The White-Flour Gospel

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.2 Corinthians 5:17Perhaps you have made the switch from white bread to whole-grain bread. You were told that white flour has most of the goodness taken out of it, so you began baking your own bread, and it is fantastic.Some of us have got used to a white-flour gospel—a gospel that has much of the goodness taken out of it. Although we can live on it, we lack the substance of what God originally gave us.The white-flour gospel goes something like this: God has done certain things, and if you choose to believe them, you will be saved. So, when someone says, “I believe that Jesus died and rose,” and they say a prayer, they are told, “You are forgiven, and you have eternal life.”The person says, “That’s great. Now all I have to do is figure out how to live the rest of life. I am forgiven for the past. I am secure for the future. But I am essentially in the same position now.”Many Christians live with this sense that the gospel addresses the past and the future, but there is a disconnect with the real issues of life. All of us have issues. The deep wounds of your life. Your ongoing struggles with sin. Your feelings of insignificance and wondering if your life really matters.Your faith becomes like a spiritual insurance policy—something that you are glad you have, that you would not be without, but that is not a great deal of use in the practicalities of your life. That’s the white-flour gospel.Does your faith sometimes feel like a spiritual insurance policy that doesn’t address the real issues of your life?