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An Allegory
The Characters:
Eros – the Institutional church – man-made, market-driven, flesh-driven
Jess – the true church – true believers in Jesus Christ, body of Christ
Flash – the false gospel – self-serving, denying Christ, destroys true gospel
Salt – the true gospel – death with Christ to sin, living to his righteousness
The Story
Salt, Eros, Jess and Flash were all in the kitchen. Salt was standing in the kitchen in front of (facing) the kitchen sink. Eros and Jess were standing to the left of him, and Flash was south of him, sitting down in a chair.
Eros didn’t like something that Salt said. She didn’t like the way that Salt said it. So, she corrected him. And, she told him that he needed to say it a different way, or this other way, which was to “beat around the bush.”
But, Salt replied to Eros, “I just have to say it straight.”
Jess, who was standing left of Salt, then defended what Salt had said, and the way in which he had said it.
While this was happening, Flash was sitting in a chair, south of Salt, feeding his face, so he didn’t care what was going on.
The End
Psalm 103:1-5, 10-14, 17-18 NASB
A Psalm of David.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle…
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust…
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
The Allegory Explained
The institutional church (Eros), the true church (Jess), the false gospel (Flash), and the true gospel (Salt) were all in the kitchen. They were all in a place where food is prepared and served, i.e. where the word of God is prepared (studied) and then served (preached, shared, taught) to others.
Salt was standing and facing the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink is a decline, a going under and a worsening of the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. The true gospel was, thus, in an upright, fixed and immovable stance, and he was opposing, confronting, and challenging this decline in the preaching and in the teaching of God’s Holy Word, the Bible (Gen-Rev).
Both the institutional church and the true church were standing to the left of the true gospel. Their position, stance and viewpoint was in the opposite direction as that of the true gospel to the right of them. For, right has to do with what is true, moral, and righteous. And, the opposite of that is what is false (lies), immoral, and unrighteous. And, Flash (the false gospel) was positioned south of the true gospel, i.e. lower than, and deteriorated.
But, left can also be west, and I believe this is a picture of the church in America, though not indicative of the whole church, but it appears to be the vast majority. The vast majority of the church here in America, whether the true church – true believers in Jesus – or the institutional church – an institution of men – seems to be on a severe spiritual decline, and is living in immorality, idolatry, and worldliness. And, for the true church, that means she is also living in adultery against her Lord and husband Jesus Christ.
Amazing Grace
The institutional church (of men, not of God) did not like something that the true gospel said, or the way it was said. She (Eros) did not like “the way” of the true gospel, which is the way of the cross, and it is the way of salvation from sin, which is death to sin and living to righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24).
She (Eros) didn’t care much for the approach that the true gospel (Salt) took in what he shared. For, what he shared was the amazing grace of Jesus Christ which sets the sinner free from his addiction to sin, and does not give him a free pass to continue in his sin without guilt and without remorse.
For, God’s amazing grace redeems our lives from the pit. It does not just put a covering over the top of the pit so that no one can see what we are doing down there.
God’s amazing grace satisfies our years with good things – things which are pure, righteous, holy, just, moral, and upright – not with the filth this world has to offer.
For, God’s amazing grace removes our sins from our lives, not just forgives them so we can go on in our sinful addictions. This means he puts sin to death, and by his Spirit, we are to continue putting it to death daily (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17).
But, not everyone is a recipient of God’s amazing grace. And, we don’t receive that amazing grace applied to our lives just by saying some words after someone else, after which we are congratulated that we are now children of God and that we have the irrevocable promise of heaven (1).
For God’s amazing grace and his great lovingkindness is toward those who fear him, i.e. it is applied to those who honor him, respect and value him, and who love and obey him. And, to honor him and to love him means to do what he says. And, he says we must turn away from our sins, and we must leave the old life behind us to follow (obey) Jesus Christ, and to live godly, holy, and pure lives while we wait for Jesus’ return (Tit. 2:11-14).
Modify or Solidify?
But, the institutional church (Eros) doesn’t like this message that the true gospel (Salt) is teaching, and so she corrected him, i.e. she modified, altered and revised the true gospel to make it more appealing to human flesh. And, then she told the true gospel that he needs to “beat around the bush,” i.e. to intentionally omit his main (chief, foremost, central) points (facts), so as not to offend people; so as not to make them uncomfortable.
