The Essence of Christianity, Part Three

In response to a question I was recently asked, I've been making the case that the most important aspect of my faith (Christianity) is the Gospel. I defined "Gospel" as "the historical, reliable, propositional, Biblical truths regarding Jesus Christ." Today I continue explaining why I think our faith must be based on the propositional truth claims of Jesus. You might want to read parts one and two to bring you up to speed.

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A lot of people live under the misconception that the Bible is just a string of seemingly unrelated commandments designed to keep us from living out our natural impulses or inclinations. If you've bought that, hopefully today will give you a new perspective.

There's one particular over-arching reason why I'm insisting that we can't neglect or marginalize the truth-claims of Christianity. Here it is:

I've always found it interesting that throughout the New Testament, we are given arguments for why we should live a certain way or believe a certain thing. The New Testament writers rarely appeal to feelings or emotional experiences to assure their readers that Christianity is real and true. Rather, they formulate arguments based on something Jesus said or the order of creation, or at the very least they lay out a reasoned, logical sequence of thought for why we should believe.

For example, I just linked to Hebrews 13:5-6. The author urges his readers to keep their lives free from the love of money - don't be greedy. Don't strive to accumulate loads and loads of cash. Be content with what you have.

The natural response to that is probably worry (or defiance...). We have insatiable appetites for money and comfort and convenience. If we're honest, we never have enough money in the bank or in our kids' college funds, or enough to go on that dream vacation. We think, "In order to proactively fight the love of money, that means I have to give money away, which means less for me. How will I pay my bills? Will my kids be taken care of? What if something horrible happens? Will I have enough money to fix what needs to be fixed?"

See what the author of Hebrews says. He doesn't appeal to any kind of emotional experience or disposition. He makes an argument. Be content with what you have, for [Jesus] said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Do you see it? What is he doing? He is offering you an assertion. A proposition. Don't be greedy and accumulate a ridiculous amount of cash - just be content with what you have. And that shouldn't make you nervous, BECAUSE Jesus said he will not leave you or forsake you, meaning he will be there to provide for all of your needs.

Which begs a HUGE question: Is that TRUE?!? Is it true that Jesus will take care of me even if some inconceivable tragedy hits me tomorrow? And if you think it's true, you start giving generously to those in need and try to be content with what you have. And if you don't think it's true, you ignore it and go on with your life.

But either way, you had to decide whether or not to believe what Jesus said. And that's why I say Christianity is propositional. It's not designed to just ease your pain or make you happy. The Gospel forces you to a point of reckoning: will you believe what Jesus said?

Which brings me to my final assertion - that true Christianity is essentially Biblical. More on that soon.