Chris' Corner - Sunday, September 6, 2020
A pharmacist was found guilty and sentenced to 30 years in prison for diluting drugs for thousands of patients. He showed no emotion at his sentencing, as the judge said, “Your crimes are a shock to the civilized conscience. They are beyond understanding.” How tragic for people putting their trust in medicine that was ineffective. Partial, diluted truth is no better than a lie.
The dictionary defines the word “dilute” as: …to make thinner, to lessen strength, to adulterate, to reduce value or efficiency, to make fainter, or to water down.”
Some today have suggested the church would increase in number if we made the gospel more appealing. They say we need to water it down a little because people think it’s too hard, too dogmatic, and it’s turning people off.
If the very foundation of the gospel is the blood of Christ, who dares suggest we dilute the saving blood of Jesus? The God who made all of humanity, graciously gave us the gospel as the remedy for sin. Who are we to try to lessen the strength of its saving power?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
From the beginning, God decided forgiveness, sanctification, and redemption would be granted through blood, and ultimately through Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:18-28; 13:12). Logic tells us, if we water down the gospel, we water down the blood. If we do this how effective could it be in covering sin? Simply put, it cannot be effective at all in forgiving sin. It cannot save. How tragic it would be to mislead people into thinking they are saved when they’re not. All because we diluted the gospel. It’s criminal! God will judge.
“Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29).
When we water down the gospel we also lessen the value of God’s love and His sacrifice of Christ. God gave the very best He had to offer (John 3:16). We show a lack of appreciation if we don’t count the sacrifice of Christ as the most valuable gift ever. Paul verified this. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Peter said, “...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
When we try to make Christ and His church more attractive to those in error, we’re just drawing closer to them and their current unscriptural beliefs. A half step may seem better to some folks, but they still have not arrived at the truth.
Every step of the full strength of the gospel is necessary to be spiritually healed. 1) Hearing the good news message of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:17). 2) Believing in Him with all our heart that He is the Son of God (Mark 16:16; John 20:31). 3) Repenting of our sins (Acts 2:38). 4) Confessing our faith in Christ (Romans 10:9, 10). 5) The doorway into Christ and salvation is baptism (Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). 6) Remaining faithful to God’s will to the end (Revelation 2:10).