A Simple Understanding of the Profound Gospel

I have listened to several sermons over the last few weeks in order to help prepare me for teaching on "the spiritual gifts"... during this time I have been challenged and blessed by the work of many pastors and theologians. I was especially struck by the words of Stuart Olyott (former pastor of Belvidere Road Church in Liverpool, England) towards the end of his sermon on 1 Cor. 14:1-25...

"Away with the 'simple gospel' mentality. Now, we thank God the gospel is simple–even a child can know that he's a great sinner and that Jesus Christ is a great Savior–and he can know that as a great sinner, he can call on the great Savior and be saved. You can put the gospel so simply, but because you can put the gospel simply, and because simple people can be saved by the gospel, don't be content to only have a simple understanding of the gospel... because the gospel is not simple. It's because the gospel is so profound, that it saves the simple. It's because the gospel is so profound, that it can be put so simply... but if you are content only with a simple understanding of the profound gospel, then you have cause–on the ground of Scripture–to be utterly ashamed... because Scripture says, 'in understanding, be men.' And the man with the highest intellect, and the longest life, and the most advanced spiritual perception–should he spend every waking hour studying the gospel–he will never plum it's depths or scale it's heights... it is the gospel of the infinite God! Any meeting which does not stretch the mind... any Christian book that does not inform the mind... any spiritual exercise which does not envigorate the mind–should be forsaken.

The Bible's teaching is that the heart is only reached through the head. You can't get to it any other way. The affections are stirred up by things that we know–and it's when we are informed in our minds, and our hearts are touched, and our affections are moved–that then, the will is brought into action. And the sad thing about so much Christian activity today, is that it seeks to bypass the mind and go straight to the emotions and affections, and try to move the will that way... the will is temporarily moved, and we get all sorts of people who honestly believe they've made a responsible decision for the Lord Jesus Christ, and it's just been an emotional reaction to a sort of 'salesmanship pressure' which has been put upon them... and their mind has been completely untouched. The Spirit of God is the spirit of a sound mind. Forget that, and your whole future Christian life is in danger."

You can listen to the whole sermon here:
Stuart Olyott: "Principles Applying to the Gifts of Prophecy and Tongue"

 

The True Gospel

I recently had an exchange with a fellow Christian wherein they made the comment:

"The gospel in 3 words is love. Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ."

Now, I am not certain if they were saying that the Gospel is love, or if they were saying that the three-tiered "friend" model they presented is girded with love. What I am certain of is, that although the Gospel is rooted in the love of God, it is not merely "love" as a stationary concept or emotion. Nor is it, "Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ." We Christians should adamantly oppose and labor to correct such misrepresentations of the Gospel.

Here is my response:

"The gospel is not something we do, but it is [an announcement of] something that has been done... and so we proclaim a message of something that has occurred in a historical context."

The good news is not that we do something. In fact, it is not good news if my efforts are the primary thrust (especially since our best efforts fall short, no matter who we are). Furthermore, a continuous action is not a message. A message is information that is proclaimed. With regard to the good news of the Gospel message, it is the historical information about God, Humanity, Holiness, Sin, Redemption, Judgment, Reconciliation, and Reprobation (though, this is not an exhaustive list, nor an infallible recipe) according to the Bible. The Gospel, therefore, is an informative message (though much more than a mere message) about a variety of biblical subjects; the good news of salvation that follows the reality of human depravity and the need of Christ Jesus the Savior.

While there is much to be said of God's sovereignty in salvation (with regard to predestination, election, regeneration, conversion, faith, etc.), the aim here is to present the external elements and communication of the Gospel, not to plumb the depths of soteriology. That being said, I usually find that people who speak of the Gospel also point to the response of the recipient of the message. This is also considered by many as an aspect of the good news, since the free offer of the Gospel is available to all persons (which is really good news). Many present this response as an essential aspect of the Gospel message. In many cases, however, if the Gospel is proclaimed accurately, a response is implied and not necessarily an explicit element. Furthermore, without going into too much detail, I would argue that Scripture is clear that any human response is a secondary cause... that is to say, the Holy Spirit, according to His sovereign will, 'causes' us to respond to the Gospel (in a way). Nonetheless, all people who have been confronted with the Gospel respond... either positively or negatively.

