I often feel suffocated by the spirit of this age. It is both cloying and clobbering--for, on the one hand there is a push to allow for any and every supposition. Indeed, gone is absolute truth, and in its place pure subjectivity. The clobbering is leveled at any who might try to carve out a Christian identity for themselves.
What to do?
Rather than be squelched and reformed by culture, I believe we should consider the Lord's response to Peter when he stated regarding the cross, "It will never happen to You" (Mt. 16:22). Indeed, the Lord's response to this nullifying and liberal statement was immediate: "Get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to Me, for you are not thinking the things of God but the things of man" (Mt. 16:23).
In other words, don't try to diminish who I am or what I am here to do. Furthermore, don't believe the nonsense that all is fine the way it is because it is NOT. No, the cross is necessary because God is far above all of the nonsense and values of this world, and no man can approach Him apart from a great sacrifice.
Isaiah saw Him thusly:
1In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3And one called out to another and said,
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”
4And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
5Then I said,
“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven” (6:1-7)
Hence, Jesus' sacrifice lifts us from the evils and places us near God in heavenly places (Eph 2:6). This is what we need! Certainly, this exposes how tragic it is when we water down the gospel! How sad it is when we don't give full credit to what Christ has brought to mankind! Indeed, this is what true repentance and humility brings, while a false gospel leaves us earthbound with no hope of getting a glimpse of God's glory.
