Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The words bother some people, but they are important to understand: they are, "objective" and "subjective." They are only another way of distinguishing between "faith" and "feeling," but they give a needed depth of understanding.
The "subjective gospel" is either your personal experience of conversion, or the experience of someone else you hear or read about. It can be very good Good News. You may live on cloud nine because of it. The joyous experience can go on and on. Your skies may be blue and the breeze balmy, maybe even for most of your lifetime. It's like an ocean-side cabin, such a delightful place to live in.
But you'd better remember that no matter how much fun it is to live in a house built on the sand, sometime for sure a storm is going to come. Then you will need a rock foundation stronger than your own feelings.
The "objective gospel" is the truth of what Jesus has done to save you, quite apart from your own experience of personal conversion or good works. You may in all sincerity believe you are converted; but when the storms arise and a deeper sense of repentance causes you to realize your sinfulness as you never before discerned it, you can be badly shaken. You need a foundation stronger than your personal feelings; you need faith. Faith is the solid rock that is there even when you can't see or feel anything.
Don't kid yourself into thinking that no storm will ever cloud your blue skies--not if God loves you. Storms and rain are necessary for character growth.
So, what is the "objective gospel"? God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son; He redeemed you; the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all; He tasted your second death, paid the penalty for your sins; He died and rose again for your justification (Rom. 4:25). It's true--not because you feel it, but because the Bible tells it. Build your "house" upon that Rock.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 20, 1998 Copyright © 2011 by Robert J. Wieland. Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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