Don't Mess With the Gospel

Our American culture values tolerance. We are asked by our culture to sublimate our beliefs in the name of tolerance. Thus, those who hold to values and beliefs which are in opposition to others are to remain silent. The reality is...not everyone in our culture plays by those rules.

In America, it's quite acceptable to espouse many unbiblical beliefs while at the same time denigrating Christians and the Gospel. This is not considered abusive at all. However, have a Christian stand up and say certain behaviors are wrong and all manner of venom is spouted toward that Christian.

Paul, in Galatians 5:7-12, speaks out boldly against a group of people who were purposely attacking the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These people were adding the works of the law to the Gospel of grace. Paul would not stand for it and in some of the most harsh language found in scripture even says that if these people want to depend on circumcision to keep them right with God, why don't they go all the way and castrate themselves! Not quite the tolerance we would expect to see in our culture.

Paul reminds us that we must stand boldly for the Gospel. In Romans 1:16 Paul says he's not ashamed of the Gospel. As believers in a pluralistic society, we must cry out that we are not ashamed to be called Christians. We are not ashamed of the Gospel. We are not ashamed to stand up for that Gospel. And...we will proclaim the Gospel as the truth of God and tell others not to mess with it. They may not believe it, they may dismiss it, but don't mess with it! May our Lord grant that we will have the courage to be light in the darkness of a lost and dying world!