Borrowed Breath

I’ve been thinking lately about the gospel, and the proclamation of it. After listening to the sermon series on the beatitudes from Mars Hill Bible Church, and after a conversation with one of my smartest friends (Doug Magee) I am thinking about the concept of the “open secret” of the gospel.

Often times, the exclusivity of the Christian message has erred on the side of the secret of the gospel. There is one way to the Father, Jesus Christ, and so therefore we are the keepers of said secret. And unfortunately, like the Pharisees of Jesus day, we’ve added requirements to His proclamation of grace and salvation to those who don’t deserve it. In order to maintain the “who’s in, who’s out” mindset, additional steps have been conjured up to differentiate the true believer from the false. We are the secret-keepers.

And then there is the vein of Christianity that has (probably in response to the secret-keeper Christians) made the gospel so open that it loses the life-changing message that God brings us through the Messiah. So instead of fostering the distinctiveness of the good news, the pendulum has swung the other direction and all are “in” regardless of what they believe regarding the risen Christ.

I think that there is a balance somewhere in the middle. The gospel is proclaimed to all of us who have done, and continue to do, nothing to deserve it. It is not contingent upon my repentance, for the scriptures tell us that the love of God will lead us to repentance. If I must repent before I receive the good news, then I’ve done something to earn my salvation. But that being said, if I continue to live as if my life is my own, as if I have not been bought with a price, then my actions belie my profession. All are welcome, but some reject the love of God.

I believe that the gospel is an open secret. All are welcome into this mystery called salvation.

How does this play out practically? I have no idea. Add it to the list of things I don’t know.