It's Quite Hard to Believe the Gospel of Christ, Isn't It?

I remembered reading the book "Hard to Believe" the latest edition by Pastor John F. MacArthur after the erroneously edited first edition was thrown out. In contrast to the "easy-easy" message that many are so used today that goes like, "Well you can have a relationship with Christ, just repeat after me..." evangelism, we ought to realize that the Gospel is pretty hard to believe. Am I teaching works salvation here? No but rather I am addressing the fact that it can be hard to believe the Gospel truth. There is no room for a soft and easy message, the hard facts must be gotten straight.

Allow me to show you why it can be hard to believe in contrast to the modern heresy of easy believism which makes it "too easy" without telling people why they need to get saved which only results to a false conversion. You might be claiming to be an easy believist but when you read this, you might find out you're just a so-called opponent of Lordship salvation and two, you aren't an easy believist. After having some investigations of Grace to You and Heartcry Missionary, I discovered I was definitely no easy believist as I used to think I was. So you may consider reading this article. In fact, I even found it hard to believe myself the Gospel.

So why is it hard to believe? Remember that many refused to believe. What's so hard to believe about the Gospel? Here's the truths that people find really hard to believe and a really offensive message:

1.) Jesus was both God and man 

The easy heresy of today is that Jesus was just a man or for some religious, he was just a prophet. Buddhism views Jesus as a prophet and a respected man but never the eternal Son of God. To the world Jesus was just a man and the resurrection event was just a hoax. Books written by many atheist writers demand Christians to stop "bearing false witness" by attesting to the resurrection. It's the truth of the Bible that Jesus is God becoming man to live a perfect life and to become a sin sacrifice. That is He who knew no sin chose to die for sinful man and took what He did not deserve for the salvation of man... but salvation is only for those who receive it. Nobody gets salvation until they come to Christ.

What's also hard to believe is that Jesus the eternal Son of God not only became man but was crucified. Crucifixion was thought by the ancient world a punishment left for the most wicked of criminals. The very idea that the sinless and eternal Son of God would allow Himself to die a death of such shame is hard to believe.

2.) Salvation is by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone 

This is an entire problem faced by mostly the works salvation crowd and in part the Antinomians. The works salvation crowd believes if you do "enough works" you will win Heaven. The problem with man's refusing to believe is because of their pride. John 5:40 has the Lord Jesus mentioning, "And you will not come so you will have life." People are swallowed by their pride like the rich young ruler who inquired Jesus how to get eternal life. Instead of pleading guilty that he was a sinner, instead he answered, "All these I have kept since childhood." What a far different approach Nicodemus, Zaccheus, Matthew and the Samaritan woman had! People in their pride want to gain salvation when they cannot gain it. They want to take credit for their good works they do unlike the Christian whose good works are but the grace of God (Titus 2:11-14, Ephesians 2:8-10).

Works salvation teachers have their pride and hypocrisy which can be evidenced that many of them are actually living sinfully as if they have a license to sin. In fact, it's also hard to believe that Christians who are saved by faith alone and not by works are actually the ones who are doing good works while only giving God the glory. All these cause true converts to endure to the end rather than fall away completely. Christians may backslide but Christ brings them back and they CANNOT remain in an indefinite plain of carnality because of God's grace. Yup true converts carry their cross daily, they do good works and even if they sin, they will not sin indefinitely because God chastises them (Hebrews 12:5-6). James 2 even affirms how true faith is never devoid of works, dead faith is not faith and that true faith will never fail to produce some works which Hebrews 11 is Paul's commentary of the great acts done through faith proving true faith is not alone, it produces good works as a result.

3.) Jesus has every right to ask us to love Him more beyond our friends and relatives

Jesus had warned that whosoever loves relatives and friends more than Him is disrespecting Him and not worthy of Him. Some even think this is a command to disrespect and dishonor parents. No it is not- Jesus said He is first priority in the Christian life. We are commanded to honor our parents but Christ deserves first respect. We are obliged to obey our authority figures but should we be given evil commands, we should politely turn them down because it's immoral like a parent who asks his child to buy liquor. Jesus deserves first place and salvation is only for those who are willing to put Christ first place because only such people will receive it, others who refuse will not. Many people today refuse to accept Christ out of pressure of family and friends not ignoring the hard truth about it that a Christless eternity is spent in the Lake of Fire of torment and no relief.

