The author, while writing this blog, states: "In fact, while I was writing this post, in some of my first quality hate-mail yet, I was accused of having a “liberal, watered down, democratic, toothless and people-pleasing gospel.” (emphasis mine)"
I don't think this accusation is quite fair. And although I am going to be in vast disagreement with the author's statements, I think this criticism is misguided. I would agree that what he is teaching is in fact liberal and I suppose could be considered 'democratic' in some ways. But I am not sure that the accusation of watered down fits the bill here. There has been no watering down of the Gospel. The Gospel has actually been completely removed and replaced! There is no water (baptism) in His Gospel at all. Or Eucharist...or Absolution...or Christ. Shame that.
The article is found here:
Formerly Fundie - Watering Down the Gospel
I plan to interact with these 10 ways in which the author claims that we water down the Gospel over the course of what will probably be 2 blogs; no more than 3.
Without further adieu, let's get to the list.
10. We water down the Gospel when we attempt to live it out in isolation, instead of in the context of community.
This is the author's #10 way in which we water down the Gospel. Is it true?
Well, no, not entirely. The biggest problem with the statement is that it is a class A category mistake. A big fat one. Why is this so? You can't live the Gospel. You can't be the Gospel. And nothing we do is the Gospel. The Gospel is an indicative. It's news. Something that has been done on our behalf. We do the law. We cannot do the Gospel.
Of course, I really don't have a problem with some of the things he says in this blurb. I am all for corporate worship as much as possible. I am all for living in community with other Christians, if all you mean by that is that hanging out with other Christians is a good idea. I don't think we're commanded by Christ to start a Christian commune though. Fellowship is important, after all!
I agree 110% with the author's critique of American 'rugged individualism' as he calls it. It's a cancer, but ironically, it leads to exactly what the author is espousing in this article: Doing the Gospel. It's an I can do it attitude, whether it be in isolation or in a group.
Another author has argued pretty persuasively that the things that Mr. Corey is arguing (or at least implying) as the full 'unwatered down' Gospel are actually things that are causing our kids to leave the church. In this Lutheran man's opinion, it's because all these other things fail to deliver Christ to the sinner. That is to say, there is a lack of the Gospel.
Why Our Kids Leave Church
He closes reason #10 with this:
"Trying to do this on my own? That’s watered down- the real gospel is lived out in community and healthy dependency with those committed to doing life together."
If I may: That's not watered-down. That's not the Gospel at all. That's pure law.
9. We water down the gospel when we make it about changing someone else, instead of first changing ourselves.
OK, here is #9. I apologize. This is going to get a little redundant. The Gospel has never been about changing others or ourselves. It's about what Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, has done at Calvary for you - precisely because changing yourself and changing others is a fool's errand. The Gospel is Christ crucified and risen for you, given to you as pure gift in Word, water, bread, and wine.
Change comes, sure. But that's not the Gospel either.
"When we see every passage, every lesson, every application as something that would be good for someone else, that’s a pretty good sign that we’re watering the gospel down to something that’s designed to challenge other people."
That's actually a pretty good sign that you've missed the Gospel altogether! The Gospel is for all of us. For me. For you. For President Obama. For Miley Cyrus. For Billy Graham. For my infant daughter. Even for the Biebs, as painful as that thought is. And it's not about us. It's all about Jesus and what he has done on our behalf.
8. We water down the gospel when we make it sound like following Jesus is easy (Spoiler Alert.. it’s not!).
Oh how I want to jump up and down and clap vigorously after reading this one. If the author would have just said:
Yet again, this just isn't the Gospel. Following Jesus is not the Gospel. We can never perfectly follow Jesus and earn anything before Him. That's exactly why we need the Gospel!
I'm with you Ben, following Jesus is hard work. Yet His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt 11:30).
"I think part of the reason why so many people walk away from following Jesus is because they’ve been tricked into thinking that this is actually something that’s easy."
