Not Ashamed

I’ve been thinking about a trend in Christendom to minimize the gospel (You are a sinner. Jesus died and rose again to pay the price for your sin. Call on Jesus as Savior and you will be saved and become a new creation.) I’ve recently noticed authors, pastors and singers who are in the business of proclaiming the gospel, focusing almost exclusively on people’s problems. These leaders are very good at describing the futility and heartache that people feel. They seek to empathize with unbelievers. I’ve experienced this desire myself. I want to diminish the line that separates me from those who don’t know Christ by saying, “I know your life is hard; my life is hard, too!”

In one way, this is a helpful trend. As Christians we are choosing to put aside the mask of perfection to show the world that we are fallen humans who struggle—kind of an "anti-hypocritical movement." We’re laying it out there, boldly proclaiming, “We’re no better than the next guy. We sweat. We bleed.” The thing that concerns me about this trend is that by empathizing with unbelievers, we fail to tell them that there is a solution. We tell them they have a problem, but we don’t offer them the cure! We don’t tell them that God can give them power to overcome struggles, it is possible to say no to sin and walking with Christ offers freedom from earthly addictions.

Why do we hesitate to tell people about this powerful antidote? We don’t want to associate ourselves with an “easy” answer. We understand that people’s issues are complex and many. We don’t want to give them the Christian Band-Aid for their bleeding gash. That seems incredibly insensitive. So we attempt to sneak in the cure. “I know life stinks, and oh, by the way, Jesus can help.” But here's an important distinction: For believers, life doesn’t stink! Sure we have trials. But we also have the ability to give thanks in all circumstances. We have hope. We have peace. We have joy. These things speak loudly of a Savior who redeems! People are absolutely desperate for redemption and regeneration, and yet we hide those things as if we are ashamed of them. Instead we relate to the unregenerate state. But when we do that, what do we offer the hurting?

I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” We need not be ashamed of a powerful God who can fix people’s problems. In fact, we should be proclaiming this cure! People don’t need religion, they need a powerful Savior who can change their lives. And we have that.