This is an excerpt from a book I’ve written entitled: “The Gospel of the Kingdom in 21st Century America.”
…the original Greek word, euongelion, is where the term evangelical comes from. Of course, what is meant by the term “evangelical” has been changing for years, but for the purpose of our discussion let’s agree that we’re referring to those Christians who’ve been “born again.” We’re people who’ve made an affirmation of faith in Jesus Christ, probably in a public setting. We belong to a group of like-minded people who believe, as we do, that in order to go to heaven after we die, we need to believe, and “confess,” that Jesus of Nazareth died for our sins when He was crucified by the Romans so many centuries ago. His death paid the penalty for our wrong-doing and, by “repenting” of our sins and accepting this gift of “grace,” God has forgiven us and given us the hope of “salvation.” This means that when we die we’ll be saved from the punishment of “hell” that everyone will experience who hasn’t put their faith and trust in this Christ, this savior.
The words we use to describe our views are familiar. At church we use them all the time, or at least hear them used from the pulpit or in Sunday school. It’s a good thing to be with others who think and talk like we do. When we’re not at church we don’t hear many of these words; casual conversation doesn’t usually address “redemption.” Occasionally, we may try to explain our beliefs to someone outside our group: a friend, a relative, a co-worker, sometimes even a stranger. That’s when we reach into our trove of familiar terms, using them to great effect to describe our “religion.”
It’s a good feeling to know that God is on our side. We may meander once in a while, but we know that we’ll be all right if we do the best we can and ask for forgiveness when we stumble. And when we’re out doing our daily tasks we can rest assured that no matter what problems we face, and no matter how bad things get—and they do get bad sometimes, Jesus is with us, and He’s concerned for us.
What are those problems that confront us as evangelicals? Most of the time, they’re the same problems that everyone faces, whether they’re Christians or not: paying the bills, trying to make a marriage work, raising children, dealing with illness; it often just comes down to getting by as best we can. However, we may also experience the problems of being a Christian in a world that doesn’t see things the way we do. Even if we don’t say anything about our faith, we may chafe at some of the conversations that take place around us: at work, at the fitness center, wherever we might be. And if we do reveal our beliefs, we can become conspicuous, at least in our own minds, and that can make us anxious and defensive. Occasionally someone may take issue with us, arguing against our views, challenging our sincerity. Or, in ways that are less obvious, our beliefs may cause us to be subtly eased to the margins of whatever social circles we might encounter, left out and isolated because we don’t fit in with the prevailing sentiments of those around us.
If all of this sounds familiar to you then you’re one of those folks I want to address in this discussion. Others can listen in if they so desire and they’re welcome to do so even if it’s just out of curiosity. But the people I really want to address are those who’ve encountered the “Good News” and responded to it with faith and conviction.
It’s my contention that, although this evangelical understanding of the Gospel is true and appropriate and informed by the Bible, it falls short, woefully short of what God has provided for us through His Son. We’ve settled for something less than what was intended, and we’ve done so for at least two reasons which work together to inhibit our walk with God.
First, we don’t know any better. We only know what we’ve been told and believed and experienced. And what we’ve been told, believed and experienced has been conditioned by the setting in which we initially heard this Good News. If the emphasis primarily centered on repentance from “sin,” then the full impact of that repentance might be misunderstood or neglected altogether. And, unfortunately, Christians who’ve experienced the relief of having been forgiven of their sins, without investigating the implications of that forgiveness, often spend their lives trying to maintain that sense of relief. They do this while struggling to proceed with their lives in much the same way that they did before their “conversion.” The only difference is that they try to avoid those things that they now know to be sin. Essentially, they try to “Christianize” their lives so as to render themselves acceptable to God.
The problem with this approach is that it amounts to an effort of self-improvement, an improvement that’s informed by the Bible, but self-improvement nonetheless. This is a very American approach to life. Our culture gives great emphasis to personal progress. It encourages people to be better, stronger, smarter, and more capable than they were previously. Innovation, aggressive competition, and constant activity are the order of the day. And people who become Christians in this environment often “practice” their faith with this mindset. But this posture doesn’t recognize the essential feature of the Gospel, which is God Himself. The Gospel isn’t really about us, it’s about Him.
