The Kingdom Perspective

 

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Have you ever found yourself thinking: “The thing that bothers me about Christianity is it’s so narrow, and I don’t want to be a narrow person. I want to be an open-minded person”?  If you’ve ever thought this, let me assure you you’re not alone. Many have struggled with the objection that Christianity is narrow.  After all, how can there only be one way to God?

So let’s evaluate this claim.  There are essentially three ways to address this objection. The first is that the claim is true: the gospel is indeed narrow. Indeed, Jesus claims to be the only one who died as a substitute for our sin—the only one through whom we can receive divine forgiveness. But is “narrow” the best way to describe this claim?  I don’t think so. This claim of the gospel can be either true or false, but to say that it is narrow makes as much sense as claiming that “2 + 2=4” is narrow.  The second possibility is that the gospel you are considering is not the gospel at all, but a cheap imitation. Sadly, there are such imitations in our pervasively “pseudo-Christian” society. We find those that know and promote aspects of the gospel but miss the very heart and power of it.  The third and final possibility is that the gospel is not narrow but rather your perspective on it is, leaving you with a caricatured image of Christ.

My advice: Don’t be fooled by such caricatures.  Rather, find the real thing by investigating the historical claims that we find in the New Testament.

Something to think about from “The Kingdom Perspective”.

He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

~Ephesians 1:9-10

 

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It has been my observation that nothing makes one more accepting and truly open-minded than the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I find that it has a way of compelling me not only to evaluate the prejudice of others, but more importantly, to evaluate my own prejudice. The former is relatively easy; the latter is much more difficult.

Because we are finite creatures we are confined to look at life through a very narrow window.  And because we tend to be fearful creatures, we tend to look at the world through a very self-protective window.  But such windows distort our view of reality. 

But this is exactly where the gospel comes in. The gospel liberates us from this narrow perspective, by not only bringing to us the perspective of the infinite God, but also assuring us that we are in His loving hands.

By this, I am not only required but also enabled (liberated!) to look at life from a different perspective—to consider the perspective of others as just as important as my own.

If the gospel is true, nothing could be more mind-expanding. It is the gospel of God, after all, and what could possibly be bigger than Him?

Something to think about from “The Kingdom Perspective.”

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

~Philippians 2:3-4 NIV