Unsillying The Gospel

    Thanks go to Lori Van Horn a classmate from SCHS who asked a question on FaceBook. I answered. I always regret such impulsive answers because even if I’m right it will be perceived as the snarky, reflexive remark of a malcontent. 

The question (as well as I can remember it because I can’t find it right now.) “What thing that Christians say annoys you (or something like that.)” Upon reflection, the question deserved expansion.

My answer was “God Thing.” The reason, “Sodom and Gomorrah was a God thing. Calvary was a God Thing and what was done there was done to Him. Paul’s imprisonments were a God Thing, though likely uncomfortable. What most people mean when they call something a “God Thing” is a pleasant subjective experience.

I have decided to expand my thinking and write a bonus blog post for this week. I am calling it Unsillying the Gospel.  Yes. I made that word up. I am willing to coin the occasional phrase particularly when available  vocabulary is insufficient to the task at hand. This is one of those exceptional cases. 

     I can be silly, I can be  humorous. Last Friday I FaceTimed two of my grandchildren whilst sitting at the same table with them sipping a smoothie. They giggled at the silliness of it the whole time.  I like humor. I like satire. Irony is a useful instrument in the toolkit of preaching and teaching. However, one must act intentionally in the use of humor in expounding the scriptures, explaining the gospel, or examining theological and spiritual statements. If you are going to use silly—own it. If you need humor to make your point, embrace it. If your message needs subtle then be subtle.  My point is this. Say what you mean. Say it to the best of your ability. Be clear. Silly can be a useful strategic tool. It is a lousy outcome.  When people slip into silly-talk because they do not know any better and have been insufficiently taught, it is necessary to compassionately and kindly correct them. This is one of those times. 

Most “God Things” are far bigger than your personal preferences. Most “God Things”, even when you benefit from them were done with a much larger constituency in mind. Though we talk about the Cross as if “I was the only one on His mind” we know factually that this is not the case. Jesus’ death on the Cross affects salvation on a cosmic scale. 

Consider this text

“Jude 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; Jude 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” (Jude 1:21–23 ESV)

This passage envisions a scenario uncomfortable for everyone involved. Someone needs correcting, someone does the correcting. It is risky for both parties. It is potentially embarrassing and possibly disjunctive. A God Thing? Yes. Would anyone want to experience it? Probably not. Fun? Not particularly. Not everything which God is involved in, not everything necessary, not everything Biblical is personally pleasant and no one ever promised it would be. If all that you do is wait around for pleasant experiences the Christian life will be like a roller coaster and you will become a thrill junkie. Another text you say? 

“Matthew 16:22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”” (Matthew 16:22–23 ESV)

A God Thing? For Peter? Undoubtedly and immediately—Jesus who is God the Son—corrected Peter’s misunderstanding of the God the Father’s Kingdom intention. The correction was necessary, good, important, critical-and subjectively unpleasant for Peter. When most people call an event a God Thing they clearly think of it entirely in terms of something pleasant. And then something personally unpleasant occurs and they blame God for afflicting them. What if, in His divine wisdom, He decreed that the unpleasant experience occur? What if it is a means of Grace? What if He knew you needed it? One more text and I’ll stop.

“2Corinthians 12:7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 2Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 2Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–9 ESV)

I have highlighted the most “God-thingy” part of this passage. Paul’s discomfort was a means of grace. Not only for him personally but for all of those who benefited from his ministry. 

You will have events and experiences in which you will be able to discern the work of God. People. Places. Things. Materials you read. Places you go. Things you do on purpose and others which happen by chance. People will be intentionally kind to you and some will be unintentionally mean. Good people will do bad things. And bad people will do wonderful things. You are the experiencer. Some of those things are intended by God to be providential means of conveying grace to you. Some of them are no more than what they appear to be. What the Church must stop doing is categorizing all of the positive stuff as God Things  and all the bad stuff as a Satan things or considering all  unpleasant stuff as  a World Thing. Let's face it. Many sinful behaviors are subjectively pleasurable. God uses bad things to work good in our lives (I'm not going to mention that verse you are thinking about because it is too obvious). We lose perspective when we consider every uncomfortable experience a negative and give God less and less room to work. Don't tell me how our culture, the godless socialists, communists, liberals, and anarchists have impacted your faith when you have already restricted God's work to the subjective infrastructure of what makes you feel good.  

Let me leave you with one final example. The worst thing ever done by human beings was to reject and crucify the world-creating Word of God. Jesus. The Son. God with Us. The most God-Thingy of all God Things, done for all of us, was a shameful act performed by evil men. Yet in His divine majesty God worked through that bad thing to do a good thing—THE God Thing.