Revival or Reformation?

Before we see revival in the culture there must be reformation in the church. Revival cannot break forth in the world if the church is comfortably asleep in the darkness. The world is going to live like the world. There will be evil, selfishness, injustice, and an all-consuming desire for money and possessions. It ought not to be so with us. Too often we look to the world and bemoan its vices, or the government and its hypocrisy, as if the government is the solution to the problems of our society. Government is not the answer, the gospel is. Of course the world is corrupt, what else would we expect? And those who do not repent and believe the gospel will be judged, but we must remember that, “judgment begins with the household of God,” 1 Pet. 4:17.

Too many who claim to be Christians live lives that are indistinguishable from the world. If someone looks at your life and doesn’t see a difference between you and your unbelieving neighbor, there’s a problem. As Paul reminds us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” (Rom. 12:2) so we should shine as stars in the darkness; reflecting the light of the Son. As the Apostle John tells us:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,” 1 John 2:15.

Do we love the world? Are we focused on ourselves instead of Christ? Do we desire earthly pleasures and possessions? Is the blood of Jesus shed on our behalf precious to us, or have we become accustomed to it? Do we have a genuine love for God? Is His glory our highest priority?

Just as the Roman Catholic Church was in desperate need of reformation in the sixteenth century, so we are today. The Reformation is not over. Yes, the errors of Rome are numerous, but we need reform in the Protestant church as well. Our worship resembles rock concerts and our preaching is glorified motivational speaking. Our churches are comfortable and casual, and our pastors are hip but lacking in biblical exposition and doctrinal depth. We want sinners to feel at ease. We don’t want to offend anyone so instead of preaching repentance and faith, we present a multimedia event. But church should be different than going to the movies. If we don’t like the music or if the pastor doesn’t say the things we want to hear, we just find another church. We treat church the same way we treat fast food. We would rather have onion rings instead of fries with our burger. Instead of proclaiming Jesus as Savior, Lord, and King, before whom we should bow, He has become our acquaintance, even our homeboy. We have totally lost reverence for the holiness of God. He is holy beyond our imagination. He is worthy of infinite worship and devotion.

We need to repent folks. We need to repent of our apathy, of our complaining, our self-centeredness, and our consumer-driven mentality. We are not called to be consumers of shallow Christianity; we are called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We must take up our cross and follow Him. It’s not about our tastes, or our preferences. In fact it’s not really about us. It’s about self-denial. It’s about following in the footsteps of the Master and living the crucified life for God’s glory alone. The cross is not only the starting point of the Christian life; it is center of the Christian life. Christ crucified and resurrected should be the center of our world. As the Apostle Paul said:

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” 1 Cor. 2:2.

Do we need revival? You better believe it! But what we don’t need is a revival of so called “manifestations” of the Spirit. What we really need is a revival of sound biblical doctrine, expository preaching, and Christ-centered living that shuns cultural conformity and is fueled by a passion for the glory of God. The truths that were recaptured by the Reformers need to inflame our hearts once more. The sovereignty of God in all things, the supremacy of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the doctrines of grace, holiness, purity, truth, honor, righteousness, faith, and genuine Christian charity. The five Solas of the Reformation codify this so well. Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, Soli Deo Gloria. Grace alone, faith alone, Scripture alone, Christ alone, to the glory of God alone! This says it all. This is the heart of the gospel and the soul of Christianity.

We may long for revival, but what we need is reformation!