Today, many rightly bemoan the lovelessness, superficiality, and spiritual hollowness they see spread all too widely across the church. Yet in our longing for a cure, we must not be seduced into thinking that superficial, pragmatic answers are the solution. A moral campaign for better Christian behaviour will not touch the roots of the problem.
The church today is surely in great need of reformation, but reformation of lives happens from the inside out as the Spirit heals hearts with the balm of the gospel. The gospel of Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s regeneration is not just a message for outsiders: it is our only hope if we are to see the renewal and reformation of the church in our day.
It is not enough to be aware of our corruption. That can be the mistake of the preacher who (perhaps reacting against “sin-lite” gospels) concentrates mainly on hammering home an awareness of sin. The Puritan preacher Richard Sibbes saw this happening in his day and warned: “It is not enough to have the heart broken.” Instead, he said, our hearts “must be melting”. And how can a heart be melted from its natural icy coldness toward God?
