Why the gospel feels so offensive

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about why so many people reject the gospel. Why they roll their eyes when they hear the term Christianity. Why it can make people immediately switch off and why the name Jesus can make people feel so uncomfortable!

I was reflecting on this because this literally used to be me! I used to hear Christians talk about the gospel and think ‘yeah no, this just isn’t for me’ and I actually feel bad at what I’m about to say next but I even used to think Christians were weak and just needed a crutch.

But since becoming a Christian and more importantly since actually understanding the gospel in my heart and not just hearing it intellectually, God has really given me revelation about why the message of Jesus can feel so confronting.

And it boils down to this one thing …

The gospel confronts human pride on every level.

When I say ‘gospel’ I mean … the good news that we cannot save ourselves and that’s why God came to us in human form as Jesus. Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live, he died for our sin and rose again so that we could be forgiven, restored and brought back into relationship with God.

Stay with me! … I think if we are completely honest, the gospel tells us something that nobody wants to hear. It basically tells us that we are not as self sufficient as we think we are. It tells us that beneath our drive to have it all together, beneath our striving for more success, beyond our need to be in control and all the coping mechanisms we turn to to get through life we are not actually as fine as we present ourselves to be.

And nobody wants to hear that. (Well I know I certainly didn’t!)

We live in a world that glorifies strength, independence, self reliance and ‘having it all together’ We’re taught to depend on ourselves and become our own source of healing and happiness. We follow the message of this world which is constantly ‘You’ve got this, just believe in yourself, you don’t need anyone else’ whereas the gospel literally says the opposite. The gospel says, actually ‘you were never meant to carry life alone’, it requires surrender and an acceptance that we can’t do it by ourself. And that’s offensive to human pride!!!

Especially in a culture where being vulnerable about our deepest emotions and needs is often mistaken for weakness. But if you’re someone who isn’t a Christian, or maybe you’re on the fence, I think there’s an honest question worth asking … and that’s ‘how is self sufficiency going for you?’ and please know I’m not asking this in a ‘judgey Christian’ way as I know that can be a source of past hurt for many non Christians (I’ve experienced it myself) but in a genuine, loving way like honestly how is trying to do life in your own strength going?

Is it working? Or is there a tiny part of you that just feels exhausted from trying to hold everything together all the time? Because you know what, I think deep down a lot of us are tired. Tired of striving and pretending to have it all together, tired of carrying anxiety and all the pressures of life in our own strength whilst still trying to convince ourselves we’re fine.

And this is where the gospel comes in. I know at first it can sound a bit ridiculous, foolish even! The Bible literally says;

‘the message of the cross is foolish to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’ - 1 Corinthians 1:18

I understand that verse now because I used to think Christianity was foolish t oo!! Until I encountered Jesus personally. And what I discovered was NOT weakness but FREEDOM!!!

I finally understood that becoming a Christian wasn’t about becoming religious or pretending to be perfect but finally admitting that deep down I actually needed God! It was recognising that you know what, doing life in my own strength was not working out for me! And no matter how hard I tried to pretend that I had it all figured out, I just didn’t! There was something off within my heart, on a deep level that I couldn’t fix on my own! And surrendering that exhausting pressure of trying to be my own saviour was the best thing I ever did!!

The beautiful thing is when you genuinely seek Jesus with an open heart, He meets you there.

The biggest lie in our culture is that we don’t need God and dependence on Him is weakness but honestly I think pretending that we don’t need Him, is what’s exhausting us.

Maybe the gospel feels offensive at first because it challenges the illusion of control.

But maybe that offence is also an invitation to finally stop carrying what you were never meant to carry alone?