Tuesday, October 08, 2013

It's terminal

If we had an operable cancer but the doctor offered only a painkiller, we'd rightly accuse him of malpractice. We'd walk out of his office and find a doctor who would do the painful surgery to rid us of the disease. It's no different with spiritual cancer. Many people go to churches where the pastor prescribes painkillers instead of exposing ugly, deadly sin. Spiritual sedatives feel good for the moment, but having the courage to be honest is the only way sin can be eradicated. Forgiveness requires truth about two things: the depravity in our hearts and the cleansing blood of Jesus.— Christianity Lite, page 210-211

<idle musing>
And that, my friends, is the gospel in a nutshell. Unfortunately, it seems that people tend to concentrate on either one side or the other. Some only talk about the depravity of humanity and make it sound like there is no hope this side of heaven. Others tend to go light on the depravity and speak only of the cleansing we have in Christ. But without the realization of how deeply depraved we are, we can't fully appreciate the extent of the cleansing. Likewise, if we only concentrate on the depravity, we minimize the power of God. You have to hold the two together—that's the true gospel.
</idle musing>

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