By Pastor Ryan Pelton at New City Church

I have a problem with spell check. It has been going on for some time. Spelly, as I call him likes to point out all my mistakes- but does not always give me solutions to those mistakes.

I find myself yelling at the screen as if Mr. or Mrs. Spell Check is a real person.

Let me calm down a little. Good now.

In the last ten years of doing ministry in the local church it seems many people function like spell check. They complain that the music is weird or too loud. People leave the church over petty things like not having the right programs for their children. They tell me “they are not being fed” or “being fed too much”.

The irony is that people who have the spiritual gift of complaining never seem to have any solutions. Similarly to Mr. Spell Check they point out all the mistakes but have no solutions to the problems.

 So, how might spell check relate to the gospel?

 

Spell Check is limited.

Spell check is limited because it will reveal what is wrong with our writing but does not always give us solutions. The Law of God is the same way.

It shows us our sin and where we have fallen short. But, it does not give us a solution. Only by believing the gospel can we have solutions to make us right with God.

The Law of God shows us our disease- the gospel offers us the cure.

 

Spell Check can’t make you a better writer.

While it is easy to think a quick spell check will make us a better writer it simply is not true. Fixing a few mistakes on the surface does not cover the ability to write compelling prose.

 When a person trusts in Jesus for salvation God begins an entire overhaul. He is not simply looking at a few blemishes, mistakes, or scars of life. He begins to kill our deepest flaw- sin.

God is going to do a deep renewing of mind, heart, and will. He is re-making the center of our being- our hearts and souls. Like a loving and gentle surgeon he will re-make us into the image of Jesus.

Spell Check is black and white.

When spell check scans your paper for spelling errors it is black and white. Some words are spelled right and some are spelled wrong. We can’t argue with what is right and what is wrong.

No matter how much you think “ridonculous” is a word.

God is our Creator and Maker. He knows what we need and how we need it. Arguing as to how God should be and act- or how our lives should work if we were God is ridiculous. It is better to let our Creator determine what is best for us as he loves us, wants joy for us, and is smarter than us.

The next time you run spell check- you might be closer to understanding the gospel more than you think.