Chances are that if you’re reading this blog, you’re a Christian. Or maybe, just maybe, you read my blog and are not completely convinced that Christianity is true, that this whole Jesus thing actually has legs to stand on. Is God real? Is Jesus Christ really a Savior? Is he the Savior?
Lesslie Newbigin, the late British missionary and theologian, wrote in The Gospel in a Pluralist Society that the church is the premier medium of communicating the reality of the message of Jesus Christ to a watching world. If the church cares about nothing but itself, then Jesus Christ really is no different than the founder of any other society. But on the other hand, if the people who claim that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth to save sinners, of which the people in the pews are chief, then life is a whole new ballgame. If Jesus Christ really is the God who transforms people, then his followers must also be people who live and breathe transformation. This means mercy. This means justice. This means truth. This means forgiveness. This means authenticity.
Authenticity brings me to the point of this post. If Christians are to be authentic in their worship, they must articulate the two great truths of the Gospel: (1) That we are sinners who struggle, doubt, and often hypocritically war against the message of Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions, and (2) That Jesus’s grace for repentant sinners is real and powerful for change. Carl Trueman, Professor of Historical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, wrote a short piece for Reformation 21 on recovering authenticity in worship. His suggestion: Sing the Psalms. Simply put, psalms are where Christian theology meets real life. In strikingly vivid detail, the psalms admit that our talk rarely matches our walk. By singing psalms, Christians are able to understand that the gospel is for those who grow angry, seek revenge, doubt God’s love for them, and even wallow in the darkness of depression. Psalms also grant people who are not sure about Christianity but nevertheless may be attending worship services the opportunity to see the gospel changing hard-hearted hypocrisy into gracious authenticity.
The cross of Jesus Christ is God’s supreme work of authenticity. Because God has been authentic with us, let us not fear to be authentic with Him.
