The Social Gospel by Ravi Zacharias

I came across this quote in the May '08 RZIM newsletter and thought it was worth recording, even though it was issued in the context of Jeremiah Wright and his disgraceful sermonizing.

"...There is no such thing as the Social Gospel. There are social implications of the Gospel, based on the second of the two greatest commandments given by Jesus, to love our neighbor as ourselves. But that is inextricably linked to the first commandment, loving God with all our heart, soul , strength, and mind. The operative word in both commandments is love, not hate. It is the love of God for us and our love for Him that makes it possible for us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and it is love for and of God that is to be our focus, not our social complaints. The Gospel is given to us clearly in Philippians, Chapter 2. We must not lose the heart of the Gospel: the humility of the Son of God in renouncing his own rights in order to take on the pain of our sin. Exaltation comes from doing the will of the Father as Jesus did in his supreme act of sacrifice. Thus, the Gospel is an act before it is a speech. It is the redemptive self-effacement of God in taking judgment upon Himself, the only justice that could pay the price for our redemption and without which we could know no change of heart. That price, paid by our Savior, is what makes forgiveness, peace, hope, and love possible. And the greatest of these is love. This is what forms the core of the Gospel message."