Two-Pronged Christianity, pt. 1

"Christianity," wrote J. Gresham Machen, "begins with a triumphant indicative." Christianity begins with an announcement, a proclamation—and not a proclamation to convince, to persuade or motivate. But a simple statement of facts: "that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures," (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

For Machen, this was the first mark that separated the religion of Biblical Christianity from the religion of Liberalism, which began with a series of tasks—exhortations to make the listener a better person. Machen saw that for what it truly is, a non-Christian religion.

No, Christianity begins in the indicative. It begins with news—and not just any news—but good news. "Good news," the phrase is at once a victim of both overuse and disregard. We hear the term so much it’s about as meaningful as ordering Small Diet Coke to go with your Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger. From time to time we must force ourselves to go back and think about what it is that makes this news so good.

That the thrice holy God, out of His won good pleasure and free grace sent His only Son into this sin-darkened and sin-loving world. That He delivered His Son into the power of men so that they might murder Him. That this shed blood would be a propitiation for the sins of those that God had known, loved and chosen before the foundation of the world. That God’s only Son, freely and willingly gave up the glory He possessed to come into this world, to be found in appearance as a man. To be despised, scorned, conspired against, persecuted, to teach those who wouldn’t understand, to teach those who would reject his instruction. To then lay down His life as a sacrifice for many, enduring the humiliation and pain of the Roman cross, and to die—reconciling us to God in His death. That three days later, he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. That from His Father’s side, he sent the Holy Spirit to apply this redemption he accomplished to haters of God. That those to whom the Spirit applies this redemption, He gives faith and repentance unto life. That those chosen by the Father are called, justified, adopted and sanctified, and at the resurrection be made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.

This is the beginning. This is the foundation. Without this you have some system of moralism with Jesus Christ as chief exemplar. Without constant reference to this news in our preaching, teaching, thinking and meditation we will not be able to function as believers. We might be nice people, good neighbors, fine citizens…but we will not be Christians.