Entry 1. Redefining the Lines

I think the best way to start this blog is to redefine the basic lines of the Gospel of Christ. Christianity is much like a house that is rotten in its foundation. The time for a simple remodel has come and gone. We are now at a point where it needs to be demolished and given a new foundation. Now, if you asked many people, they would tell you Christianity has never looked better. It's open to everyone. It has gotten away from that nasty habit of offending. It's even open to suggestions on how to better improve it's popularity: God is love and therefore would never send anyone to hell...

The message of Jesus' sacrifice has become common, a story that has very little effect because we know it. His birth is shared with Jolly Ol' Saint Nick; his death and resurrection is shared with a bunny. He is seen in the same light as a tale that has been told, a feel good notion of sacrifice for the greater good. Very few people see Him as the Savior; and those who do keep their mouths shut, because they don't want to offend.

We let the lie spread that Islam is our sister religion, when our so-called sister denies that Jesus is the Messiah and claims that His death on the cross was for show. Why do we do this? Well, we don't want to ruffle any feathers. We don't want to speak against the status quo. We don't want to be seen as close minded, bigots, or behind on the times. And so, we wait for a spiritual revival, as if God is going to snap His fingers and people will suddenly believe.

We attend churches that have cowardly leaders, but don't speak against them because it's not church culture. We accept compromise and start to flirt with the idea that maybe God has changed a bit to fit the times. After all, sweet Mary next door has been walking with Christ longer than you, and she has no problem with your pastor performing a ceremony for same sex couples. If she doesn't have a problem with it, why should you? You've seen her as a staple of the faith, an inspiration for your walk.

Inclusivity is the main reason the foundation is rotten. The body of Christ has taken his invitation to "come as you are" and use it to invite anyone and everyone into the church. The pastor feels blessed to have such a turnout and realizes that he should pick and choose verses in the bible that ensure his new attendees don't go away. We have stopped speaking the Word because the Word offends and instead are content to give them a sweet taste of the Gospel, removing eternal consequence from the equation entirely. In order to keep anyone and everyone, the message is tailored for them.

The time has come to tear down what is popular about Christianity and start over. The foundation is rotten because the foundation is no longer Jesus. There is a counterfeit Jesus being preached and it's leading countless to the edge of perishing. So, let's redefine the lines:

1. The foundation of our faith is the truth that Jesus was born to this earth to die for our sins as the spotless, perfect Lamb. When He was on the cross, He was not Jesus, but sin itself. He willingly took on the sin of mankind, both past, present, and future, so that God could pour out his full wrath on Him instead of us. He, and He alone, won the victory. And He, and He alone, is the only Way to Salvation.
2. Hell is real. The newest and most dangerous tumor in Christianity is the teaching and belief that hell is a metaphorical place, that a God of love would never send His children to a place of eternal torment. Claiming hell is not a real place is to void the purpose of Jesus' brutal, unimaginably painful sacrifice. It is heresy and it has opened the doors to a counterfeit Christianity. And with it, a counterfeit Jesus.
3. There is only one Way to heaven and that is by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. All other gods are demons. Yes, unpopular, but truth is truth. And it needs to be defined, because Jesus Himself defined it in John 3:16 and John 14:6.
4. God is three and God is one: the Holy Trinity. God the Father is the Source, Jesus is the Word, and the Holy Spirit is the Helper. Believing in Jesus while denying the power of the Holy Spirit is to deny Jesus Himself, because He Himself said, "It's better I go, so that the Helper can come." John 16:7

These are the very basic lines, the walls of the faith if you will. To blur any of them is to distort the Gospel. Know that the new Christianity I want to build is not new at all. Instead, it's wholly biblical and doesn't pay mind to the current state of the world. Truth is truth, and the time has come for it to be returned to the faith.

Stay tuned. This is a journey worth going on!