All of us struggle with the problem of the disinterest of the world with respect to Christ. The frustration is heightened by the fact this is no small issue. Unlike the salesman who cannot get enough people to buy his razor blades or whatever, which in the greater scheme of things is not that vital, even if it is to his employment. The Gospel IS the greater scheme of things, however. Also the frustration is heightened by the fact that having seen the truth it makes so much sense, and perfectly explains all the questions about life, death, sin, purpose etc., and we wonder Why can’t others see it? But, has it ever been different? Think of Jeremiah (1:18,19); Paul in Athens (Acts 17:32-34); Jesus in Nazareth (Mark 6:6 etc.). Regardless, why won’t people listen?
First, it is often the case they are listening to someone else – ‘itching ears’; preoccupied. Witness the husband with his head in the paper, and the teenager with the ipod headphones in his ears. Pity God. What must He do to gain man’s attention without overpowering him so that man has no choice but to believe and obey? Even in the garden He allowed Satan to enter with a reasonable-sounding argument to give man the option of the obedience of faith or the disobedience of disbelief. Man must be in the position where he makes choices about his purpose in living and his destiny. The choice still exists. But God does not leave Himself without witness though – Acts 14:17. God strives with man without overpowering his freewill – Gen. 6:3. How quickly does God’s exasperation come? The patience of God is remarkable, but His purposes are sure (2 Pet. 3:9,15). Note the terminology in Rom. 1:24,26,28 – God gave them up. What does this mean? If man wants to depart from God, God will, as it were, plead with him not to go. But only for so long. Eventually the time comes when God abandons man to his own devices. If you want sin so badly and I can’t get you to see the folly of it, I will let you wallow in sin. If you don’t want me around then I won’t chase after you after a while (cf. Hos. 4:17).
You see God providentially striving with man as man heads down the wrong road. Homosexuality has always been practiced to some extent, but Western civilization has increased its flirtation with it in our life time. God allowed AIDS to come – a chance to reflect upon where we were going – originally called GRID (Gay Related Immuno Deficiency). We have sought for medication to heal the body rather than cleanse the soul. And to cleanse the soul would improve the physical health of society as far as all S.T.D’s. are concerned.
We have gone down the road of abortion and legalised it – then Ru486 came along – a chance to revisit things in Parliament. Therapeutic cloning raised attention to where we are going with our attitudes toward the most vulnerable in our society. We haven’t heeded the call.
Going back to Noah’s world. Things had slid so far that the only solution was the flood. Remember Pharoah’s stubbornness? It ruined the country. Each time we stubbornly resist the Holy Spirit we harden the heart and make things harder for ourselves to repent. We have ears to hear but cannot hear.
Second, another reason as to why people will not listen is they don’t like what they think they will hear. Many think they have heard enough to be put off, much like an innoculation is a little of the disease and makes you immune to it. As Bonhoeffer said, we must be prepared to come to Christ and die!
Third, the gospel is resisted because it takes away man’s freedom to chart his own course. This is the problem of pride as opposed to meekness. It is as Israel said of Rehoboam, we will not have this man rule over us!
Fourth, many will not listen to the gospel because they have been put off by Christians or professing Christians (cf. Rom. 2:24). Somebody once asked Gandhi why he didn’t become a Christian and he said, Because I met too many of them.
Next, many profess doubts about it. Most have never checked out their doubts but seem to have read material to increase their doubts. For example, Voltaire was a French critic of the Bible and set up home in Geneva for a time. The home that he lived in was owned by a family for about 150 years before it was sold some time ago. They allowed people to look through it and on one occasion a man was looking through some books in Voltaire’s study and he came across a book about mistakes in the Bible. He was interested to see what Voltaire had been doing with such a book. He noticed it was marked where supposed mistakes were listed, but he had paid no attention to the explanations of the supposed mistakes and contradictions given by the author.
Sixth, there are those who see no need for it, regarding it as irrelevant to their life. Life is full enough and good enough and complex enough without having to add another equation to the problem. They cannot see afar off. The thinking is that if life is good now, it will always be good.