Nonetheless, Salt (the true gospel) replied, “I just have to say it straight.” He could not omit (delete) the chief, foremost and central facts of the gospel just because people squirm in their seats when they hear them. He could not avoid talking about matters which people find difficult and unpleasant to hear. He has to speak the truth, i.e. what is upright, honest, undiluted, unmixed with the world of sin, and unadulterated – pure and holy. For, if he doesn’t, it could cost people their lives for eternity.
But, then Jess, the true church, but positioned left (opposite or west) of the true gospel, defended or shielded what the true gospel said.
For, there are true believers in Jesus Christ who are not on the opposite side of the true gospel who do truly defend the truth. But, it seems the vast majority do not. So, in this case, what they are doing is they are shielding the “say it straight” gospel. They are preventing it from being seen, in other words. They are hiding it from sight, because, again, they (Jess), the adulterous church, are more concerned about being “liked” than they are concerned about people’s salvation from sin.
And, all the while that this is going on, Flash (the false gospel) is sitting (lying) and he is feeding (providing for self) his face (mind, appetite, eyes) with what destroys life, not what gives life. And, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care if what he says leads people straight to hell. He doesn’t care that he is telling people lies and that he is giving them a false hope of eternity with God based on a lie. And, he doesn’t care that his message saves no one but it leaves them still dead and bound in their sins, with no hope of eternal life.
But, God cares! He cares big time! And, that is why he is confronting and challenging this false grace gospel, because Jesus came to give us life, and to free us from our slavery to sin, not to cover it over in the sense of leaving us there wallowing in our sin thinking it doesn’t matter to God. It does matter! Because our salvation is not based on words we say, but on our submission to God, our yielding to the Lordship of Christ, and us following our Lord in obedience to his instructions to us for godly living.
Full Release
An Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
(1) On Salvation - this is for educational purposes only. This is not an endorsement of this site, as a whole, or of all content in this article.
The Characters:
Eros – the Institutional church – man-made, market-driven, flesh-driven
Jess – the true church – true believers in Jesus Christ, body of Christ
Flash – the false gospel – self-serving, denying Christ, destroys true gospel
Salt – the true gospel – death with Christ to sin, living to his righteousness
The Story
Salt, Eros, Jess and Flash were all in the kitchen. Salt was standing in the kitchen in front of (facing) the kitchen sink. Eros and Jess were standing to the left of him, and Flash was south of him, sitting down in a chair.
Eros didn’t like something that Salt said. She didn’t like the way that Salt said it. So, she corrected him. And, she told him that he needed to say it a different way, or this other way, which was to “beat around the bush.”
But, Salt replied to Eros, “I just have to say it straight.”
Jess, who was standing left of Salt, then defended what Salt had said, and the way in which he had said it.
While this was happening, Flash was sitting in a chair, south of Salt, feeding his face, so he didn’t care what was going on.
The End
Psalm 103:1-5, 10-14, 17-18 NASB
A Psalm of David.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle…
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust…
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
The Allegory Explained
The institutional church (Eros), the true church (Jess), the false gospel (Flash), and the true gospel (Salt) were all in the kitchen. They were all in a place where food is prepared and served, i.e. where the word of God is prepared (studied) and then served (preached, shared, taught) to others.
Salt was standing and facing the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink is a decline, a going under and a worsening of the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. The true gospel was, thus, in an upright, fixed and immovable stance, and he was opposing, confronting, and challenging this decline in the preaching and in the teaching of God’s Holy Word, the Bible (Gen-Rev).
Both the institutional church and the true church were standing to the left of the true gospel. Their position, stance and viewpoint was in the opposite direction as that of the true gospel to the right of them. For, right has to do with what is true, moral, and righteous. And, the opposite of that is what is false (lies), immoral, and unrighteous. And, Flash (the false gospel) was positioned south of the true gospel, i.e. lower than, and deteriorated.
