For a long time the church has been preaching the gospel in reverse. This has led to the same results as attempting to carry a horse on our backs for hundreds of miles over rough terrain. It simply doesn’t work.
The false gospel is that God loves the righteous and hates the wicked. The truth is that God loves the wicked, and He declares us righteous through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus. This is the good news.
Our human natures understand the law that declares, “The wages of sin is death.” What we don’t understand is “the gift of God” that freely gives us what we don’t deserve (Romans 6:23, NIV):
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It is time for the church to wake up and stop preaching “If you are good then God will save you!” Instead, it is time to listen to the Holy Spirit proclaim “God has saved you! Now, go and be good!”