We Must Never Forget that the Gospel Itself Is Offensive

Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.
—the apostle Paul in Romans 9:33, quoting Isaiah 28:16—

Last time we highlighted the poison effects an overemphasis on winsomeness has had on evangelical churches and their ministries and outreach efforts. We noted that “[b]eing winsome no longer means upholding the truth in love, but altering the truth to avoid offending people.” Specifically, we explored how the effort not to offend has compelled many church leaders to dilute their answer to this often-asked question: Is Jesus Christ the only way to God?

Make no mistake. The pressure to be “winsome” is coming from the evangelical left, many of whom are involved in the social justice movement within evangelicalism. Mark it down: The social justice movement benefits greatly from the new definition of winsomeness.

While as Christ’s followers we aren’t willing to compromise the truth, neither do we want to offend people unnecessarily. Of course, some individuals certainly will be offended by our contention that Jesus is the only way to God, but, as we examined in our previous article, this actually is a very reasonable stance, especially in light of

• • who God is,
  • what the human condition is, and
  • who Jesus is, including all He claimed to accomplish (and accomplished) through His birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

The Bible explains these matters, not exhaustively, but adequately and reliably; and the explanations fit the realities we observe in the world in which we live. Initially, we sense intuitively that things are not as they ought to be. We wonder why, and we wonder if and how the wrongs we observe can be righted. As we have indicated, the Bible answers these questions adequately. Yet central to its answers is the truth about who Jesus is and what He came to accomplish. He was no ordinary man. Significantly, no less than three times during His earthly ministry, Jesus accurately foretold His death and resurrection. He could do this only if He were God, and yes, He indeed did claim to be God. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in what we now know as 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “For there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all….” In other words, Christ Jesus is the Bridge we must cross to get to God. No other bridge is available or necessary. Paul also said this about Jesus in his letter to the Colossian Christians: In Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Yes, Jesus is the only way to God, but we Christians do not claim this to be the case because we think we’re better than other people. Rather, we make this claim because Jesus Himself said so, and because, in light of all the realities surrounding His claims and His teachings, it actually is unreasonable to believe otherwise. If you haven’t yet red the post that appeared immediately prior to this one, you should read it now to better understand why what we’re saying here makes sense. You should read this article as well.

No, Christians aren’t better than everyone else. No authentic Christian ever would claim to be better. Instead, we are better off because of having come to God on His conditions and having asked Him to apply Jesus’ death to our accounts so our sins can be divinely forgiven. Thus, on the basis of Jesus’ substitutionary death and His subsequent resurrection, God justifies repentant sinners and puts them in right relationship with Him.

Opposition Is Unavoidable

Regardless of the truth of all I have said, and regardless of how reasonable it is, these claims are foolish to secular minds; they will incite opposition and hatred among many. This should not surprise us. Jesus said a lot of things that offended people. Moreover, Isaiah and Paul both indicated that the gospel itself would be, and is, offensive. Isaiah and his fellow prophets in the Old Testament and Paul and the rest of the apostles in the New Testament, along with faithful believers through the centuries, have sacrificed much as they have sought to uphold the truth of the gospel and other biblical teachings. We are in good company!

Questions for reflection and/or discussion

1. Read Matthew 13:53-58 (parallel passages in Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:16-30). How offensive was Jesus in His own hometown of Nazareth? Why were so many so greatly offended?
2. Read Matthew 15:1-14. What was offensive about Jesus’ declarations in this passage? How did Jesus respond when His disciples told him the Pharisees were offended? Had He responded in the way that many “winsome” Christian leaders today respond, what might He have said? Is there a lesson for us in His response? If so, what?
3. Read Isaiah 8:14; 28:16; Romans 9:33; and 1 Peter 2:7-8. We have said already that the gospel itself is offensive. Why is this so, and how do these four passages convey this truth?
4. Read Galatians 1:6-10. Note especially that Paul wrote in verse 10: “[I]f I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” What kinds of things are many self-professed Christians saying today that please men? How does what they say conflict with the gospel? Read Luke 6:26 and 2 Timothy 3:12. Explain why Christians who take Jesus’ commands seriously and try to obey them should not be surprised or upset when their godly lives, their efforts to uphold righteousness, and their efforts to encourage people to surrender to Christ offend some people.
5. Read Galatians 5:1-11, especially verse 11; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; 3:18-21; 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3. What will people who believe the message of the cross of Christ is foolish believe about those who preach it and share it? Why will many of them hate those who preach and share it rather than simply disagree with them and ignore them?

Next time, we will examine Jesus’ warnings to His followers that they would be hated. The apostle Paul issued similar warnings as well, and we’ll also examine a few of those.

Keep in mind that people who are viciously hated rarely would be considered to be winsome.

 

Copyright © 2023 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.

top image credit: Photo by Rory Hennessey on Unsplash

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture has been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.