It seems, in this purpose driven age, where the Gospel has become ‘me centered’, that we must hear again a message that was preached a generation ago by Keith Green. In his article, he points out some of the key elements that have been removed from the Gospel in favor of ideas that make people feel good about themselves. Here’s the quick list of things he thinks have been removed:

• The Blood of Jesus
• The Cross of Jesus
• The Threat and Terrors of Hell
• The Law of God
• The Fear of God
• Repentance as Necessary
• God’s Sorrow Over Sin
• The necessity of Holiness

It is essential, as we share the Gospel, that we do not allow our culture to create in us an idol which styles itself after the only living God. I would like to pull two points out of this article and discuss them further: repentance and holiness.

Repentance

The more I share the Gospel with people who claim to be Christians, the more I realize how little people understand true repentance. Most people think that repentance means feeling sorry for your sin. That overwhelming sense of guilt that you feel for sin is not repentance, it is simply conviction. Hopefully, that conviction will turn into repentance, but just grieving isn’t enough. 2 Corinthians 7:10 shows us that there is a difference between godly and ungodly grief; one actually leads to repentance.

In the article, Keith Green writes, “Repentance is not just “being sorry” – that is only conviction. Repentance is not merely a change of heart and a change of mind, it is a change of action!” Repentance is a turning away from your sin and committing your life to Christ. In what sense have you done this if you return to your sin tomorrow? However, this entire idea of repentance gets lost in the theology of most Christians because they believe that we cannot live holy lives. If such lives are impossible, then repentance can only mean turning from a lot of sin to a little sin, or perhaps turning away from one particular sin. I do not think this is what Christ had in mind when he said “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”^link

Holiness

As Keith Green points out, people do all sorts of mental gymnastics to twist the scriptures into something they can live with. I’ve heard a lot of theological models that describe how it is that God can tell us to be holy but doesn’t really mean it. It seems to me that these ideas are missing the key message preached in Mathew 5:48, Romans 6, and 1 John 3. The idea in all of these passages is that we can and must be free from sin.

When I get into this conversation with people, I often hear the objection “but no one is without sin except for Jesus.” That’s true, and no one is claiming to be. My life used to be full of sin, I’ll readily admit that. Any real Christian that I have ever met will admit that. The point, however, is that you don’t need to stay in that sin any longer.

People will also tell me, “Well it’s just human nature; it is impossible not to sin.” Again, I agree for the most part with that statement, and that is why it took a miracle on God’s part to set us free. One definition of a miracle is when something that is impossible in the natural happens in the supernatural. It is the power of the resurrection that works this miracle in me, nothing that I have done myself. However, people come up with all sorts of other doctrines and ideas to assuage their guilty conscience instead of facing the real need for repentance and holiness in their lives.

My challenge to all is to look at your life and turn from anything that is not right between you and Christ. Turn to him and he will give you the strength to live free from yourself. This is not a message of condemnation but one of hope. We no longer need to live lives of selfish slavery, but can be set free by the saving power of Jesus Christ.