Rediscovering the Message
Rediscovering Lost Treasures - Part Four
“You are depraved. You deserve to burn in a lake of fire, tormented for all eternity. But… God the Father loves you so much, he punished the hell out of God the Son on the cross, so you could go to heaven.”
Does that sound like good news to you? I have so many questions. What kind of God are we talking about here? Why are these the only options? Sure, most people do bad things. But why define ourselves by our darkest moments and mistakes? What about our cumulative goodness? What about every unseen act of love and kindness we all do every day?
The church has a messaging problem, and the way we’ve framed the good news often sounds like bad news. When the church emphasizes our intrinsic evil and not-goodness, the message rings hollow to many emerging age cohorts, especially among the “nones and dones” who’ve left the church in droves. This message of condemnation—featuring an escape hatch from a bummer of a post-mortem destiny through what sounds like divine child abuse—feels like a burden too heavy to carry.
We’ve often skipped over an essential Biblical theme regarding our humanity—the innate goodness and sacred worth of every person. From the “very good” humans made in the image of God in Genesis 1, to the restored Eden of an ultimately good creation in Revelation 22, the pervasive goodness of God, the universe, and all living things, is the overarching story. We often focus on the bad news of human sin, without acknowledging the deep goodness that runs through every person’s core.
Most people, even in our brokenness, are concealing something beautiful within, the journey of grace is a process of transfiguration that brings out the goodness we already are. Yes, we all have flaws and yet we are deeply loved by God. This love is the true starting point of our spiritual journey (1 John 4:19). Faith communities should begin by affirming the goodness already present in each person. I mean that’s where the Bible starts right? It’s through this recognition that we can find healing, reconciliation, and a way to live out the love God has for us (Romans 2:4). The path to transfiguration begins with God’s unconditional love, not the crushing weight of guilt or shame.
Furthermore, the gospel message isn’t about escaping punishment or avoiding hell—it’s about discovering our identity as beloved children of God. Jesus didn’t come to offer a simple get-out-of-jail-free card but to invite us into a life of wholeness and connection. He wasn’t just concerned with the afterlife… his message was deeply rooted in the here and now. His life and teachings show us how to be truly human, how to heal from our wounds, embrace our goodness, and extend that love to others.
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The gospel isn’t about doctrinal propositions or political allegiances either—it’s about joining God’s healing work in the restoration of all things. When we embrace this vision, we can create communities where people aren’t just “saved from hell” but are invited to experience life as it was meant to be—full, flourishing, and anchored in God’s love. This is the message the world needs to hear: You are beloved. And in that belovedness, you can find the strength to heal, to love, and to live out your true calling.
And this love was the centerpiece of the Wesleys’ message.
A Love to Live in
In the previous posts we explored the dualistic mindset that pervades a globalized society… either/or, in or out, included or excluded, republican or democrat, conservative or progressive, etc. We also considered the conjunctive way of early Methodism, and the story that brought together both a traditioning and futuring mindset. This integration is the at the heart of the Methodist message.
In the early days of the movement, John Wesley did not set out to create a new theological system or doctrinal code. Instead, he sought to awaken a love so deeply embedded in the life of Christ that it could transform individuals and societies alike. It’s a love that, as Paul Chilcote insightfully puts it, isn’t about believing in a doctrinal framework but living a life steeped in love—to inspire a life of love to live in.
In many ways, the message of the Wesleyan revival was centered in one word… love. The heart of the grace-centered message is this: the gospel begins, continues, and ends in love. Love is the essence of all biblical revelation, and it is the thread that runs through every page of Scripture, every word of the prophets, every teaching of Jesus. We are called not just to understand this love intellectually but to embody it in our daily lives, to demonstrate that this love is the force that shapes the entire world. This is a love we can live in.
The challenge we face today, however, is that the word “love” has become so overused, watered down, and contorted that its true meaning is often lost. Our cultural understanding of love has become a shadow of what it was meant to be. So many people hear “love” and think of mere sentiment, fleeting affection, or vague tolerance. But the biblical love we speak of is a radical, sacrificial, and inclusive love that requires action. It’s a love that doesn’t settle for superficial expressions but moves toward the very core of human need and pain. A love that dares empathy and is expressed in compassion.
