Can we display the gospel?

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Warning, this is a long post.

Today I had a great conversation with a friend of mine and we began talk about this question. And it is important enough to continue to work out.

Although I don’t know if that is the best way to pose the question, for now it will have to work. But what I am really asking is… Is it possible for others see the gospel lived out in our lives?

Some of you are already answering emphatically one way or the other. But take a minute to listen to the real question. 

If we are not really faithful (full of faith, and by the way, we are not) and continue daily to be less than perfect examples of who God is (and by the way we are), can we really display the gospel to others?  

One way to answer that may be… “We can not be examples of who God is and the gospel if we are not truly faithful and completely obedient followers”. So then we would answer, “NO we cannot display the gospel” or we may begin to  believe that we really can be completely obedient followers. If the latter is what you think of yourself, ask those who are around you often and see if that is what they say. I actually believe that is the cause of pointing many away from the gospel. You see, when we believe that we actually become righteous and good when are saved, then we begin living a lie and others see that we say we are something that we are not, and they don’t buy into to it. Hence, they are pointed away. And by the way, before you start to think that you really can be truly completely faithful and obedient, then think about this. Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. Do you think you are right this instant completely loving God with all those things? No matter your answer, you are sinning. All the time, constantly. You see sin is not just something we do, it is what we don’t do as well. 

So another way to answer (and what I believe) is that “Yes”  we can display the gospel, not in spite of our weakness, but actually in our weakness. You see, when others see that we are not really claiming to be something that we are not but rather admitting that we are still screwed up, even after being saved, then they actually see the gospel in action. What I mean is that people will see that Christ did not come to make us righteous but to be our righteousness. We are not made perfect, we are clothed in Christ’s perfectness. And that, points others to the gospel of grace, not the gospel of works. Mark Dever says it like this…”We demonstrate to the world that we have been changed, not primarily because we memorize Bible verses, pray before meals, tithe a portion of our income, and listen to christian radio stations, but because we increasingly show a willingness to put up with, to forgive, and even to love a bunch of fellow sinners.” He says this in the context of how the church should demonstrate God’s glory to the world and to one another. 

So when we love those who are hard to love we are showing what the gospel looks like. Because that is what God has done, love those who are hard to love. (I know that is true in my case, and by the way, to those who are close to me, consider it a blessing that I give you so many opportunities to display the gospel)

It would probably have saved me some grief if I read up on this some and got some varied opinions before throwing these questions out. I would have at least had some better ideas of how to pose the questions and word the answers. But we’re all friends here (use your imagination if necessary) so I am kinda working this out, with a little help from my friends. So please, comment. 

As I have sat here and written this post and then read back over it,  I realized that I had started dealing with these ideas in “Less like criminals” here.

And the song “Chosen Us”  here.

 

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