An Open Letter To The Easily Offended

I would not create Christianity. If given the task of formulating a religion or belief system for the world, the primary characteristics of Christendom wouldn't show up on my radar. It is so contrary to all of my base instincts and desires.

If I were to create religion, it probably wouldn't be too far off from something like Islam. Let me be clear. I am not at all saying that I prefer Islam to Christianity. I am saying that the Islamic style of religion makes sense to our minds. Islam is a religion of action. It's a religion where the followers simply counteract evil with good deeds. Now that's a good idea. Every time I do something bad, I should just do something good. Even better, maybe I'll do three good things, just for insurance. Apparently, that makes so much sense to us Christians, that we usually try to remake our religion into a more Islamic logic every single day.

There are plenty of churches and people that would call themselves "Christian" that unabashedly preach this sort of religion. They may throw in a bit of lip service about grace and mercy, but what they're really preaching is "don't drink, don't smoke, don't have sex," as the path to paradise. That makes sense to our minds. If we do not consciously fight against it every day, we will become cold, dead legalists. Our Christianity will be no good for the world, because it will be no different than Islam or any other religion.

The gospel offends me. The good news that Jesus Christ is God's provision for my sin is not very difficult to comprehend, but it is difficult to accept. Why? Because I'm just not that bad. That's what we want to believe. And if we are skilled enough at lying to ourselves, we can believe it for a long time. By some incredible act of grace, God wacks us over the head and allows us to see our own hearts sometimes. Maybe your moment of sobriety happens at work, when you lash out at a subordinate or coworker for no good reason. Maybe you catch yourself subconsciously transitioning in conversation from a friend's clothing style to her value. Maybe you see your own lust, ambition, or vanity for just a moment and it makes you want to throw up. Thank God that you have. If not, pray to God that you will.

If you don't see it yet, spend a little time reading the Bible as you pray to understand what I am saying. Read about God's creation, read about his law, read about his majesty. Read that you are spiritually dead and unable to see these realities unless God shows you, and ask. Ask him until he shows you. You will not understand Christianity until you understand that God is holy and completely set apart from us. That is the only way you can then see that our sin is just too great to be outweighed by a couple trips to the local soup kitchen. It encompasses our being.

And know that you are not alone. You are not alone in being offended by this truth. Everything in me wants to declare that I am good enough, I am sufficient to meet my own needs. My nature is to cast aside the religion of God and work for it. I believe it to be nobler, stronger, smarter. Don't worry, you don't have to create that religion if you want it. It's available in churches, mosques and synagogues and even in the corners of our own hearts. They'll tell you to be good, be moral. And that will appear to do the trick. You'll feel better about yourself and your life. You'll look good to everyone else. But the incredible debt of sin in your life will not be swept away. And your dead spiritual heart will not be revived. You can decorate a tomb like a living room if you want to, but that doesn't make the contents of that tomb any less dead.

People of God, do good because he loves you, not in order for him to love you. You can not earn what has already been given. The garbage heap of sin that looks bigger everyday has been incinerated by Christ alone. Look again and again to your savior and to His word as your sufficiency. Offend each other on a regular basis. Remind each other (and me) that we do not earn salvation, nor God's favor. Don't let each other (or me) off the hook with our moralistic, legalistic talk. Point each other to the greatest offense we have ever known, the love of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Only in confrontation with this Cross will we ever hope to see what real religion should be. . .