One of the most difficult things to accomplish is to bring theology out of the realm of ideas and infuse the truth about God into the practicality of everyday life. It is easy to read the Bible texts about how God interacted with the ancient world of the Israelites. But few people ever stop to meditate on the implications of what those texts mean to the 21st Century.
The human race has learned more about the science of physics and biology in the past 50 years than it has in the entire course of history. We have learned about human DNA and how much information is stored in a single human cell. Satellites circle the globe from above our atmosphere, and telescopes take pictures of deep space. Microcomputers perform calculations in seconds instead of what might have taken months or years a few decades ago.
Modern day technology allows us to study the laws of the universe and to wonder at the mathematical precision of natural laws. From this data we may conclude that God is more intelligent and advanced than human beings can fathom.
Even more amazing to me is that God chose me to speak His words to other human beings. Most of the seven billion people on the planet practice a false religion—Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Modern Judaism, Paganism, etc. Even Christianity has many churches that have been corrupted by spiritualism, health and wealth teachings, corrupt faith healers, new age teachings, legalism, liberalism, universalism, and naturalism. I am honored that God would allow me to be born into a Christian family where I would learn to speak the truth.
One of the biggest problems Christianity faces in modern times is that pastors and teachers rarely preach the pure gospel of Jesus Christ without watering the message down by focusing on human performance. The truth is that we can never be mature Christians without obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel demands that we acknowledge our guilt and accept the free gift of salvation. Obedience to the laws of God are important to show our love for God and our fellow humans, but our best behavior is far from being what the perfect law requires. The only condition for salvation is a loving faith in Jesus.
God has given me a work to accomplish in the generation that may be witness to the second coming of Jesus Christ. This job is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in its purest form. This is not only what God demands of me, but of everyone whose heart is full of love for the truth of God’s word. This will not be easy, and most of the opposition will come from professed Christian people, but it is not a burden to speak of my love for God who has saved my soul from sin and death by offering up His beloved son—Jesus Christ.
It is easy to get caught up in theological debates over minor issues of theology, but our major focus needs to be on the reality of God, the trustworthiness of scriptures, and the final sacrifice of Jesus that paid the ultimate penalty for our sin.
God is real. The Gospel is real. We must preach the reality of God’s word:
“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” ~ 1 Corinthians 9:16, NIV
~ Stephen Beagles