Sunday, April 10, 2011

We don't offer people a system

We cannot treat the Bible as a collection of therapeutic insights. To do so distorts its message and will not lead to lasting change. If a system could give us what we need, Jesus would never have come. But he came because what was wrong with us could not be fixed any other way. He is the only answer, so we must never offer a message that is less than the good news. We don't offer people a system; we point them to a Redeemer.


--Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (P&R, 2002), 9

2 comments:

Charlie's Church of Christ said...

I think lots of people believe this is in theory yet they still end up offering a system in place of Jesus. I actually think that's the trend right now with churches offering so many programs, we've created a system over top of the Redeemer.

Rachel said...

Great point. Our relationship with God is just that a relationship with Him. It isn't about a system, organized religion, programs, etc. It's a relationship of seeking, knowing, trusting and loving.

Rachel