Written by: April J. Buchanan
The gospel that begins with man and minimizes his sin has already diminished the glory and holiness of God. When men begin with themselves, they inevitably make their own condition the starting point rather than God Himself. The Gospel begins with God, and that is already an offense to men because it takes the focus off of self and puts it where it belongs: upon the holiness, righteousness, and glory of God. It begins with a high view of God, and the more rightly we see Him, the more rightly we see ourselves. A high view of God does not diminish our sin; it reveals how sinful we are and how great our need truly is.
We don’t need mere help or a fresh start, thinking we will be able to maintain it this time. No. The Gospel shows us the perfection of God and the command of God that we be perfect. When men rightly see that perfection and then recognize that they cannot attain it, they are beginning to see how far from God they really are. They say things like, “no one is perfect,” or “that’s impossible.” They may think themselves finding something wrong with God. How can He command what is impossible? How can they be perfect? They begin to see the truth and it is a fearful reality of every man before a holy God. Now they may see Christ. This is not so with those who begin with man and seek to help him work himself toward God. It’s not possible. The only way to God is Christ, and men only come to understand this when we begin with God, so that we may all see ourselves rightly and our only hope then is Christ.
Regeneration is not that I once was an offense to God but now He has given me a fresh start and I’ll do better this time. Grace is not that I have made some mistakes since salvation and that grace gets me back on the right path again. No! That’s a false gospel. Regeneration is the work of God whereby those who were dead in sin He has made alive in Christ. Justification is whereby the wrath of God has been satisfied in Christ and His perfect righteousness has been imputed to all who are united to Christ by faith. Regeneration is not giving us a fresh start so we can try again. That’s works. Regeneration is new life in Christ whereby we are given a new heart and brought to faith in Him, trusting in the One with whom God is well pleased because of who He is and what He has done. It is because of His perfect life and sacrifice for all who come to Him in faith. Grace is not dusting ourselves off when we make mistakes and trying harder next time. No! Grace is the undeserved favor of God, and it is by His grace that He gives us life, justifies us through faith in Christ, and sanctifies us by His Spirit. It is the power of God at work in all who are His.
Many come to Christ seeking a fresh start, “a new life,” but what they mean by new life is not what Christianity truly is. Many want a second chance, a fresh start, and to make it on their own with a little help. They do not come to Christ laying down their life and being raised up to new life in Him. They want to lay down their old life as far as it is a burden to them, but they want to be raised to a clean slate, a fresh start, and with a desire to do better, but not to be raised to new life in Christ. They do not see themselves as slaves of sin or enemies of God. They see themselves as victims of circumstances and having made some mistakes that got them off track. They want a do-over. They don’t want to come and die. They don’t want to be raised to new life in Christ. They may go down to the altar, down in the water, and they may rise up with a renewed sense of purpose and hope for a fresh start, but they did not die to the old man, neither were they raised to new life in Christ. Neither have they been born again, nor is their outwardly identifying with Christ and His body through baptism anything more than one more step of ritual to feel better about a newness of life that they have not received nor shall they walk in it. They want the benefits, but they do not want Christ.
The Gospel of Christ is not a gospel of self-improvement, self-discovery, self-fulfillment, or merely finding purpose for one’s life. It is not a gospel of self. It calls men to die to self and to be raised to new life in Christ, being identified with Him. It begins with God, and as such, men see themselves rightly before God. They are no longer convinced of their inherent goodness or merely of their need for a fresh start so they can get it right this time. They see themselves as sinners before a holy God and their need for new life in Christ, so that they may be reconciled to God and, by His grace, live in fellowship with Him, growing and walking according to grace.
When a man hears the truth, he may be offended and reject it, but it is the power of God to save a man, and He does so by the offense of the Gospel. Let every man be offended by the truth, that the power of God may be known to all who are being saved. We take no pleasure in offending men, and we do not go out of our way to be an offense. The truth is an offense to those dead in sin. We know this well if we are in Christ. For there was a time when we found the Gospel offensive, and it was grace that made it beautiful.
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