Christian, you are to:
make the gospel viable to the world but not palatable. As John Stott once said in a lecture, “For the gospel to be effective it must remain prickly.”
–Rebecca Pippert
This simply means that we are to share the truth of the gospel with the world without shaving off the sharp edges. Jesus says we are to love Him more than our family – even more than our own children. Ouch.
Jesus says we are to go and sin no more – and the sins haven’t changed, even if society doesn’t like His list. Ouch.
Jesus says we are to love everyone – even our enemies. Ouch.
Jesus says we are to give up everything for Him – even our own lives. Ouch.
The gospel remains effective until we start making it more palatable, at which point it loses its power to save and transform lives.
Let’s keep the gospel prickly.