", or "I'm a pretty good person", what we are really saying is: "I don't need a saviour."
I'm right with you, Erin. So much pop psychology today tells us that in order to be whole, we need to get over the idea that we're broken and gain a high view of ourselves. Yet the Gospel teaches us to come to a healthy view of our real selves, which includes all of the sin and rebellion in our hearts and actions. It's that reality that drives us to our need for a Savior who makes us truly whole.
That's why it's so important for Christians to have a healthy, honest perception of their own sin. I, too, wonder how prevalent that is.
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