Then there are those who are afflicted with chronological snobbery and cannot bear the thought of being wedded to something old-fashioned. I came across this old newspaper, which was interesting but irrelevant. It had old prices, which appeared attractive, but old features. It was a Sunday Mail, April 7, 1963. Did you know that the EJ Holden utility is a brilliant new blend of beauty, brawn and best-ever value and can be bought for 885 pounds plus tax!? Did you know that the Kriesler ‘computer-matic’ remote control is specially designed for tired feet and lazy viewing? No more jumping up and down to change channels or adjust picture or sound. No siree. And you can have one for 199 guineas. And did you know that the mayor of Toowoomba, Jack McCafferty, criticised some of the entrants in the Toowoomba Show Princess competition, saying that their lack of general knowledge was deplorable. There is something wrong with a generation that knows more about Ben Casey (TV show) than it does about Sir Robert Menzies, he said. Maybe it’s quaint, maybe it’s interesting, maybe it’s something to smile about, but hardly relevant. In the end who cares? It’s old news.
But can God be old-fashioned? He is eternal – not affected by the passing years – a thousand years are as one day and one day is as a thousand years. He knows the end from the beginning and speaks of things that are not (as yet) as if they are. Every example of modern scientific discovery is something that God has known from eternity and put into the creation waiting for the day when man would discover it. As Francis Bacon said, Science is but thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Every scientific discovery is simply finding out the laws and principles that God put into operation at the beginning of the universe. What is new to man is old hat to God. I heard of a worker on a car assembly line who put a loose nut between the inner and outer fender panels of a car so that it rattled at every bump in the road. Through the nut was a piece of wire with a cardboard note attached which read, So you found me at last. It was found when the car owner had an accident and the old fender had to be removed to be replaced. I visualise God sitting in heaven and smiling at man’s latest discovery and saying, So you found that at last – what took you so long but well done anyway.
There are no new arguments for atheism or theism – these had to be available at all times for the choice of faith in all ages. The old ones just get polished up. Whatever arguments from science (so-called) against God are put forth, the evidence from science to support belief also increases. The law of Moses was in force for 1500 years. It was designed to last all that time (cf. Jer. 6:16 – ask for the old paths wherein is the good way). It did come to an end: it was rendered old when around 600 B.C. when God spoke of a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34) and it, as it were, ‘wound down’ to finally disappear in the first century A.D. The law of Christ, which was to be an international law and covenant, was designed to be in force for the rest of history, having been delivered one time for all time (Jude 3), and called the everlasting gospel (Rev. 14:6).
Is the gospel still relevant? Well, that must be answered by asking if man’s problems have been solved. Is sin still a problem? Is man’s longing for eternal life still relevant? Has man learned to get along with his neighbour? Have wars ceased? A christian was walking along a road with an atheistic soap-maker. They chanced upon a drunk lying in the gutter and the soap-maker quipped, It doesn’t look like your gospel has done that man much good. The christian didn’t reply but further down the road they came upon some street urchins who were filthy. The christian quipped, It doesn’t look like your soap has done them much good. The soap-maker replied, That’s not fair, soap has to be applied to do its job. The Christian replied, It’s the same with the gospel. It’s not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting, but rather it has not been tried but simply criticised.
Man hasn’t changed. Is the man who travels in an airplane at 1000KPH the same as the man who walks at 6KPH? What is the object of their travel? Is it not to visit, to go to war, to do business or to find pleasure? The only difference is the rate they’re travelling. Sin hasn’t changed – man hasn’t invented a new sin that can’t be read in the O.T. God hasn’t changed – the fact we can split an atom and make a computer doesn’t change God’s abhorrence of sin.
There’s nothing better than the gospel of Christ. If there is what is it? What can produce a better life in man? David Strauss, a pantheist, said, Jesus remains the highest model of religion within the reach of our thoughts…..no perfect piety is possible without His presence. All agree with that: when a Christian doesn’t do well, then the world is quick to retort, You call yourself a Christian???!!!They know Christian behaviour is to be exemplary. What can prepare man better for death and his meeting with God in judgement than the gospel? (Rom. 1:16). It can do for man what man cannot do for himself. Only the gospel can answer all of modern man’s deepest desires and aspirartions. Only the gospel can save his soul.