Truthlines • December 3, 2009

At the Heart of the Gospel

Dear Friends,

This morning’s newspaper carried a photograph of Hindus in southern Nepal preparing for a celebration in relationship to one of the Hindu gods. The caption read as follows:

“The two-day Bariyapur festival, in which more than 200,000 buffaloes, goats, chickens and pigeons will be slaughtered, is held every five years to honor Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power.”

As I sat looking at the photograph and thinking about all that it represented in terms of those individuals, I was once again forcibly struck by how vastly different is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

It seemed obvious from the photograph that the individuals who were preparing for this peculiar celebration were no doubt longing for peace. It reminded me of a quote in my files from Calvin on this very matter. It reads as follows:

“Christ is called the Prince of Peace and our peace because He calms all the agitations of conscience. If the method is asked, we must come to the sacrifice by which God was appeased, for no man will ever cease to tremble, until he hold that God is propitiated solely by that expiation in which Christ endured his anger. In short, peace must be sought nowhere but in the agonies of Christ, our redeemer.”

This takes us to the very heart of the Good News. And it is this that we are called to proclaim and from which we dare not be diverted. There is no question that social and moral issues are of vital importance and need to be addressed, but while they may be expressions of Gospel conviction, they are not the Gospel. It is for this reason that I chose not to sign The Manhattan Declaration, about which some of you have been asking. The problem for me is not in a shared conviction regarding the issues of life and marriage and religious liberty, but instead lies in signing a declaration with a group of leading churchmen when I believe (with others like Calvin!) that the teaching of some of their churches is in effect a denial of the biblical Gospel. This message of Christmas is what we believe and what we must proclaim.

If this all sounds rather heavy, we have to recognize that these are confusing days, and we need constantly to turn to the Scriptures in order that we might have clarity and definition in sharing the Good News with our friends and neighbors. I am greatly encouraged by the way in which you continue to stand with us in this great cause, and I trust that as you look to the end of this year, you will find it in yourself to help us reach our substantial financial goal. I’m sure I will have occasion to write to you once again before the year is out, but for now, on behalf of all of us here at Truth For Life, I wish you a very blessed and happy Christmas.

-Alistair Begg

Resource Center

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