4.) Man is not basically good

To man, they are basically good. Communist ideology and liberation theology tend to teach this, "Man is basically good, it's the capitalist system that is evil." This is also linked to the heresy of Pelagianism (named after the originator Pelagius) which Augustine opposed and to some, Arminianism. Rejection of the idea of original sin has its severe consequences. Homosexuals want to believe they are moral when they are not, people think that what is right and wrong is based on man's own principles and that God is just trash, what matters is one's principles. That is what Judges 21:25 describes as "Everybody did what was right in their own eyes." and Romans 10:3 specifying man's aim to establish his own righteousness while ignorant of God's righteousness.

One of the problems resulting from these is the cafeteria morality or altruism - homosexuals reject pedophilia but support same sex pairing, Catholics give homage to graven images (while claiming not to worship them) striking out the second commandment (Exodus 20:4-5) and splitting the tenth. In fact, it was this truth in the first place that struck the cord of Baptist preacher William Tyndale and Martin Luther, it was this truth that struck John Calvin and thus began the Calvinist movement. If man were basically good, why would Romans 3:10-19 condemn the very sinful state of man? Anybody who says man has no sin ought to examine themselves. Sadly people will continue to believe in the natural goodness of man which only leads to a false righteousness. James 2:10-11 is clear you only need to break one of the Ten Commandments to break them all. In fact, it's even hard to believe that many "worldly good" people like Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha and Mother Theresa are in Hell now despite all the "good" they did.

This also takes to the idea to why the idea of the crucifixion of Jesus is repugnant. Not only is it because that Jesus would allow Himself to die the death of a shameful criminal hard to believe - the very fact that it was necessary is hard to believe. Some would even say why can't God the Father just make people righteous without having to sacrifice His only begotten Son. The very truth that bloodshed and death are needed to pay for those sins because man isn't basically good - it's just that hard to digest!

5.) God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called

That is true. You might want to think of some of God's greatest heroes were flawed individuals, even some severely flawed. Noah got drunk, Abraham was retired, Jacob was a schemer, Judah was envious and even committed incest with his daughter-in-law Tamar, Moses was impulsive and so was Peter who denied he was a Christian, David let his guard down resulting to his scandal with Bathsheba, Saul before becoming Paul was a killer, the disciples fell asleep.

This is the picture of sovereign grace. Who would have thought he'd call flawed sinners and change their lives? If he called only the 'qualified' what power of life changing grace will be displayed? In fact, the way He changed lives like Zaccheus from a publican to a good businessman, Matthew from a publican to a disciple, Peter who he appointed as the first local New Testament pastor for the Jews or that Saul the persecutor of Christians became Paul the missionary to the Gentiles proves God's working power. 

6.) We have free access to the Throne of God by Christ alone 

Hebrews 4:16 declares that now in Christ, we may boldly approach the Throne of God. Of course while this DOES NOT condone unrepentant sin but we can be certain we can boldly approach God's throne for mercy and grace. That is, tired of you sinning all over- go to God and ask Him to cleanse you. Tired of doubt? Go to God. However this doctrine has been very attacked by the works salvation crowd and this is hard to believe especially for the self-righteous sinners who believe we must "do all our good" to please God. Bad news- Cain's crops were rejected, Abel only by a humble sacrifice was made acceptable!

The Pharisees who taught works salvation were berated heavily in Matthew 23 for every hypocrisy they had proving they were not right with God. They criticized lost sinners unfairly for coming to Christ in confidence of forgiveness. That was really just plain wrong and for one, sinners by the grace of God should approach His throne for forgiveness. However they refuse to because of their sin and sinful living gets rid of that boldness in the person to approach God's throne for mercy and grace. They know God's grace changes lives, they know God's mercy will make them abandon sinful living and they know that mercy is for the weak. We are weak and we need Christ but man's pride has himself convincing he is okay and doesn't need good which is baloney.

Conclusion

In fact modern day evangelism has just gotten to the easy part, never the hard part. Folks sin must be DEALT WITH. I appreciate Ray Comfort's method of using the Ten Commandments with him then quoting James 2:10-11 saying, "Well if you broke one of the rules, you ought to realize you have broken them all." which for me, does more than the Roman Road. Pastor Paul David Washer addresses the hard truth and has the right to call "evangelism by a simple prayer" stupid because people NEED to know their sins before they can see their need for a Savior. I really suggest churches get the most recent edition of "Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus" to change our soft, sissified Gospel to preaching the hard truth as it is.