Give The Gospel Not Gimmicks

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Oh no, Not another Polemic!

Here goes... this is a serious subject, but I will try to make it as winsome as possible. A few years ago I listened to Keith Green's message, What's Wrong With The Gospel? The message was a response to the average evangelical "gospel" message. As you may know, Keith was not on target everywhere (imputation in particular) but he made an excellent thrust in the right direction with it. Keith's point basically boiled down to this; the pure gospel has been perverted, and now has both missing parts and added parts.

Keith Green preached Christ

There is nothing wrong with the true Gospel in its purity, and so there is no need to water it down or sugar it up, it is the power of God unto salvation... Romans 1:16

However in spite of this truth, we often hear the "gospel"portrayed as;

"Let (or ask) Jesus into your heart."
"Make Jesus the Lord of your life."

...or even more blasphemously, "Put Jesus on the throne of your life"

So What Is The Gospel Then?

It's good to mention this again, the gospel is good news, not good advice. That is one of the key distinctions in which Christianity differs from every other religion. The pure gospel is not about something, or anything that we must do.

The gospel is about what God has done in Jesus for us, not what we must do for Him. It is amazing that while in our time of relative ease people feel it isn't good enough Paul said in his day of affliction that he was not ashamed of it.

The gospel consists in the narrative of the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus as recorded in the four New Testament gospels. This is good news beyond all we could ever hope for - even though we are undeserving, God had mercy on us. He did this for forgiveness and removal of sin, satisfaction of the justice of God and declaration of righteousness for a right standing with God for those who believe in Him. All this as Peter put it, that He might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18)

"Having made peace through the blood of his cross... in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight. If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel." Colossians 1:20-23

By God's grace lets stand unashamed and uncompromising for the gospel in this age of subtle reconstruction of the truth.

Soli Deo Gloria

Josh

Reform Your Life And Doctrine, Meet With God In The Text.