But, left can also be west, and I believe this is a picture of the church in America, though not indicative of the whole church, but it appears to be the vast majority. The vast majority of the church here in America, whether the true church – true believers in Jesus – or the institutional church – an institution of men – seems to be on a severe spiritual decline, and is living in immorality, idolatry, and worldliness. And, for the true church, that means she is also living in adultery against her Lord and husband Jesus Christ.
Amazing Grace
The institutional church (of men, not of God) did not like something that the true gospel said, or the way it was said. She (Eros) did not like “the way” of the true gospel, which is the way of the cross, and it is the way of salvation from sin, which is death to sin and living to righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 4:17-24).
She (Eros) didn’t care much for the approach that the true gospel (Salt) took in what he shared. For, what he shared was the amazing grace of Jesus Christ which sets the sinner free from his addiction to sin, and does not give him a free pass to continue in his sin without guilt and without remorse.
For, God’s amazing grace redeems our lives from the pit. It does not just put a covering over the top of the pit so that no one can see what we are doing down there.
God’s amazing grace satisfies our years with good things – things which are pure, righteous, holy, just, moral, and upright – not with the filth this world has to offer.
For, God’s amazing grace removes our sins from our lives, not just forgives them so we can go on in our sinful addictions. This means he puts sin to death, and by his Spirit, we are to continue putting it to death daily (Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 8:1-17).
But, not everyone is a recipient of God’s amazing grace. And, we don’t receive that amazing grace applied to our lives just by saying some words after someone else, after which we are congratulated that we are now children of God and that we have the irrevocable promise of heaven (1).
For God’s amazing grace and his great lovingkindness is toward those who fear him, i.e. it is applied to those who honor him, respect and value him, and who love and obey him. And, to honor him and to love him means to do what he says. And, he says we must turn away from our sins, and we must leave the old life behind us to follow (obey) Jesus Christ, and to live godly, holy, and pure lives while we wait for Jesus’ return (Tit. 2:11-14).
Modify or Solidify?
But, the institutional church (Eros) doesn’t like this message that the true gospel (Salt) is teaching, and so she corrected him, i.e. she modified, altered and revised the true gospel to make it more appealing to human flesh. And, then she told the true gospel that he needs to “beat around the bush,” i.e. to intentionally omit his main (chief, foremost, central) points (facts), so as not to offend people; so as not to make them uncomfortable.
Nonetheless, Salt (the true gospel) replied, “I just have to say it straight.” He could not omit (delete) the chief, foremost and central facts of the gospel just because people squirm in their seats when they hear them. He could not avoid talking about matters which people find difficult and unpleasant to hear. He has to speak the truth, i.e. what is upright, honest, undiluted, unmixed with the world of sin, and unadulterated – pure and holy. For, if he doesn’t, it could cost people their lives for eternity.
But, then Jess, the true church, but positioned left (opposite or west) of the true gospel, defended or shielded what the true gospel said.
For, there are true believers in Jesus Christ who are not on the opposite side of the true gospel who do truly defend the truth. But, it seems the vast majority do not. So, in this case, what they are doing is they are shielding the “say it straight” gospel. They are preventing it from being seen, in other words. They are hiding it from sight, because, again, they (Jess), the adulterous church, are more concerned about being “liked” than they are concerned about people’s salvation from sin.
And, all the while that this is going on, Flash (the false gospel) is sitting (lying) and he is feeding (providing for self) his face (mind, appetite, eyes) with what destroys life, not what gives life. And, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care if what he says leads people straight to hell. He doesn’t care that he is telling people lies and that he is giving them a false hope of eternity with God based on a lie. And, he doesn’t care that his message saves no one but it leaves them still dead and bound in their sins, with no hope of eternal life.
But, God cares! He cares big time! And, that is why he is confronting and challenging this false grace gospel, because Jesus came to give us life, and to free us from our slavery to sin, not to cover it over in the sense of leaving us there wallowing in our sin thinking it doesn’t matter to God. It does matter! Because our salvation is not based on words we say, but on our submission to God, our yielding to the Lordship of Christ, and us following our Lord in obedience to his instructions to us for godly living.
Full Release
An Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
(1) On Salvation - this is for educational purposes only. This is not an endorsement of this site, as a whole, or of all content in this article.
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