Reflections on the Election and Where We Go From Here…

“We have been granted freedom to choose our words, but not our gospel. Not even angels exercise that freedom (Gal. 1:8). To preach is to be bound to the gospel and the truths that arise from it. The preacher cannot say just anything. There are certain doctrines that the church is obliged to teach (Titus 2:1).” _John Koessler, The Mysterious Act of Preaching

In a nation so divided and so bereft of hope and direction, the Church and its ministers must vie for the hearts of those who drive by our churches daily and help them to see hope.

Whichever side of the political divide people are on, by and large, Americans are not evil, mean-spirited people, they are lost and misguided people.

The Church really and truly has the answer and its ministers must give that answer – the complete answer.

More therapeutic, feel good good sermons is not the answer. More scolding and us/against them preaching is not the answer either. What people need is an informed Christian worldview that helps them think correctly about the issues of our day and helps them live their lives accordingly.

As ministers, there is a three-pronged theological foundation that must guide us in what we teach our people:

• General Theology: There is a Creator and a creation order; and as the Creator’s image-bearers we have a significant purpose and will be held accountable for our fulfillment of that purpose. This creation order (nature) deals with our sexual identity, marriage, family, the stewardship of the planet, work, community…the very fabric of human civilization.
• Tragically, evil has come into the world (The Fall) and the creation (including humans…especially humans!) have been compromised.
• The good news is that there was given early on a pathway to redemption (Genesis 3:15).
• The Law: The Creator (the God of the Bible) has a standard and has set the rules whereby we can live productive and happy lives. If we obey those laws we prosper, if we don’t we destroy ourselves.
• Or to state it like the Apostle Paul: The Law is our tutor to teach us how to live (Galatians 3:24).
• Moreover, there is a moral element to these rules because they reflect the very nature and character of God and to break them is to rebel against God and bring ourselves under his condemnation and eventual judgment.
• The Gospel: Regrettably, the very best of us – the most dedicated – cannot meet God’s perfect standard and are helpless to do so in our own strength. We all sin and fall short (Romans 3:23) and are thus sinners and under the condemnation of God.
• But there is good news! We can be saved from the wrath to come and be empowered to live a creation-order life that pleases God and causes us to flourish. This is called “the Gospel.”

But here’s the catch, without the first two: General Theology and The Law, the Good News is not news at all, it means nothing to people who do not know the fatal and horrifying condition they are in.

Its like trying to give life-saving medicine to someone who doesn’t even know they’re sick.

Yet one more sermon about the mercy and grace of God means nothing to people who do not know they under the penalty of sin and eternal death and can do nothing about it.

How can you be saved if you don’t even know you’re lost and why?

“Salvation” means nothing unless you know you need it. Without a firm grasp on reality: the creation order and the standard of God, being “saved” becomes just a buzzword for making a deal with God where he will give you a get-out-jail-free card and a free pass to heaven while you give a nod to his Son, Jesus Christ, and give a half-hearted effort at “being good”.

In the meantime we’re taught that our Creator will be our doting granddaddy while we’re here on earth and give us a diet of nothing but sweets and fun times for the rest of our lives.

Hardly the answer to the problems that confront us today!

The ONE THING for today: If the election taught us anything, it taught us that there is a great disconnect between how God created us to live and how most Americans live.

There has never been a time that America’s pulpits need to proclaim the whole bible – rightly divided. This must be our finest hour, the hope of our nation and our world is riding on it.