Not a Tame Gospel
Returning to the Fresh but Ancient Gospel
The following few lines by C.S. Lewis remind us of a critical reality the modern gospel has failed to reflect. Mainly that our Lord is good, but He is not safe.
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…
”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you. It’s quite all right. He’ll often drop in. Only you mustn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”
C.S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Like these children who knew nothing of the real Aslan, we are often confused about our Jesus. This has affected our view of church and particularly leadership, to the point where we have substituted a confrontational truth-loving reformer for a delicate and politically astute soul. Niceness has become the quintessential measure of compassionate faith. Yet, scripture stands in stark contrast to this preferred image, imploring us to return to the original. We could reasonably expect something ‘good but not tame‘.
Gone Astray
There was a time when pampered feelings were not evidence of whether we had administered love. While love remains our absolute standard, it encompasses a much broader definition than what presently passes for pious and devout. After all, we have been reminded that ‘our God is a consuming fire’ (Hebrew 12:29). Similarly, the gospel is an exposing light, a measuring instrument designed to sift and exterminate as the means of saving our soul. That is until we allowed it to be sanitized for ‘safe’ consumption.
The Christian faith, once so intrusive and robust, it overthrew the earth’s most vile empires has been reduced. The first generation of preachers were fearless conveyors of truth. They were known for storming the darkest and most dire of havens and were marked by rogue dictators and oppressive regimes, as the single greatest threat to their tyrannical rule. It is time for a return.
Indeed we must choose which disposition best represents Biblical and historical Christianity: The subdued and protocol-conscious scholar, or the brazen warrior inviolate and unhindered by opposition.
Passion and Fire
It is not a question of rudeness or purposeful indelicateness, but passion and fire. Far too many Christians are satisfied with the comfortable pastoral caricature resembling what we might expect from a funeral director. While this kind of persona may be soothing and inoffensive, it is not near ‘not safe’ enough to remind us of Aslan.
It is time to shed the garb of politeness and redefine love, less around the feelings it emotes than the freedom it creates. For reference, we might have to look to the first ‘not tame’ reformers. Conveniently relegated to a forgotten age, they are known for their obtrusive verbal condemnations of evil. Hopefully, they remind us of John the Baptist and Jesus, whose examples should continue to challenge us.
A Biblical Pattern
Consider their approach! The fiery camel-robed prophet was decisive and uncompromising. When hypocrites assembled He gave them no quarter, nor did he credit their appearance as hunger or righteousness. Rather he attacked, confident in what must be said, without apprehension or fear of misunderstanding.
“Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Mt 3:7-10
Jesus followed with a similar ‘not tame’ tone calling out the religious leaders for not only resisting the truth but for standing in the way of others who would have responded. Unafraid to call out hypocrites and pretenders, He pointedly ascribed their sin to them without hesitation or apology. Yet, we would never consider Him falling short of love or somehow missing the heart of the Father.
This same style of delivery is common throughout scripture, yet somewhat foreign to us today. This tone, not limited to John or Jesus, as though that were not enough, should provide us with sufficient precedent. Their immediate disciples certainly embraced their style.
The ‘Not Tame’ Reformers
The apostles Jude, Peter, John, James, and Paul spoke with equal clarity and firm conviction. They warned and denounced without hesitation. Furthermore, when the preaching of John the Baptist was being described by Luke, he called it… exhortation.
“‘His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.’ And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.”
Luke 3:17-18
Today many, pastors included, would not hesitate to condemn John as unloving. Our current notion of exhortation is much softer, as though defined by an entirely different source. As such it lacks the certainty evidenced by these holy men.
Mistaken Assumptions
One wonders how today’s church would respond were these men in our pulpits. At the very least, questions over character and or authority would abound. Unsurprisingly religious leaders then reacted in exactly this manner. But it was not John or Jesus who was flawed.
Those questioning Jesus insinuated presumption. Today is no different. Critics typically invoke a mantra suggesting, ‘we cannot know the hearts of others’. They suggest such boldness cannot proceed from anything other than pride and arrogance. To them any kind of commanding language is audacious! Yet it is their conclusions which are unquestioningly unbiblical.