The love Christians talk about is the one which was so beautifully embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus’s life was not merely a fulfillment of Scripture in an abstract sense. It was a fulfilling, a refilling, and a full filling of what had been lost. It was the restoration of love to the law that had been stripped of its power. When Jesus says he came to fulfill the law, he’s saying that the law had become a hollow shell—a set of rules without the heart of love behind them. And so, he came to restore love to its rightful place at the center of human life and divine action.
This is the good news we are called to proclaim, especially in a world that has become so fractured by legalism, division, and bitterness. Our world desperately needs a message of love—authentic, deep, transfiguring love. But as Jesus shows us, this love must be embodied in a way that meets people where they are, touches the deepest parts of our being, and carries us toward wholeness.
Here are three key aspects of love that form the foundation of the message we are called to share with the world.
The Nature of God’s Love
First, we need to recognize that love is inherent in God’s nature. “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This truth echoes throughout the Scriptures. As Thomas Oord puts it, God’s love is pluriform—it has multiple dimensions and expressions, and it is diverse and adaptable, meeting humanity in whatever form we need. It’s a love that is not constrained by time or place but is present with us in every moment. This love is not a passive feeling but an active, dynamic force that works in the world to make all things new.
The Action of God’s Love
Second, this love is expressed in God’s own empathy and action—most clearly seen in the work of grace. Grace is not simply a theological concept but a lived reality. In the Wesleyan tradition, we see grace at work in four movements: prevenient grace, which goes before us; justifying grace, which brings us into relationship with God; sanctifying grace, which empowers us to grow in holiness; and glorifying grace, which brings us to the fullness of God’s love in eternity. The Wesleys taught that it is only because of God’s grace that we are able to love as God loves. This grace enables us to share God’s love with others, breaking down walls of division and extending the invitation of God’s love to all people.
The Inclusive Nature of God’s Love
Third, the love of God is inherently inclusive. From the beginning of Scripture to its end, God’s love is a love that seeks to draw all people into the divine circle. Jesus’s words in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world,” speak of a love that reaches beyond the social constructs of race, gender, and status. The message of God’s love is not just for the righteous but for the sinner, the outsider, the marginalized, the immigrant, and the oppressed. In the new creation, all are one in Christ—there is no dividing wall. This is the radical inclusivity of God’s love.
But what does this mean for us as the church today?
A New Treasure: Love as the Gift of Communal Life
To truly live out this message of love, we must care. We must feel the pain of our neighbor. We must be hungry with them. Tired with them. Celebrate with them. Share life with them. Love is not just a theological idea… it’s a commitment to be present with people, to listen to their stories, and to share in their joys and sorrows. Love takes time, energy, and presence. It’s messy. It’s not something that can be neatly packaged or commodified. It happens in the real world, among real people, in the spaces where we live, work, and play.
We don’t have to look far to see that our world is struggling with an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. In Never Alone I sought to document how we are hyper connected through technology, and yet paradoxically more disconnected than ever. People are dying from loneliness every day, and the church—the body of Christ—has the unique gift of community that can heal this pain.
But it will not happen through mere programs or events. It will happen through the embodiment of love in our daily lives. The early Methodists understood this well. They didn’t wait for people to come to church; they went out to the fields, to the streets, to the people who needed the message of love most. They lived their message of love in the ordinary, everyday spaces of life.
Today, the call remains the same. We must go out into the world—into each other’s homes, workplaces, and third places—and live out this message of love. As we do so, we create spaces where everyone is invited, where everyone is welcomed, and where love is not just spoken but lived in community.
This is the message of love that can revive the church and the world. We cannot afford to continue in the ways of legalism or division. We must rediscover the deep and transfiguring love of God that is both personal and social, both individual and communal. It is a love that transcends politics, ideologies, and the divisions of our time. It is the love of Christ that unites us, heals us, and empowers us to share this love with the world.
How can we embody this message of love in our communities today? How can we be the church that lives, breathes, and acts in love, as Jesus did? How can we offer the gift of community in a lonely world?
We are the messengers of this love. And it’s a treasure worth rediscovering.
Love this message! Spot on!!
Excellent writing, keep it up brother!