People sometimes go on the hunt for a religion. I have met many people who have and are on that search. A few of them have never been a part of any religions, most of them have. In either case, they are searching. Christianity is hard to miss, so I’m surprised that they pass up on what I believe because it matters so much to me. I can’t understand how someone as profound as Jesus does not interest them. How is it not attractive to them?

The reason it is not interesting is not because they aren’t intelligent enough to understand. I know this because many of them are so much more intelligent than me and 1 Corinthians 1:26 affirms that intellectualism isn’t necessary to recognize the value of Christianity. In fact, an intelligent person can easily judge the Gospel as pure lunacy (1 Corinthians 1:18). The reason is that the Gospel is not very interesting.

The reason the Gospel does not attract people is not because people are not attracted to things. We’re attracted to stuff (Matthew 6:31-32). Materialism is when a person values possessions and physical comfort above all else. It isn’t that the Gospel is not attractive; it’s just not as attractive as stuff and comfort. So long as the Gospel demands the relinquishment of stuff (Luke 14:33) and comfort (Matthew 18:20), the Gospel will continue to be unattractive.

Therefore, the Gospel is not appealing.

But the Gospel is compelling.

Although it does not appeal to people, it does compel people. After a person hears the Gospel, that the God of creation took their punishment on the cross when he had the right to give them punishment then arose from the grave and when the Holy Spirit speaks into the heart and awakens someone to their need of this (2Corinthians 4:6), their mind is suddenly interested and their attention is suddenly fixed on the “face” of Jesus Christ.

They regard Jesus as all-supreme and acknowledge his reverence. This leads them to cry out to him, not as a wise teacher or as the one who will help them on to better things, but as their Master. They then believe the Gospel (Romans 10:9-10) and as a result are saved from their sin and brought into relationship with their creator which changes them into people that look less like them and more like Him.

The Gospel is not appealing, but it is compelling. It is compelling to those who have been compelled to believe the Gospel by the ministry of God’s Spirit.

If you’re on the search for the right way to live, there are far more appealing religions than Christianity. But you shouldn’t be on the search for what appeals to you. You should search after what compels you. You are not the judge of reality. You are a product of reality. This means that you are under the same curse as the rest of this sin-stained world. You are twisted (Romans 1:28-32). This means that the desires you have are wrong desires and therefore should not be your guide. Reality and the Spirit of God ought to be.

The reality is that you are a sinner. The reality is that Jesus proved to be God with miraculous power then died on the cross for your sin. The testimony of the witnesses of this has been preserved for you to know in the Bible and this Gospel (good news) has been made known to you. The Spirit of God is here to compel you. All you need to do is ask.

The Gospel does not need to appeal to you. It needs to compel you.