Understanding the Importance of the Order of Things | Week Three
We continue to think about the correct order of things, specifically the things we love, which determine our meaning and purpose.
As we think about these things for ourselves – we also need to be considering how we are communicating these important perspectives to our young people.
James Packer was a “giant” in Christian thinking and writing – his book Knowing God is a classic and, I would suggest, is essential reading for every Christian believer. Towards the end of his life, he wrote an introduction to the re-publication of John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Another essential classic!)
Packer pointed out that:
We have… “lost our grip on the biblical gospel. Without realising it, we have during the past century bartered that gospel for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing.”[1]
In summary, he argues that we have replaced the true Gospel with a “New Gospel”.
The new gospel conspicuously fails to produce deep reverence, deep repentance, deep humility, a spirit of worship, a concern for the church. Why? We would suggest that the reason lies in its own character and content. It fails to make men God-centred in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this isn’t primarily what it is trying to do. One way of stating the difference between it and the old gospel is to say that it is too exclusively concerned to be “helpful” to man – to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction – and too little concerned to glorify God.[2]
Packer is arguing that we have reversed the order of loves. Our 21st century desire is that the Gospel’s primary purpose is to make human lives more rewarding, to reinforce a self-focussed happiness.
When we read this, we instantly know that this is true; we are often guilty of this thinking. We also know that there is a danger that this “New Gospel” is what we are passing on to our students.
There is a challenge to get things in the right order for ourselves and pass that on to our precious young people.
Blessings
Brian
In what ways can we reorientate our own minds, and the minds of our young people, to see the true Gospel correctly?
[1] Owen, J The Death of Death in the Death of Christ Reprint May 2019 Monergism Books, Oregon (page 7)
[2] Owen, J The Death of Death in the Death of Christ Reprint May 2019 Monergism Books, Oregon (page 7)