There has been a trend in both American and western European societies that has led to a lot of scriptural misunderstanding. This trend, known as social Christianity, is a delusion that leaves the soul hungry for truth, is spiritually void, and does not have the power to save. It is a false gospel that serves no other purpose than to confuse, to distort the love of God, and to remake the faith that God has called Christians to have. Social Christianity, and the social gospels it teaches, is acceptable and appealing to the world because it sets aside the standards set by God and replaces them with a non-threatening interpretation of the gospel of Jesus where the distinction between unrepentant sinner and sinner saved by grace are distorted.
Social Christianity compared to biblical Christianity
The true gospel of Jesus is much different from the social gospel in many areas. The Bible is very clear in its presentation of the gospel: 1) there must be genuine repentance for sins [Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19)], 2) conversion (salvation) happens when we call upon the Lord [For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10), For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16), and For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13)] and 3) our belief in Jesus is our only means of salvation [Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6) and Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12)]. There are literally hundreds of other verses I could use to show the Lord’s plan of salvation that is freely offered through His grace and love for us, but I believe Paul said it best: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:5-9).
Biblical Christianity places the focus of the relationship between the individual believer and the Lord Jesus Christ. That focus is centered upon the concept of individual repentance, individual recognition of our original state of being a sinner and the recognition of our need for redemption from the wages of sin [For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23)]. It is placing our full and complete faith in the completed works of Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection, the sacrifice of His sinless, spotless life in the place of our sin-stained life as our only hope of Heaven. The Bible clearly teaches that just one of our sins places us in need of judgment; Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life (Romans 5:18), but that through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are offered the free gift of salvation. Salvation is not earned by our own perception of righteousness, fairness, or by good works, but by the standards that have been set by God, of whom Paul wrote, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).
Social Christianity has a number of teachings within its framework that cloud the simplicity of the true gospel of Jesus. Within the last three years, there have been a number of national-level politicians within the United States who have used the phrases national salvation and national redemption as calls for Americans to support their various agendas. Even Israel, a nation and kingdom established by God never had this kind of total and complete redemption for all its citizens. Even the Old Testament teaches salvation of the individual believer but does offer national blessings when the nation is in obedience to the will and teachings of the Lord. Will God bless our nation, if as a nation, we are obedient to the will and teachings of God? Yes. But this is not the same as national redemption or national salvation. Salvation is, even under the New Testament teachings, a relationship between the person and God.