This brings us to the other reason that we don’t grasp the full impact of the Gospel: we don’t want to. We resist it because of what it requires of us, which is nothing less than a redefinition of ourselves and our world in terms that are completely foreign to us, both as individual people and as Americans. Knowing who and what we are as human beings may be the hardest thing for any of us to grasp. It’s something that’s been debated for thousands of years and continues to be discussed in contemporary America. The Gospel, for its part, provides a unique twist to this discussion by changing the playing field. Not only is God included in the debate as a result of the Gospel, His very nature demands that the features of the debate be redefined. To understand ourselves as human beings, we need to know God, and in order to know God we need to approach Him on His terms. And those terms require us to recognize Him for who He is: our faithful Lord whom we’re called to serve.
As imperfect Christians we resist knowing God on these terms, and we do this for various reasons. We don’t want to give up being in charge of our own lives, deciding for ourselves what’s best. To give the reins over to God requires a concrete kind of faith, one that works itself out in real concrete terms. It involves taking risks that render us vulnerable; and no one likes being vulnerable. It also leads us into unfamiliar territory. It’s much easier to go with what you know, what you’re used to. However nobody’s used to God; to know Him is to venture into the unfamiliar, and there’s no doubt that it can be scary at times, and who wants to be scared.
Becoming familiar with God, however, produces benefits that far exceed the costs. Instead of meandering through life, doing the best that we can, we get to follow after the God who orchestrates all of existence. We get to be connected to the One whose power and glory are beyond comparison. We can actually learn to hear His voice, follow His lead, and participate in what He’s doing. Living life in this way means that significance informs everyday occurrences, insight appears even in the least expected places, and at the most unexpected times. A sense of belonging replaces the isolation and emptiness that so often nags at us in our quest to be “happy” Americans. In following after Him we become participants in His purposes, purposes of real and lasting value rather than the superficial goals that this culture promotes but which only prove to be an illusion made up of empty promises.
How can we neglect such an opportunity to live life on these terms? There really is nothing else that compares to knowing and following after God. He’s made a way for us to experience such a life and refusing to embrace this opportunity will only lead to disappointment. That’s the challenge that I intend to place before you in this discussion.
I’ve spent over forty years pursuing the Lord, having been “saved” as a young adult. I’ve spent many years studying all the things that pertain to the faith: the Bible, Christian teaching, the history of the Church. I’ve attempted to live out my faith in all manner of contexts, both within the Church and outside of it. I’ve worked at menial jobs, skilled trades, and professions both in and outside of Christian ministry. And I can say after all this time that the Gospel continues to amaze me. What started out as a message of forgiveness has expanded into nothing less than a redefinition of everything that pertains to my existence. This is because the Good News not only offers a hope for an afterlife worth living, it affords an opportunity to understand life in the most satisfactory terms possible. This Gospel addresses all the big questions that even the most astute and forward thinking people are unable to answer. It not only provides an understanding of how things came to be as they are, it explains why they’re that way. It offers us a means of understanding ourselves and each other as nothing else can. And it cuts through the mishmash of ideas that are presented to us in this most modern of cultures that is contemporary America, guiding us to nothing less than the absolute truth regarding everything that concerns us.
Jesus reflected upon this expansiveness in a parable when He compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed which when sown eventually produces a plant that’s so big the birds are able to nest in it.[i] The Gospel is not simply a gospel of forgiveness; it is the “Gospel of the Kingdom” that provides an alternative to existence in this world.[ii] But in order to produce such an effect this Good News must be sown, nurtured and allowed to grow until it produces the fruit consistent with life spent in fellowship with God.
My contention here is that too often we hold on to this seed and never allow it the opportunity to expand in our lives as it was meant to do. Often we don’t expect this seed to produce such an effect, or we don’t want to make the effort to render our souls accepting of this seed, making room for it to grow, and nurturing its growth within our souls.[iii] Such neglect is inexcusable and amounts to missing out on the most important opportunity of our lives. Nothing else compares to what God has offered us in His Son. He’s calling us to a dynamic existence that doesn’t start in the hereafter; it starts right now!
[i] Parable of the Mustard Seed, Mark 4:30-32; Matt. 13:31.
[ii] Luke 16:16.
[iii] Mark 4:1-9.