Robbing the Gospel

We see all things in light of our own experiences. There is really no stopping it, and I do not think this fact is, in and of itself, a bad thing. There is a great deal of diverse wisdom to be gleaned from the experiences and perspectives of the people around us. However, I think we have to watch out for the tendency to focus too single-mindedly through our own lens, especially in looking at the Gospel. We cannot shape the Gospel with our personality and experiences. The Gospel shapes us.

If we, out of a disproportionate sense of guilt and shame, focus only on sin and repentance, we rob the Gospel of mercy.

If we blithely fixate on joy and love and freedom, we rob the Gospel of wrath and justice and heartbreak.

If we spend all of our energy on puritanical law-keeping, we become Pharisees and rob the Gospel of its power to redeem the imperfection of our unredeemable lives.

If we throw aside law and justice altogether and fix our eyes only on grace and forgiveness, we rob the Gospel of its structure and guidance for this life.

If we look at the Gospel and see only a good man, or a forgiving man, or a revolutionary fighting for social justice, we rob the Gospel of its holy divinity.

In short, if in any way we make the Gospel about ourselves and our own agenda, we rob the Gospel of its axis and anchor, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is for us, and hallelujah for that. There is mercy and grace and joy, and we are the ones that benefit. But the Gospel is about Jesus. The Gospel is about the glory of God. It is not about us.