A Dangerous Gospel

Archived Notes

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A Dangerous Gospel

©Chad Sychtysz

Jesus was crucified because He was seen as a dangerous man. Indeed, the gospel message is dangerous to those who resist it. But it is also dangerous to those who practice it, since it makes us vulnerable to abuse, misrepresentation, and exploitation. There will always be those who try to trap us in our own gospel (e.g., demanding that we forgive them even though they refuse to let go of their sins). We are left with two options: refuse to practice the gospel unless we know for certain that someone is absolutely sincere; or practice the gospel to the best of our ability, and let God deal with the insincere people Himself.

Unconditional love is a dangerous thing to practice. Jesus taught that we are to love our brethren and our enemies (John 13:35, Luke 6:27-36). This appears to make us vulnerable to those who want us to accept their irresponsibility, selfishness, or immoral behavior as an expression of “love.” Such people, however, do not understand what unconditional love is: it is never a license to sin (or to indulge in irresponsible behavior) or an exemption from being challenged. Jesus reproves and disciplines those whom He loves (Rev 3:19), as they are in need of it. In the same way, we ought to expose such people for what they really are, and show them that their souls are in danger. Love always seeks one’s best interest, not one’s selfish desires; we serve others’ best interests when we expose them with the Light of God (John 3:18-21).

The message of grace is one that is often abused. “Grace” refers to God’s free gift of forgiveness of sins and (as a result) our personal fellowship with Him. “The free gift is not like the transgression” (Rom 5:15-16), for it does much more than just spare one from spiritual death; as sin increases, so grace increases, resulting in salvation to even the greatest of sinners (Rom 5:20-21). Some interpret this to mean, “If sin brings grace, then more sin brings more grace—and therefore it is permissible to sin often.” This rationale seeks to justify the sin, not the sinner. Paul challenges such twisted logic by reminding us that Christians are transformed people, and such people no longer practice sin (Rom 6:1-7). Furthermore, grace is conditional: it requires the right attitude from the sinner before it is extended to the sinner; God never imparts His grace to hypocritical or insincere people. Presumptuous sin is a dangerous practice; it is nothing less than a sheer manipulation of God’s generous gift; “for that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord” (Jas 1:7). We can fool other people, and even ourselves, but God will not be fooled (Gal 6:7).

Some Christians choose not to extend kindness to anyone who does not deserve it. Yet the fact is: no one truly “deserves” it! Thus, instead of magnifying love, these people nullify it. But what if we do extend grace to someone who deceives us? What if the one claiming to “repent” does not sincerely do so (Luke 17:4)? We fear someone taking wrongful advantage of us, yet we cannot always prevent this, either. We ought to think of how Jesus dealt with this: while on the cross, He was foolish in the eyes of those who hated Him, which is why they mocked Him mercilessly (Mt 27:39-43). How did He respond? He loved them unconditionally, offering salvation to them if they would only turn to Him. In other words, He lived the gospel message even to those who exploited Him, in order to serve in their best interests. Likewise, we are to suffer for what is right, just as He did (1 Pet 2:20-23, 3:17). In fact, it is better that we are defrauded (cf. 1 Cor 6:7) than to defraud someone of our kindness out of spite or because of unresolved doubt. This implies the use of discernment and discretion, to be sure, but it also means that we will indeed be vulnerable to manipulation at times.

We are to love without limits, and let God deal with those who are insincere. Our unconditional love should never promote irresponsible or sinful behavior; yet our conditional forgiveness should not be given to those who will not repent of their sins (Acts 26:20). Since we are not omniscient, however, we cannot always know up front who is sincere about their repentance or not. Thus, it is better to err on the side of grace and mercy than to withhold these gifts from others. We need to be wise (Rom 16:19), but we cannot prevent every potential abuse, either. This is a dangerous way to live, to be sure—but then, Jesus was a dangerous Man.

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