And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) Go ye into all the world and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, build homes for the poor and care for the sick. While we certainly should not be oblivious to the pain and poverty and suffering in the world, yet the social gospel is not what our Lord commanded. The solution is not for each believer to become like Mother Teresa. We may feed their stomachs but what have we done for their souls? We may cure them of a bodily illness, but what has been done about the deadly and incurable disease of sin (Jer. 17:9)? What good does it do if they become rich for a second (in this life) but poor forever (in eternity)? If we clothe their bodies with the finest of garments, how shall it help them if they die without being covered by the robes of Christs righteousness? What shall it profit them if we build them a wonderful house, but no provision is made for their eternal home in heaven? What ultimate good have we done if we only help them this side of the grave? The are Christian groups today that are almost exclusively devoted to a social gospel (clothing the poor, feeding the hungry, etc.), with little emphasis upon the salvation of souls. It is very interesting to hear what William Booth, of the Salvation Army, had to say many years ago: I recall hearing William Booth, the first general of the Salvation Army, say, when explaining his Darkest England scheme, that its real objective was, not just the amelioration of social conditions, but first and foremost the bringing of men to repentance that their souls might be saved. I can recall the flash in his eye, and the noble bearing of his commanding figure as he exclaimed, Take a man from the filth and squalor of the slums, exchange his rags for decent clothing, move him from the stifling stench of the city tenement to a neat little cottage in the pure air of the country, put him on his feet economically where he can make a decent living for himself and his family, and then let him die in his sins, unsaved, and be lost forever at last—really it is not worth while, and I, for one, would not attempt it. (Cited by Harry Ironside, Except Ye Repent, pages 181-182). If every person in the world had adequate food, housing, income; If all men were equal; If every possible social evil and injustice were done away with, Men would still need one thing—CHRIST! --J.W. Hyde
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 06:47:43 +0000
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