The Gospel is not Optional
There is some debate about which season is more important: Christmas or Easter? Of course, we are the kind of people who believe that both are vital and neither is optional.
But if you had to rank them, what would you say? Most theologians lean toward Easter because it represents the grand climax of the Gospel – Jesus lived and died and rose again. This is true and essential.
Some people claim that religion is obsolete because it does not work. And, I suppose, that depends on what a person expects religion to do. I’m thankful that the gospel never becomes obsolete. A recent blog by Russ Lackey explains why:
The gospel does not exist to make people happier, nicer, or more functional. It announces something far stranger: that God justifies the ungodly. It declares forgiveness not as therapeutic reassurance but as a verdict spoken over people who cannot secure it for themselves.
In a culture shaped by achievement, expressive individualism, and relentless self-optimization, this claim cannot be replaced. Wellness cultures still demand improvement. Therapeutic frameworks assume progress. Many contemporary spiritualities offer meaning without judgment and comfort without reckoning.
The gospel does not do any of this. It names sin without collapsing into shame and announces forgiveness without requiring self-exoneration. No algorithm, mindfulness practice, or spiritual technique dares to absolve.
This is why the gospel endures even when religion becomes optional.
Jesus lived and died and rose again. That truth never wears out and never loses its power. Praise God!
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
To read more, go here: When Religion Becomes Obsolete, Christ Does Not.
