He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
— Luke 24:46–47 —
Cesare Albanesi: Italian Theological Academy | Italy
In Italy, we have two proverbs that describe an attitude that is widespread in many cultures: “Town you go, habit you find,” and, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” We try to accommodate the people around us. We try not to offend them, to be politically correct, to accept them for what they are, and sometimes even to avoid the truth for the sake of “peace.” Now, there is nothing wrong with being accommodating or desiring not to offend people, but we should not compromise the truth about Jesus and the message of the gospel, even if it offends (1 Cor. 1:23). May God grant us the courage to speak faithfully and without compromise wherever He leads. The commission that Jesus gave to His disciples (and to all believers) is to proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection and to call all men to repentance. This was to be proclaimed to all the nations. Implied in Jesus’ commission is the fact that this gospel is transcultural, and that no modification of content was necessary from one nation to the other. The temptation we face in our daily lives, though, is to accommodate the culture we live in, by making the message more appealing or less offensive to the people around us. However, this is not what we have been commissioned to do. Our goal is to proclaim Christ crucified and that repentance in His name is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. How are we responding to Jesus’ commission? Are we being faithful to His message, or are we compromising the truth? May God grant us the courage to speak faithfully and without compromise wherever He leads.
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