Yesterday I had the pleasure of watching my mother bake 96 vanilla cupcakes for our upcoming VBS (Vacation Bible School) next week. But when she was done, and the cupcakes were packed into their appropriated tins, something seemed missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it ... ah-ha! That was it - the icing. Where was the sugary, gooey, sweet and sticky frosting? Now, I'll tell you, I'm not a big fan of the icing myself, but when it comes to looks, the icing just seems to add a magical touch to those plain old cupcakes. But it was not on these baked goods. And that was because we'll be putting the icing on the cupcakes closer to the actual day when the kids at VBS get to eat these sweet treats. But this got me thinking ...
The gospel is like a vanilla cupcake. Golden-browned to perfection, soft, perhaps a little plain at first sight ... but then, after one taste you are suddenly transported to a world of beauty, sweetness, joy and complete and full satisfaction.
But the world just doesn't believe that a vanilla cupcake on its own is tempting enough. So they add the icing, the sugar-coating. And to most of the masses, the icing is what catches their eye - it's bold, flashy, gooey, sugary sweet and all-around delicious. It makes the cupcake so much sweeter going down. In fact, with that rather thick layer of icing, you can hardly taste the cupcake itself at all. Maybe, if you licked all the icing off and tried really hard, you might catch of taste of that cupcake. But the point of the icing is to disguise the plain old cupcake, make it into something it's not, and make it more appealing to those who just aren't that fond of boring vanilla cupcakes.
You see this all the time in the world. In the music industry, for example. "Christian" songs play that have no mention of God, the gospel, sin, hell, the cross, death or judgement. Instead, except for a few (if you're lucky) subtle references to "Lord" or a Bible verse, the song could be talking about the singer's boyfriend or best friend. The song is feel-good, and hits top music charts all over the country. Non-Christians listen to it on their radios and sing along to it. It sells, and the gospel is minimized.
Or take "Christian" movies. Many have a moral lesson, or a nice story, but the gospel is never implicitly shared. Or "Christian" books. Lessons that push good works or some mysterious "faith" is the only gospel that's presented, and as a result, more people read or watch their books or movies, and the true gospel is minimized.
This sugary coating, this adding or taking away the message of the gospel, is really, instead of furthering the kingdom of God, hindering it. It's destructive. It's saying that the vanilla cupcake, the gospel, is not powerful enough on its own to save souls. That God needs some help. He needs you to make Christianity sound more appealing. That couldn't be more far from the truth! My God doesn't need help. My God is a warrior. My God uses the gospel to save sinners.
The vanilla cupcake needs no frosting.