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I would like to look at a narrow application of this week’s sermon. Specifically, I would like to look at the arena of evangelism. A couple of years ago, the Babylon Bee (a conservative/Christian satire podcast) had Elon Musk on their podcast. At the end of the podcast, the Babylon Bee podcasters asked Mr. Musk the 10 questions that they ask everybody. For their last question, they phrased it this way: “We were wondering if you could do us a quick solid and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.” Elon affirms that there is “great wisdom in the teachings of Jesus” and that he agrees with those teachings. He also stated that if Jesus is out saving people, he would not stand in His way. They all have a great laugh, and the podcasters proclaim that Elon affirms Jesus as Lord of his life. However, while Mr. Musk certainly seems to have become more conservative politically, his life would seem to indicate otherwise.

We (good evangelicals that we are) rightly affirm that salvation is not by works. We react strongly to other religions that seem to insist that works are required for salvation. Those other religions are indeed wrong, but in our sharing of the gospel we often stress the mental affirmation of the tenets of the gospel and downplay any change that will/should happen as a result of belief. Ray Comfort explains it this way: If someone tells a man on a plane to wear a parachute because it is stylish and will improve his flight, eventually that man will become so uncomfortable and self-conscious that he will angrily throw the parachute from his sight. However, if the man is told that the plane will be crashing soon and that he will need to jump from the plane to survive, his experience of the parachute will be quite different. I think that if we slyly try to give a no-pressure presentation of the gospel, a Jesus that presents no cost to follow, a religion that asks nothing of the adherent, we may be affirming someone in their unbelief and may be helping to usher them to the gates of hell.

To be clear, nothing we do can earn us favor with God. All of our “righteousness” is as dirty rags to God. However, if we have true faith, it will be evidenced by true works. And perhaps that should not be hidden in our presentation of the gospel.