Objections To Christianity/To The Gospel

 Objections To Christianity/To The Gospel


In my judgment, it is possible for fallen sinners to have honest objections to "Christianity"; but that it is impossible for anyone to have honest objections to the true church's faithful preaching of the Gospel of Christ and His grace.

 

What passes off for "Christianity" is sometimes so absurd--that it is the responsible thing, to object to it.  Just to use one instance: the popish teaching that if you enter a certain door of a particular church building in Santiago, Spain, on the right day of the correct year--all your sins will be forgiven.  Only the most ignorant of wretched fools could actually believe this (with integrity); and even the Jesuits would probably seek to concoct some "disclaimer," to save themselves from becoming laughingstocks. . . . But, unfortunately, many of the same things could be said about so-called "protestant" forms of "Christianity."  The "health and wealth" false "gospel" is a good example of this.

 

. . . But, is it really possible to honestly object to the Spirit-filled preaching of the Gospel of Christ, His grace, and His mercy--especially from His faithful churches?  I am going to argue that this is not possible.  Why?  Because, in this preaching sinners are hearing the clear, concise, unequivocal Word of God Himself.  God cannot lie; and sinners cannot "gainsay" (refute) Him.

 

What happens in the cases of those who hear and know the Gospel of grace, but who refuse to believe it, is this: these sinners, in their hearts, do not want to believe what they intuitively know to be true.  Therefore, in order to justify themselves and protect themselves from the truth, they make up scores of pretended "objections" to the Gospel.  They heap up teachers who will tell them what they want to hear; and they self-consciously "turn their ears away from the truth," (cf. 2 Tim. 4:3-4).

 

. . . In the cases of "honest" objectors to spurious forms of "Christianity," they also are not completely "off the hook" of moral and spiritual responsibility.  It is still incumbent upon them to seek the Truth; and they really cannot "rest" in the excuse that they are exonerated in God's sight, because they only heard fallacious teaching about the Christian faith.  An example of this might be a Chinese citizen or certain Muslim peoples, who are/were taught that the Holy Trinity consisted of The Father, The Son, and Mary.  If someone tried to "believe" this doctrine, there would be no hope for cogitating an accurate Gospel message--but this very "frustration" should drive and urge an inquirer on to better things.

 

Bottom line: none of us fallen sinners, in our natural condition in Adam, "like" the message of the true Gospel.  Our hearts and souls dreadfully rebel against it; and it takes a miracle of monumental grace to create the context by which we will heartily (and wholeheartedly) receive it.  That miracle is the work of regeneration, which The Holy Spirit does in elect souls.  (This work is greater than that of the original creation of the universe.)

 

Let us be thankful to our loving Heavenly Father that all of our self-deluding "objections" to His Son, His Gospel, and His grace get fully and wondrously "overcome" by His mercy and kindness.

 

Remember: there are no honest objections to the Gospel of Jesus; but we may still need to minister special patience and grace to some people who stumble over legitimate objections to bogus forms of "Christianity."

 

Rev. Mark J. Henninger

Treatise #97

12 May 2026

 

https://theologicaltreatisesinretirement.blogspot.com

https://henningerdevotions.blogspot.com

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