Posted by
ValiantForTruth on Thursday, July 09, 2009 3:21:51 PM
The modern American culture has developed a strong tradition of dismissing all language of judgment, and imputing bad motives to anyone who dares to use such language. It has developed excuses and barriers to avoid thinking about the wrath of God. One of the primary barriers is that everyone needs to have high self esteem, and that guilt feelings are to be avoided as unhealthy.
Christians who dare speak of such things are seen as a plague on society. Thinking about the wrath of God may cause people to feel guilty, and that is not only unpleasant in itself, but bad for self esteem and mental health. The politics of tolerance condemns as uncivil anyone who proclaims the message of sin and judgment with Biblical authority…
“God…now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked… [Acts 17:30-32]
Those who dismiss the message of judgment are doing a service to mainstream culture by allowing it to avoid thoughts of accountability. They are also doing a service to themselves, by assuring the culture that they, the thoughtful and sensitive Christians, are tolerant and civil, not like those other mean-spirited Christians.
The real Jesus is of no interest to mainstream culture because He speaks of judgment and makes hard demands…
Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple" [Luke 14:25-27].
In fact the gospel is two-sided, containing attractions, promises, and benefits on the one hand and offenses, warnings, and serious obligations on the other. We cannot just choose the part we like and neglect the other without danger of compromising the Christian faith. Muting the message of judgment and wrath in an effort to match the cultural norms of tolerance and civility is foreign to the New Testament.
Biblical Christianity is deeply offensive to our lawless and idolatrous culture, and cannot be make palatable and remain effective. It is written of those who will preach the apostolic gospel…
"You will be hated by all for my name's sake" [Luke 21:17].
The purpose of the message is not to appease the sinner by avoiding all that is offensive, but to be used of the Spirit to convict of sin and righteousness and effectually call the elect. In this respect Arminianism has produced a weak and flabby Christianity, thinking that the unbeliever is in need of convincing rather than resurrection.