In a recent discussion, I was asked to describe the gospel message. I answered that we were created to live in relationship with God, but that relationship had been broken. But God had given us a way back through his Son, Jesus. Later, I was asked to clarify something I said in my earlier response. They asked, “You said ‘we messed up.’ What did you mean by that?” I honestly did not remember using that phrase. Since this was much later, I took their word that I had said it, because it did sound like a phrase I might use when speaking with other Christians. I tried to explain what I meant. I explained that God had called us to a standard, but we did not live up to God’s standard. Instead, we had followed our own way.
Their response was that this was ambiguous and didn’t carry the weight of the situation. They asked why I hadn’t used the word sin, and we needed to be unafraid to call sin, sin. We needed to be clear. It surprised me that I had done this, and I told them I respected the position and would think about it.
Well. I thought about it and, in retrospect, while I do remember referencing Romans 6:23 in my response and saying, “The wages of sin is death,” it left me seriously pondering why I hadn’t used the term sin, other than when quoting that verse.
They were right; my lack of clarity in describing the gospel was problematic. While most believers would readily understand what I meant, those unfamiliar with the gospel and the concept of sin could be confused. After spending some time considering the situation, I agree I should have been clearer in my wording. This is ironic, since I always stress that words have meaning and that we need to be purposeful in the words we choose. I can see how this choice of words could be seen as ambiguous and could be misunderstood.
They were right; we do need to be clear when discussing the gospel. In today’s world, it’s too easy for us to go light when talking about the gospel out of fear of offending. So we struggle to be clear about the gospel without being offensive ourselves.
The gospel, on its own, is offensive to the non-believer. Scripture is clear about this. I Corinthians 1:23 says, “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.” 1 Peter 2:7-8 says “So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” Galatians 5:11 says, “But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed.” In Isaiah 8:14-15, Isaiah prophesied, “And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”
Now as Christians, it is easy for us to forget that the gospel is offensive. We focus of the love, forgiveness, and freedom that is found in the Gospel. We forget how it looks to those on the outside.
So, how is the gospel offensive? First, it offends our pride. When we are confronted with the idea of sin, and with the reality that we are guilty of it, we are offended. We may think, “I make mistakes, but there are far worse people than me. I am not all that bad.” But Paul writes in Roman 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God is the standard by which we are measured. We are not judged by our standards or by how we measure up to others. We are measured by a standard set by a perfect God, and we all fail to measure up. We have all sinned.
This leads to the second offense. It offends our sense of Justice. Let me be clear: I mean it offends “our” sense of justice, but as before, we are not the standard; God is, and it is true to his justice. It is true justice. People are condemned to hell who we see as having done no major wrong, certainly not something worthy of eternal conscious punishment. But we are seeing this through our standard, not the pure standard of an infinitely holy God. To God, any offense is infinite in the face of his infinite perfection, and as such, it requires a response on an infinite scale.
A third offense ties to the second. What of those who have never heard the message of Christ? It is offensive that such should not be let into heaven, but sent away to eternal punishment. I cannot argue with the foundation of the argument. Such an idea offends our very sensibility. That people would be condemned without even being given a chance. But when we look more closely, we can see that once again, we are not seeing the fullness of the gospel, even in these situations. God does not let people go to hell without giving them a chance, but Scripture shows that we are all without excuse.
- “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20)
- “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.” (Romans 2:12-15)
The evidence of God is all around, and to deny it must be a conscious act. The point is that no one has an excuse. Even those who have not heard see God’s evidence clearly and can only avoid it through intentional denial. Moreover, Paul says God’s law is written on the very heart of man. He says that whether they knew the law or not, they will perish. But what of those who recognized God and sought to truly know him? After all, Paul later writes
- “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” (Romans 10:13-15)
The only way to salvation is to respond to the name of Jesus proclaimed. This mirrors the words of Peter in Acts 4:12 when he says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” To us it is offensive that those who have not heard the name of Jesus and been given the opportunity to respond should face eternal punishment. This is why we must share the gospel. But I do find solace in the descriptive passages found in Acts 8 and 10.
- “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’ So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.” (Acts 8:26-30)
- “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, ‘Cornelius.’ And he stared at him in terror and said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ And he said to him, ‘Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.’ When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.” (Acts10:1-8)
While these passages are descriptive and we should be cautious not to draw too much meaning, I believe each shows God honoring those who are truly seeking and ensuring they have an opportunity to hear the truth, even by supernatural means.
These are only three ways the Gospel offends those who do not know Christ. But the gospel message is the only means of salvation. Scripture is clear: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). This is not something to be taken lightly or flippantly, so that people are not turned off from the gospel message by us the messengers. We need to avoid becoming an offense, a stumbling block that stands in the way of the gospel.
When sharing the gospel, we need to be clear that we are all guilty of sin and that sin is our inability to live up to the standard of a Holy and Perfect God. Sin is what separates us from Him. It is our failure. Rather than following God, we choose to follow our own way. This has been true since the very beginning and continues throughout human history. Paul writes in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”
But God has given us a way to be forgiven. Paul writes that “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b) We need to ensure that we do not stand in the way of people seeing the truth that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) There is nothing we could do on our own to reach God, but God has provided the way as He is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9b)
Paul gives us a picture of this true repentance when he writes,
- “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (Romans 10:9-13)
Yes, we must be clear and faithful in presenting the Gospel. We must not let ourselves become yet another stumbling block, whether in words or actions, to others coming to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