I'm with you broham. But I also would assert that a lot of people walk away from following Jesus because they realize that it's impossible and they've never heard...THE GOSPEL. They get burned out. They despair. Or worse, their spiritual pride tells them they are doing an amazing job of it.
"And, if that’s not real enough for you, know this: if you decide to follow Jesus, you’re actually going to fail at it– every day, for the rest of your life. It is that hard."
Yeah man. Amen. That's the truth. It is indeed that hard. And this is called sin. Which is why we need the Gospel.
7. We water down the gospel when we exclude people.
True. The Great Commission forbids this. After all, it was our Lord who said to the Apostles:
Matthew 28:19-20: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
One would think that "all nations" includes everyone. So, yeah, we're getting it wrong when we don't make disciples of all nations.
Hey, but speaking of water...how do we make disciples? By baptising and teaching.
6. We water down the gospel when we tell people it’s clear and simple.
This is sort of a yes and no answer. The pure Gospel, yeah, it really is pure and simple. It's a proclamation. Not about me, not about my works, not my works themselves...but of the Christ and what He did for us to save us. That's Gospel.
Yet, I would be remiss to not say that this Gospel is infinitely deep. We can spend our whole life learning about Christ and His work, and we still won't understand just how great the love of God is. We still won't understand the bitter sufferings and death of the Crucified One to its full extent. And we still won't understand the depths and atrocities of our sin that put Him there on that cross, dying for you.
Who did Christ die for?
For YOU.
For YOU.
Who did Christ rise from the dead for?
For YOU.
Receive it. Believe it. Live it. Just kidding. You can't live it. It's already been done. It's all Jesus.
So, yeah, I get it man. You're concerned with Christian hypocrisy. I am too. I'm not for the fundies either, I think they get a lot of things wrong. I used to be in that camp myself to an extent. But I do think you reacted in the wrong direction. You went from the fire and brimstone pre-trib rapture and judgment preaching of the fundies to substituting the Gospel with a cheap knock-off that makes the good news our works and our social action. I'm not saying those things are bad. But they aren't the Gospel.
You see: We're ALL hypocrites. We need Christ and His work alone on the cross to save us.
The Gospel is the proclamation of the work Christ did for us, extra nos, or outside of us. It comes to us and is given to us as a free gift through means. It's about Christ dying and rising and now giving Himself to us in grace alone.
So you don't want to water down the Gospel? Keep it all about grace alone and leave the water there. You see, the grace is the water. This baptism now saves you, says St. Peter. (1 Peter 3:21) You are buried with Christ and raised with Him in faith - by baptism, says St. Paul. (Colossians 2:11-12, Romans 6:3-4) Baptism is a washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5), births us from above (John 3:5), and is a washing of water with the Word. (Ephesians 5:26)
This Baptism Now Saves You. Yeah, THIS One.
I baptise you in the Name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit
So you don't want to water down the Gospel? Confess your sins and be absolved. Your local Lutheran pastor does these things. John 20:23, by the way. Christ instituted the office of the ministry. They distribute the means of grace. Absolution is one of them.
So you don't want to water down the Gospel? Preach Christ crucified for the remission of sins. That's what St. Paul did. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25, for starters) He also said that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. (Romans 1:16-17) The Gospel is good news. And it must be preached. It must be given to you.
So you don't want to water down the Gospel? Keep Christ in the Eucharist in the center. This is My body, He said. This is My blood, He said. He said the Eucharist is the New Covenant and is for the forgiveness of all of your sins. (Matthew 26:28) He's really present. And not discerning the body of Christ is a grave sin. (1 Corinthians 11) He gives Himself to us in bread and wine. I don't know how this happens, but He said it. Believe it. It's grace, baby!
Keep it about Jesus work for us and not about our works for Him. We aren't the good news. Jesus Christ is. And that, my brothers and sisters, is excellent news!
Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! (John 1:29)
Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! (John 1:29)
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