Clapham Community

The gospel speaks to all of mankind’s ills.

I had an interesting conversation last night with a couple of dear friends. We meet periodically for confession, accountability, and encouragement. As we were talking, the topic of the usefulness of the gospel came up. Specifically one of my friends mentioned how he had been criticized for talking so much about the gospel and about sin. The ironic thing about this is that the criticism came from someone who claims faith in Christ. How could anyone who loves Christ grow weary of discussing the gospel?

Then it hit me. The reason why even believers fail to take joy in constantly focusing on the gospel is because we fail to see all that it affects. We are so tainted by sin that we fail to connect the dots to see how radically different our lives would be in the absence of the gospel.

A good illustration of this comes from that comic book sage the Joker. Play close attention to a conversation he has with Batman in the movie The Dark Knight:

Batman: Then why do you want to kill me?

Joker: I don’t want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO! No. You… you… complete me.

Batman: You’re garbage who kills for money.

Joker: Don’t talk like one of them. You’re not! Even if you’d like to be. To them, you’re just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don’t, they’ll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you. When the chips are down, these… these civilized people, they’ll eat each other. See, I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.

The joker gets it. He describes with great clarity life apart from the gospel. It is precisely the gospel that keeps us from “eating” each other. There are many who are looking to world leaders, or science, or technology, or whatever to save us from ourselves. None of these things will save us. The only answer is the gospel.

If you don’t know what the gospel is or why it even matters, let me encourage you to visit this site.

Flames don’t consume wrong ideas.

There has never been a successful book burning. Ideas aren’t properly confronted or conquered by flames. The greatest tool for conquering error is love.

I think the greatest example of this is the cross of Jesus Christ. His followers wanted Jesus to set up a physical kingdom and bring about the downfall of the Roman empire. They wanted to see the might of Rome razed to the ground. Jesus did not accommodate them in this fashion. His response was the following,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- Matthew 5:43; Matthew 5:44-48

This is a radically different approach that was displayed in the cross and has forever changed how to overcome hate, bigotry, ignorance, and ultimately all sin.

I regret that Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida is stubbornly bent on burning the koran on 9/11. I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ that is found in the Bible. I believe that it is the only truth and the only means for knowing and being made right with God. This pastor is not demonstrating a fidelity to the gospel or to the word of God in burning the koran. He is within his constitutional right to proceed with this burning. Its not an issue of rights, however, it is an issue of responsibilities. Before he and his congregants reach for the matches I hope that he will remember two passages written by the Apostle Paul,

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
- 1 Corinthians 10:23-24

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

- 1 Corinthians 9:19-23