Welcome to the Summer 2006 study for the Koinonia Class of Calvary Baptist Church, Denver, Colorado. We’re looking at the issue of Jesus and Salvation, using the book “Is Jesus The Only Savior” [James R. Edwards, Is Jesus The Only Savior? (Grand Rapids/Cambridge: 2005)]. We encourage each person to buy a copy and follow along.
Two Worlds, One Gospel
The seventh chapter of Edwards’ book is entitled “Can the Gospel Compete in a Pluralistic World?”. The answer is, “Yes. It already did.”
The gospel not only competed, it succeeded in being widely accepted; and it therefore changed the world.
This chapter is a wake-up call to our arrogance and historical ignorance. We act as if our situation is unique—that for the first time the gospel is too offensive to others in our pluralistic world, so it must be “updated” in order to compete for acceptance.
This is said to be “a multiethnic, multicultural, multifaith world in which is seems simply untenable and perhaps even immoral to believe in one absolute truth against which everything else is to be measured and judged.” (Edwards, page 116)
There is no question that the message (“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6) is offensive to lots of people. Those whose creed says there are “many paths” and “many truths” are put off by such statements. They feel that the gospel, as traditionally preached, is too offensive to be accepted today.
I was in a church meeting when one member took offense at a reading from John 17, about the unity of the believers with Christ. That member said, “That reading troubles me because I believe that more than just Christians will be saved.”
The gospel is offensive to many today; and it was when it was first spoken. Our world and that world are not that much different.
On the West entrance to Norlin Library at the University of Colorado in Boulder is an inscription suggested by the former president of the University and professor of Greek, Dr. George Norlin. It reads, “Who knows only his own generation remains always a child.” The phrase is original with Dr. Norlin, but it is similar to something he quotes from Cicero. "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."
Those who might think that the gospel cannot compete today (because the world is smaller, communication is quicker, and we are more sophisticated now) are simply ignorant of the world into which the gospel first spread. There are reasons why some of the early Christians were martyred. That world was not friendly to the messengers of such an “exclusive” message.
What kind of world did the gospel first enter? It was a world which was dominated by one superpower; where roads and ships made travel easier and quicker than in previous generations; where there was one major language of commerce known by almost everyone; a world where old religions were passing and new religions and philosophies were vying for attention and adherents. It was also a dangerous world where human life was not highly valued; and a corrupt world where “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” were rampant. Sound familiar?
Into that kind of world Christians took the gospel and won converts in spite of the competition it faced. Edwards elaborates on that competition as it took three major forms: Torah, the Emperor Cult, and Mystery Religions.
For the Jews, Torah provided the law necessary for a moral society.
The Caesars promoted a civil religion centered in themselves. This Emperor Cult was a growing phenomenon, starting with just veneration of the Emperor and reaching its apex when Domitian (the emperor from 81-98 AD) mandated that everyone worship him as “Master and God”.
A multitude of “mystery religions” were encountered as the gospel penetrated Greek and Roman societies. These groups were attractive for their “secret” knowledge, their emphasis on spiritual and emotional experience, and the status of being accepted into a unique group.
All three of the major competitors to the gospel had something attractive to offer. However, the Torah couldn’t save from sins, the civil religion of the Emperor cult offered no transcendent deity or hope for the future, and the experience offered by the mystery religions was shallow and transitory.
Can a gospel that is accused of being “exclusivist” compete in a pluralistic world? Yes. How? By offering substance instead of just form. Christians preached about a crucified Jesus Christ who vicariously died for our sins (so forgiveness was possible), who rose from the dead (so life after death was now a possibility), and who, though gone to be with the Father, was present in the person of the Holy Spirit (so daily comfort, guidance, and power for living were possible). See I Corinthians 15:1-5 for a summary of the kerygma (the message that was preached), and I Corinthians 15:58 for the reason the early Christians kept preaching that gospel in spite of hardship and persecution.
When people in the pluralistic 1st Century world who lived shallow, fearful, and guilt-ridden lives compared the options available in religions and philosophies of the day, many chose to accept Jesus Christ as their own savior—and they joined a body of believers who were on the way to changing the world.
The Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ is still attractive, even in our pluralistic 21st Century world. When those who live shallow, fearful, and guilt-ridden lives compare the options available in religions and philosophies of our day, many still chose to accept Jesus Christ as their own savior. The gospel still competes, and succeeds.
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