Recently, an article claiming that Jesus was/is WOKE was published for general public consumption. The only reason I felt compelled to respond is that after reading this person's theological musing, some people may mistakenly believe that it is biblical truth because this person cites certain works that, while sounding good, have no biblical foundation at all.
Here is the most concerning part of the whole article
“For some reason, the Jesus who was the champion of the ones who were oppressed and excluded has been replaced by a Jesus who cares only about what they believe about his activity on the cross In other words, they care more about his death than his life.”
The big idea is that instead of looking at and focusing so much on what Christ did on the cross, we should look at how he lived a good life. The church should then concentrate on helping the impoverished and marginalized and the way they should do this is push out a social gospel.
And often the verse that is used is James 1:27: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
So, James uses two synonymous terms to characterize the purest form of religious faith, which is defined as compassion and love for the two populations most negatively impacted by a fallen world: widows and orphans. As a result, the majority of progressive "Christian" organizations now emphasize a social gospel. That the church's main purpose is to feed the underprivileged and provide a voice to people who feel "marginalized" or "fed up with a system in which they didn't matter." I want you to know that, from a biblical perspective, the church is not about primarily serving you soup and boosting your self-esteem. The mission of the church is to teach and preach the GOSPEL (2 Timothy 4:2).
Preaching and teaching the Gospel is the church's primary mission. What is meant by the GOSPEL? It is Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection—for those who would believe. Paul stated in Galatians that if someone is teaching you a different gospel, they ought to be damned (Galatians 1:8-9). Therefore, if you are trying to turn the gospel into something that is centered on how wonderful and good Jesus' life was, you have missed the mark and are essentially teaching another gospel.
While I support feeding the hungry and providing for the marginalized, what we really need to be providing for them is eternal hope, which can only be found in the person and work of King Jesus on the cross. (*In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Heb 9:22).
In all actuality, Biblical Christians are the most selfless and loving people you will ever meet. The groups that distribute the most food, construct the most homes, and embark on the most mission trips to see people set free from oppressive situations are those that center themselves around sharing the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Something else I want you to see in James 1:27 is that James tells us ‘to keep oneself unstained from the world.'
This text's main message is that we should strive for holiness and maintain our purity. Progressive "christians" frequently assert that "JESUS ate with SINNERS." You are entirely correct that he did, but he did not justify their immoral actions or way of life. He rather fervently urged them to embrace the Gospel and turn from their transgressions and sins.
In the opening of Jesus’ public ministry this is what he tells people in Mark 1:15: “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
In the opening of his ministry Christ calls people to repent of their sins and believe the GOSPEL (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, for those who would believe).
The woman who was caught in sexual sin, Jesus tells her, I’m not going to condemn you, but ‘go and SIN NO MORE.’ (John 8:3-11). She is urged to pursue holiness by him, who pardoned her for her sins. While urging her to flee her immoral acts and desires, he does not condone her wrongdoing; rather, he calls for her to live a life of purity.
Jesus did indeed dine with sinners, but he also calls them to turn from their sins and believe in the power of his own atoning work on the cross at Calvary. This is the mission of the church, period.
Therefore, to try to shift the emphasis so that people see Christ as a nice guy and focus on his life and how he lived his life rather than putting the emphasis on his death, burial, and resurrection is to court death.
Therefore, the answer to the question is: Was Jesus WOKE? No. Rather, HE is King, and he commands you to turn from your sins and believe in HIS COMPLETED WORK that was accomplished on the Calvary Cross.
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