Why the Gospel is Rejected

In our culture today the gospel is often times rejected. Currently the U.S. is all about being “politically correct” and not offending anyone, but the gospel is very offensive. The gospel tells us that we are sinners (Romans 3:23) and that there is nothing that we can do on our own to change that (Ephesians 2:9). The gospel is often perceived as very narrow, and Christians as narrow-minded.  

                I believe that morals are often taught by parents and culture, so if a person does not grow up hearing about the gospel it’s easy to just reject it.  People would like to believe that their personal morals are enough, and that they don’t need anyone or anything to tell them what’s right and wrong.

I think some people reject the gospel because they have been hurt by the church or Christians in the past. Sometimes Christians can be a bit judgmental, and often forget to “remove the plank from their own eye” before trying to point out sin in someone else’s life. I think another emotional reason people reject the gospel is because it’s just hard to accept that you have done something wrong. It’s not easy to admit that you need help, or that you have made a mistake. So if people just reject the whole gospel then they don’t have to admit their sins, or mistakes.

As for intellectual reasons for rejecting the gospel, I think there are many. Science can explain many things in the world, and people tend to believe that science and God cannot coexist. God is then pushed out of the picture and labeled “impossible” simply because He can’t be explained. People often times have trouble believing something they can’t physically see or touch. Having simple faith can be hard sometimes because intellectually you want to be able to explain everything, and there are some things that you just can’t explain about God. That’s because “His thoughts are not our thoughts,” some things we just can’t wrap our minds around.

There are many ways we, as Christian’s, can address these objections and learn to better communicate the gospel. I think the first thing we need to learn to do is simply listen. We need to learn to stop talking and listen to what the other person has to say. If you first let the other person talk you will learn what it is they believe, and from there you can figure out how to best minister to them. Being compassionate and understanding of where people are coming from is also very helpful. If you can relate to them on some level and be more personal with them it is easier to share your beliefs. They must know that you really care about them, and not just winning them over. One way to handle intellectual rejections of the gospel is by asking them questions to get them thinking. One question you could bring up is, “How it is that all the earth is in the perfect location to be able to sustain life? If the tilt of the earth were off by just a tiny bit we wouldn't be able to live here.” I think it all comes down to one thing though. We need to love God, and love people. If we can do that lives will be changed.