To these anointed leaders men’s hearts were an open book. Jesus, His prophets and apostles most certainly knew what was in men.
Understandably, arrogant judgment and self-righteousness continue to exist. And while the truly presumptuous would love to hide theirs behind the facade of a style, that is no reason to alter the gospel. Furthermore, while there was a time when condescending insults were common, clearly this is not our present dilemma. The proverbial pendulum has swung in the opposite direction.
Our problem today is an absence of direct clarity. So, short of giving license to the immature, it is time we unmuzzle those whom God has appointed to speak with fiery boldness.
Return to the Not Tame Gospel
The time has come to return to the uncompromising gospel. One empowered to categorically classify the world as it is – fallen and condemned. No! We do not condemn. Not because it is untrue or we have no right, but because they are already. Condemned that is.
Jesus essentially said it would be redundant.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
John 3:17
Those who believe are not condemned, while those who do not believe are already condemned. Please take note of this important distinction! Let me rephrase.
Already Condemned
To say someone is condemned is not in itself a statement of condemnation. Think of it this way! When the insurance company says your car is a ‘write-off’, they are effectively condemning it. To repeat it is not to condemn.
The same thing can be done with a building deemed unfit for habitation. When we describe, acknowledge, or repeat this, we are not condemning. We are affirming what is in fact a reality determined by a higher authority. Our acknowledgment does not begin or alter the designation.
The same is true of people – ‘those who do not believe are condemned’. To allude to that is not in itself to condemn, yet this is where the crowds divide. As soon as a preacher references this divine order some people get uncomfortable. They mutter warnings about judging, fearing some God-given mandate has been ignored.
They similarly accused Jesus. Essentially asking, ‘Who do you think you are?’ What we fail to realize is the voices of opposition represent an antichrist spirit. Both then, as it is today, spiritual powers resist anointed voices of authority. Their condemnation, which they do not hesitate to broadcast, ironically demonstrates their hypocrisy, seeing they do the very thing they denounce.
The accusation is empty and groundless. It is no more valid than castigating a patient for sharing a confirmed diagnosis without a medical degree? Who would ask such a question? Imagine someone on this basis asking, ‘Do you think you are some kind of doctor?’ It is truly a superfluous question!
A Source of Boldness
We need only look at our ‘not tame’ Biblical Fathers. Like the Apostle John, who spoke plainly when he said, ‘He who does not believe is condemned already‘. We need to be equally straightforward. He spoke directly without caveats or disqualifiers to soften the blow. John was uncompelled to couch his words in apologetic disclaimers. Nor did he follow up with assurances of His own weaknesses. He just let the truth penetrate.
His disregard for those who would accuse him was in fact a display of the very opposite. It was an expression not only of love but humility. When one speaks for a king justification is unnecessary. The need to self-deprecate comes from pride.
Furthermore, the apostles and reformers understood the power of the gospel. The anointed proclamation of man’s depleted state coupled with the glory of a righteous God, does something to the human heart. Like acid eating through rust and calcification, this truth has a caustic, but cleansing effect on lies and deception. This work is a manifestation of the pure, hopeful, love of God.
Unfortunately, something entirely human has displaced the caricature of a kind but ‘not tame’ leader. An image has arisen to erase the manifestation of a God dwelling in unapproachable light reflected in His servants. Yet, not far on the horizon of time is a generation of destiny. They will proclaim with decisive authority and without ambiguity, the righteousness of God.
Revival Generation
We are meant to be part of that generation. Rising out of the squalid niceness of humanism will require fervent desire. The generation born for revival, tired of and sickened by the powerless veneer of niceties will champion an ancient gospel. They will scoff at the placid nonsense of practiced manners we exchanged for righteousness and embrace a transforming gospel. They will find both His Kingdom and His untouchable righteousness. In so doing, they will transform into a collective body that will be known as good, but not tame.
