(Still) Good News

"People write negative things, because they feel that's what sells. Good news to them, doesn't sell." -Michael Jackson

After taking a protracted absence, I am excited to once again return to writing at this blog.  I spent the summer catching up on some much-needed rest, but in the process I lost the habit of sitting down and writing each week, which has obviously led to a longer break than I originally intended.  I cannot describe how glad I am to be writing again, and hopefully my efforts in this area will not be wasted.  For those of you who are returning to read after a while, I thank you for your patience and grace toward me, and for those of you who may be new to this blog, I pray that you find it thought-provoking and encouraging.

Since I have not been writing regularly, I have been spending a little less time pondering deeper questions of apologetics, and I have been trying to focus on a slightly simpler concept of Christian theology: the Gospel.  Most people know this word comes from the Old English for "good news," and that when considering the structure of the Bible, it generally signifies the first four books of the New Testament.  In general, however, this term simply refers to the message of the life of Jesus Christ and the redemption and salvation He brought.

I Heard an Old, Old Story

If you are a modern American, there is a fair probability that you either grew up in a church setting.  If not, it is still at least moderately probable that you know the gist of this story from other sources.  This tale is (or more accurately, has been) so pervasive in Western culture that it is nearly impossible to ignore, especially during times like Christmas and Easter.

What I am trying to say is that most people in our society have heard of Jesus in at least some capacity, and after a while it seems like the story might have gotten worn out.  It is more exciting to talk about gifts and travel during Christmastime; Easter seems to be more about good fashion than Good News.  And, let's be honest, this is the way things always go with great stories.  They catch your attention and fascination for a while, but eventually they lose their luster.

Certainly I have gone through my share of seasons where the Gospel is a story I know, but not one I get excited about.  Sometimes I read my Bible more out of habit than from a hunger for more of the Word.  Does this make me a bad Christian?  If you're asking that, then I'd say you've got a skewed concept of what constitutes a Christian.  We are all imperfect, and the amount the Gospel impacts our hearts at various times is correspondingly flawed.

This Old House

But let me tell you, this story never gets old.  Sure, it feels old at times, but each time I decide to come back to it with a fresh mindset, I find the whole narrative so invigorating that all I can do is just sit and think how unbelievably fortunate I am to be a part of it all.  Has the Book changed?  No.  I've been reading out of the same copy of the Bible consistently for four and a half years, and the message never changes.  But I change, and my attitude and perspective change.  And the same News I found to be so Good months earlier strikes me with its benevolence all over again.

The trick is to just keep reading.  Even if this book seems old and uninteresting, all it takes is a slight change in perspective to cause whole new ideas to jump off the page at you.  Just like giving a room in an old house a new coat of paint, new parts of passages can be emphasized and different sections brought into stark relief.  The Gospel feels renewed, and so does your spirit.

I have honestly never met another book like the Bible.  It is so well-aligned with the human spirit and so consistently pertinent to my life that I find it both immediately applicable to my life and intriguingly evasive to my comprehension at the same time.  The Gospel is simple enough for fishermen like James and John to understand it, yet deep enough that a life-long scholar still threw up his hands in consternation at times. "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." (1 Cor. 1:25)  It is because of this that I somewhat understand what the writer means when he states that "the word of God is alive and active." (Hebrews 4:12)  It's a book that has been around many years, but it still has more than enough vitality.

Here's the Point

I say all of this to help you understand a little of why I love the Gospel so much.  Sometimes I get caught up in the specifics: "old-earth creationism" this, "ontological argument" that.  Apologetics is a meritorious study, but what most of the world needs, as always, is not the most correct version of Jesus, but simply Jesus.  I love to discuss topics of theology and philosophy as much as the next guy, but if the next guy and I are ignoring spreading the Gospel in order to have these debates, then we need to re-examine our priorities.  We should, as always, remember the last encouragement Christ gave His disciples before he ascended into Heaven, that they would be His "witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Finally, I want to impress upon any Christian reading this that reading the Bible consistently (i.e. daily) is essential to the Christian life.  It is the only way I know of to guarantee that the message written therein will at least begin to stick.  This book means so much to me, both as a guide for living and as a description of the life of the Man who was God.  I cannot stress this enough: Christians need to read their Bibles.  If we were consistently doing this, there would be much less misinformation circulating through American media today.

To conclude, I want to say that I am not trying to call out one person or group in writing this.  This post is simply my thoughts about the Gospel and its importance, as well as its priority over apologetics.  I keep praying that this book would continue to have monumental impacts in the lives of people and that those people would not neglect to read it.  Selah.

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." -Deuteronomy 6:4-9