Faith: "The Offense of the Gospel"
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. What has happened to the message of Christianity in the culture that most of us live in? The Christian message that we often see given to people is a watered-down version. It is not offensive and thus I think it is losing its power. Instead of the message that turns everything upside down, people hear a message that makes everyone feel good. But here's the thing we need to remember: the Gospel is inherently offensive.
Think about it. When Jesus said He was "the way, the truth, and the life" and that "no one comes to the Father except through Him," He wasn't just throwing out one spiritual option among many. He was making this exclusive claim that just doesn't fit well with an "all paths lead to the same place" mentality. And remember when Paul wrote that the cross is "a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles"? He wasn't complaining about bad PR—he was just acknowledging that the Gospel naturally rubs people the wrong way.
It's not how we say it that's the problem. It's what we're saying. The Gospel challenges our control over our own lives. It tells us we're not just good people who mess up occasionally, but that we're actually rebels with hearts that lean toward sin. It says all our self-improvement projects are ultimately dead ends. And it asks us to completely surrender to a King we didn't vote for.
I get it—we want people to like the message. So we've watered it down. We talk all about God's love but whisper about His holiness. We highlight all the perks of faith while downplaying the costs. We've basically rebranded Jesus from Lord to "a life coach."
But here's the hard truth: a Gospel that doesn't offend anyone probably isn't saving anyone either.
When we strip away the offense, we strip away the power. If our version of Christianity just echoes what society already believes, is it even Christianity anymore? It's just an empty echo chamber offering no real hope because it's not addressing any real need.
Remember those early Christians? They didn't transform the Roman Empire by making their message more acceptable. They taught this offensive Gospel and then backed it up with radical love and sacrificial living. They didn't win people over by being culturally relevant but by being counter-culturally convicted.
Now, our role is not to be jerks or high-five each other when people reject us. Jesus wept when Jerusalem wouldn't receive Him. Paul became "all things to all people" to reach some. We should definitely remove unnecessary offenses while keeping the necessary one.
So the real question isn't whether we'll offend people, but whether we're offending them for the right reasons. Are people rejecting Jesus because we've been judgmental, hypocritical, or culturally clueless? Or because they actually get what He's asking of them?
Next Steps:
Take a hard look at your own faith: Have you embraced the full, challenging Gospel, or just a tame version that doesn't ask much of you?
Speak truth in love: Don't water down Jesus' exclusive claims, but share them with humility and genuine care.
Expect pushback: When it happens, ask yourself if it's because of the message itself or just your delivery.
Show, don't just tell: Let your transformed life make this offensive message strangely attractive.
Pray for courage: Ask God to help you speak truth in a world that prefers comfortable lies over uncomfortable truths.
The world doesn't need another cheerleader for its own values. It needs the disruptive, offensive, life-giving truth of Jesus—the only truth that can actually set us free.