The problem is that we don’t always believe that the gospel is relevant to Christians. We always think of the Gospel in the context of evangelization. We see the gospel as the ABC of Christianity, the starting point, what non-believers need to hear. , the door through which Christianity enters. Once there, you must go beyond the gospel, you must go to the hours of silence, to the religious books, to the worship CDs.
Ryan was sure that, in our design, we were . . . and he was “out”. He knew that in the eyes of the average Christian, he was truly a villain, a transsexual above all!So Ryan was constantly guiding the conversation about his lifestyle, the only thing that seemed to keep him from entering, in the eyes of most Christians. He went to the gay church in town, but was told his lifestyle didn’t matter. Apparently, I was trying to get her to say something similar: “It’s normal to be transgender, you can still follow Jesus. “But more deeply, I felt a much more powerful question at stake: “Am I broken, more sinful, more desperate than you?”
- Then I changed the direction of the conversation.
- I have changed the center of his way of life to our common sin and the rebellion of all mankind against God.
- I told you the real problem was not your sexual confusion.
- But your sin.
- He wanted to hear that he was worse than him.
- Neighbor.
- I said no.
- So I took my Bible and took it to read aloud some of the most famous verses about sin.
- I focused on the fact that everyone has sinned.
- Everyone has turned against God.
- That everyone needs to be reconciled.
- With the Creator.
- Our external sins may be different from each other.
- But our hearts are always equally bad.
- So I went further: I talked about my own sin.
Ryan, you want to know about me? I’m a control fan, I always want to have everything under my control. I like to put myself in God’s shoes and try to control the results. I’m tough and my wife and kids. I’m a judge when people don’t respect my rules and rules. I can’t love people the way Jesus loves. I love people on my own terms, as I think they deserve to be loved, at my discretion. I abuse and I want it when people don’t see things like me. I bow down and end up selling myself to idol Control, Ryan, I’m a sinner and Jesus is my only hope.
Suddenly, Ryan began to calm down. The conversation has completely changed. He fell to his knees and, through tears, trusted Jesus right there in the middle of the cafeteria. (Actually, he didn’t do that. Stop immediately!) The conversation really changed completely, because Ryan understood that his lifestyle was a secondary issue. There I was, a married, heterosexual pastor, telling him that my heart was just as dirty, sinful, and broken as his. The difference was that I trusted Jesus to reconcile me to God and transform my heart, and he didn’t.
We are very good at telling non-Christians that they need Jesus. No truly wise Christian would turn to Ryan and say, “First change your lifestyle, then we can work with your heart. “We know that deeper inner change must be the first; make the tree good, then its fruit will be good (see Mt 12:33). So why don’t we think about discipline the same way?
The Gospel is not the ABC of Christianity; he is the A to Z of Christianity. When we forget the gospel, we betray our disciples. We give the impression that being a disciple of Jesus means being less broken, less sinful, less desperate, so we have created a system of Christian castes: there are really sinners (non-believers), there are still sinners (new converts) and people who claim not to be sinners (mature Christians).
Not only is it manifestly antibbolic, it is also contrary to common sense. Jesus said that those who are greatly forgiven will love greatly (Luke 7:47). True mature Christians are not those who think they are fewer sinners, but those who realize the depths of their sin and cling more firmly to Jesus as their only hope.
To prove this truth, just ask yourself how my conversation with Ryan would have been different if I had just said, “Yes, you’re really lost, but the good news is that if you trust In Jesus, you can be as good as me. “You can be smart enough (or politically correct) not to say that to a transsexual, but if your discipleship is not based on the gospel, that’s exactly what you tell your disciples.
Read on in Part 3
Is this book by award-winning author Kevin DeYoung on time and involving each of us?skeptical or interested, safe or confusing?look humbly at what the Word of God says about homosexuality. DeYoung examines important passages from the Bible and its teaching on sexuality, and answers questions and objections that have been raised by both Christians and non-Christians on this subject, so this book is a must-read for a biblical review of one of the most debated topics and controvercial problems. of our day.
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