I like Russell Moore. He is a powerful preacher and an elegant
writer. In particular, I’m thankful for his work on orphans, adoption,
and abortion. I like him so much I asked him to write the chapter on
“Kingdom” in Don’t Call it a Comeback. We are on the same team.
But I want to make a few comments on his recent blog post “Gospel or Justice, Which?” Instead of repeating a number of points I make with Greg Gilbert in our book What is the Mission of the Church?, I’ll simply add some brief thoughts to the mix.
1. I completely agree that Jesus ministered to bodies as well as
souls. Moreover, part of his motivation was a profound sense of pity for
those who were diseased and distressed. Jesus cared for hurting people.
Luke 7:13:
“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her,
‘Do not weep.’” If we care nothing for those who are sick, who are
confused, who are sad—if we have no desire to see hurting people with
hurting bodies be helped, then we do not have the heart of Jesus. I
think this is Moore’s main point, to which I say “Amen.” I’m grateful
for the beautiful reminder.
2. It’s not quite right to say the mission of Jesus is the mission of
the church (at least not without several qualifications). We are not
God incarnate. We do not turn away the Father’s wrath. We do not die for
the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ mission was to give his life as a
ransom for many (Mark 10:45). This is not our mission. Keep Reading...
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