What is the Message of Christianity?
“We live in a church culture that has a dangerous tendency to disconnect the grace of God from the glory of God. Our heart resonates with the idea of enjoying God’s grace. We bask in sermons, conferences and books that exalt a grace centering on us. And while the wonder of grace is worthy of our attention, if that grace is disconnected from its purpose, the sad result is a self-centered Christianity that bypasses the heart of God.
If you were to ask the average Christian sitting in a worship service on Sunday morning to summarize the message of Christianity, you would most likely hear something along the lines of, ‘the message of Christianity is that God loves me.’ Or someone might say, ‘the message of Christiantiy is that God loves me enough to send His Son, Jesus, to die for me.’
As wonderful as this sentiment sounds, is it biblical? Isn’t it incomplete based on what we have seen in the Bible? ‘God loves me’ is not the essence of biblical Christianity. Because if ’God loves me’ is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?
God loves me.
Me.
Christianity’s object is me. …
The message of biblical Christianity is not ‘God loves me’, period….The message of biblical Christianity is that ‘God loves me so that I might make Him–His ways, His salvation, His glory and His greatness–known among all nations.’…
We are not the end of the gospel, God is.” David Platt, Radical
christian living | Word Warrior | 
May 4, 2012 7:27 am
Amen! Love this book. I’m glad you are enjoying it as well.
AWESOME quote! So true and so sadly misunderstood. Thanks for sharing.
AMEN!
We have cheapened the gospel so much by making it self-centered. It’s not about me. It’s about God’s glory. He brings glory to Himself when he mercifully saves sinners deserving of hell. He brings glory to Himself when He justly sends unrepentant sinners to hell too. Unless He grants us repentance, we will all reap the wrath we store up for ourselves for the day of judgment. That is grace.
Grace isn’t this “I can do whatever I want, sin however I want, and God will cover it all with His grace”. That’s so unbiblical!
Because of God’s grace in saving me, a wretched sinner deserving of hell, I want to live to please Him, to glorify Him, to make His name great.
I agree, it is a sad situation that so much of the Christian message is about our self-esteem rather than esteeming the One Who created us and deserves all the glory.
We mustn’t forget though, amongst our pain at the self-centredness of much of the Christianity we see, that God is a God of both mercy and justice. Yes His justice requires those who refuse Christ Jesus are sent into Hell, but equally we are told that He longs to be gracious to us, He longs to bestow compassion upon us, He is patient not wanting any man to die in his sins but that he might be brought to repentance. That He deserves all the glory is true, as I said, but the Good News, the Gospel, is that He loves us and wants to restore the beautiful relationship that was ours in the Garden of Eden (until we totally messed up – because in Adam we’ve all messed up). We need to find the love as well as recognising that we deserve punishment for sin.
My problem for so many years was that I recognised my unworthiness, I recognised that God was Holy and majestic, and I repented, and I repented, I wanted Jesus but I wasn’t set free. Why? Because I couldn’t accept grace and I had couldn’t accept love. It took me 6 years or so from giving my life to the Lord and praying in repentance to actually finding that wonderful Good News! He had set me free! He loved me despite the fact I was/am a sinner! He loves me! From that point on my life changed. The fact that He loves me made me want to love Him back, to give my life to Him more and more. That His Name may indeed be lifted up as the holiness of God requires.
I guess this is what David Platt was getting at when he said we disconnect grace from God’s glory. We honour His Name by declaring His holiness and His hatred of sin, we honour His Name by declaring His love, His mercy, and His compassion. Perfect love casts out all fear.
We are stuck in a pit! He in his wonderful mercy obeys his Father and climbs down into the pit, and says,”here, stand on my shoulders, and climb out of the pit!”
He does this not because we are so worth it, OR because we are so pathetic, and in need of rescuing. He only does it because of the fact of HIS benevolent grace and redeeming nature of wanting to rescue, redeem and remake things that are broken! It is HIM.
so then He (Christ) took our place in the pit, and bestows HIS righteousness on us. Amazing love, how can it be that THOU MY GOD SHOULDST DIE FOR ME?
“The message of biblical Christianity is not ‘God loves me’, period.”
Exactly. Too often people see God as a one-dimensional figure, not as the loving AND just God that He is.
Consider John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” An absolutely beautiful truth.
We also have this verse at the end of the same chapter (vs. 36): “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Are we in the church willing to seriously consider the wrath of God alongside the love of God? Are we willing to speak of the truth that those who do not believe Jesus will not see everlasting life?
And how about Psalm 5:5?: “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sermon preached on that verse!
It’s so important to consider the whole counsel of scripture, reading it in its entirety, and actually *studying* it, over and over, when contemplating Who God is and what the central message of Christianity is. Our just God cannot look upon sin. We must be clothed in Christ’s righteousness. The gospel is indeed all about Him and not about us. Except for the grace of God, we would still be clothed in filthy rags. As it now stands, we believers can be assured we are clothed with Christ’s robe of righteousness, and can rejoice as the Psalmist does:
PSALM 85
1 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.
Praise God for his mercy and salvation through Christ’s finished work on the cross and His resurrection! “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” Beautiful!
Amen!! Thank you for sharing Kelly!
Much love