I Am the Wretch the Song Refers To. . .

"I am the wretch the song refers to."

~Todd Friel

In the introduction to his book, “Hard to Believe – The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus,” John MacArthur writes, “The world is filled with millions of people who think they are headed for heaven – but they are deadly wrong. . . .
what is especially sad, is that many of those people sit in evangelical churches misinformed!”

I agree with MacArthur.

So what is the "misinformation?"

The misinformation is nothing less that a complete misinterpretation of the Gospel.

The message of most Christian concerts, youth events, women’s conferences, men’s rallies, etc., and seeker-sensitive churches is “Jesus loves you! Jesus will free you from all your pain! Come to Jesus now!”

It’s a distorted message and a message that advances the thought that being a Christian is easy and freeing and fun. It’s called easy believe’ism, and it is anything but biblical! And it only touches the very surface of True Gospel of Salvation.

Consider how Jesus approached personal evangelism when he walked on earth as a man. Jesus did not say to people, “Pray this simple prayer” or “Just make a decision to follow Me.”

Not at all.

Jesus confronted people with the reality of their own sin. (Consider, for example, the woman at the well in John Chapter 4.)

Those who “accepted” Jesus were truly convicted of their sin and they repented. Those who refused Jesus rejected the fact that they were sinful. Instead they boasted and bragged of their own righteousness. (See, for example, the account of Jesus and the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22)

Do you suppose if the rich young ruler in Mark Chapter 10 had simply been told to repeat a simple prayer of salvation, he would have done so? And would he have walked away counting himself as saved?

Maybe. . .
But would he have really be saved?
Where has our culture gone wrong that we think we can do this very thing?

I don’t think we can identify the exact point that we began drifting from the Truth, but . . .

Robert Schuller made one of the most absurd and anti-Gospel statements ever in his 1982 book “Self Esteem: The New Reformation” when he wrote (on page 98), “Once a person believes he is an unworthy sinner, it is doubtful if he can really honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Jesus Christ.”

Absurd!
. . . this is where the drifting went terribly bad.

So . . . (see if I understand this. . . ) if you want to be saved according to this new reformation of self esteem, you cannot believe yourself to be an unworthy sinner? And to follow the logic further, there really is no reason at all for Christ’s death on the Cross. Right?

Again: Absurd!

. . . The very idea erases the entire story of redemption beginning in Genesis and culminating in Revelation! To do away with the notion of sin, essentially eliminates the entire Bible!!

II Timothy 3:2 reminds us that “Dangerous times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves.”

It is indeed this new man-centered gospel of self-esteem that has hijacked the Gospel. And it is this gospel of self-esteem that has permeated the seeker-sensitive evangelical churches of today.

* And therein we find the “misinformation.”

Here’s the Truth: The Gospel of Salvation has as its bedrock the very idea of sinfulness and scripture confirms it repeatedly.

Bottom line: I am a wretch. I am the wretch the song refers to. You are a wretch. Every human being to ever walk the earth is and was… a wretch.

Amazing Grace!
How sweet the sound,
That saved a WRETCH like me. . .

Yet, to confront this by acknowledging sin in our culture today makes you a Bible-thumping Pharisaical fundamentalist [I mean that in a bad way.]

Leaders of the self-esteem reformation look down on the True Gospel of Salvation, pointing out that we should not “judge” others, but instead tolerate and love each other.

Wrong!

We cannot be saved without first acknowledging our own wretchedness before God; and we cannot share the Gospel of Salvation without first pointing out to others their wretchedness before God.

“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
~ Romans 3:23

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
~ I John 1:8

“And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will convict the world of sin…”
~ John 16:8

It has been said that repentance is the stuff saints are made of…

Isaiah the Prophet said,

“Woe is me! For I am unclean; because I am a man of unclean lips…”
~ Isaiah 6:5

Job said,

“I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
~ Job 42:6

Peter said,

“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
~ Luke 5:8

The Apostle Paul said,

"What a wretched man I am!"
~ Romans 7:24

…you will also find the repentance of Daniel and Abraham in the Old Testament and John in the Book of Revelation. These saints recognized, acknowledged and professed their wretchedness before God and others.

Look now at some biblical examples of Schuller’s gospel of self-esteem:

Cain did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his own righteousness in the fruits brought by his own hands to the altar.

Saul – before his conversion – did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his own pedigree as a high ranking religious leader.

The rich young ruler did not see his wretchedness. He saw instead his superior knowledge and achievements.

Hopefully, we can see here that the gap between the Gospel of Salvation and the gospel of self-esteem is gaping. The consequence of each is eternal.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
~Luke 9:23

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
~ I John 1:9

Yes, Jesus loves you! Jesus will free you from all your pain. Come to Him. But. . . the Bible in full context shows us very clearly that until we recognize that we are indeed wretched sinners, we cannot appreciate the Cross and we cannot know His Grace.

Amazing Grace!
How sweet the sound,

That saved a WRETCH like me. . .

I AM the wretch the song refers to. . . .

Esthermay V. Bentley Goossen
© 2010 The Heart of a Pastor’s Wife