The following is the presentation of the Gospel (along with a call for response) that I declared to the person mentioned above. I humbly pray that the Holy Spirit not only uses it to inform and instruct Christians as to what the Gospel is, but also that if any unbelievers may read it, that He would give them an understanding and grant them repentance and faith in Christ Jesus for His glory and their joy.

"The all-powerful, sovereign, holy and majestic God, who has no beginning or end, Created the earth and humanity with it. He created man upright and in His image; they had a perfect relationship. Man committed treason by sinning against God when he and his wife were deceived... they disobeyed God and attempted to usurp His position of authority and steal His glory. God cursed the man and woman, the serpent who deceived them, and the earth. Adam and Eve were now separated from God and spiritually dead, and would see physical death as a punishment for their sin. Adam was the representative or federal head of all of humanity, and so we are guilty of the same sin. We have inherited the fallen nature of him... we are not sinners because we sin, rather, we sin because we are sinners by nature. Fortunately, God promised that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent, and thus, save us from the penalty of sin. He maintained the bloodline through history through Adam to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Moses to David and all the way to Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary and Joseph. Jesus, who is the Messiah that the Law and Prophets in the Old Testament refer to is God in the flesh... the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity: the eternally begotten Son of God who was the agent of Creation. He lived a perfectly obedient life under the Law, following it completely. He was fully man and truly God... He is a man, because only a man can atone for the sins of humanity; likewise, He is God because only God is perfect and righteous. He willingly laid down His life as a substitution for the penalty of sin. The sin of he/she who believes in Him is covered and removed by His work on the cross. The wrath of God that is justly deserved for sin is satisfied by Jesus' sacrifice. His righteousness, by the application of the Holy Spirit through the instrumental means of faith, is accredited to those who believe in Him as Lord and Savior. We who trust in Jesus and what He has done are declared righteous according to His merits and not our own. He died, putting to death the power of sin... but He was raised to life by the same power of God that gives us faith and new life in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Though we die physically, we will be resurrected and inherit imperishable bodies so that we may live forever according to promises of God in Jesus. The person and work of Christ is the only way sinful humanity is reconciled with their holy and loving Father and Creator. There must be a response to what God has done in Christ... Deny Him, and you will be judged for your sin and incur the just penalty of the eternal wrath of God in the lake of fire... a conscience state of infinite torment and bodily agony/anguish. Respond with repentance (a perpetual lifestyle of turning away from sin and turning toward God) and faith (believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior and trust in the Triune God alone as worthy of praise and adoration; treasure Him above all things and live obediently) and you will be reconciled with your Creator and enjoy fellowship with Him for eternity in the place where there is no sin, no pain nor sadness... where every tear will be wiped away."

I welcome your comments, so... if you would like Scripture references, if you have prayer requests or questions, if you disagree or think I missed something crucial, or if you have any suggestions as to how this presentation can be improved (with regard to biblical fidelity)... please leave a comment.

Recommended books on the Gospel:

Triple-Fresh Picked Daily (26 May 2011)

This is "triple-fresh" picked... I was unable to post the past three days, so I've combined them all into one large edition:

Foundations: The new edition of this international journal of Evangelical theology published by Affinity (formerly The British Evangelical Council) is here... with articles by Carl Trueman and G.K. Beale (of Westminster Theological Seminary), Hywel R. Jones (of Westminster Seminary California) and more!

Graça Para Vocé: I am so thankful for the work of translators in converting articles and books from English to other languages. Grace to You lists several translations at their site... and I've just been made aware of two books that have been translated into Portuguese have been made available by Editoria Fiel (Faithful Publishing House) for free download. "Charismatic Chaos" and "The Gospel According to the Apostles" by John MacArthur are available in PDF format. Be sure to share these with your Portuguese-speaking friends and family.

Who is Harold John Ockenga?: I didn't know the answer to that question until today, but thankful that I do now. He was the minister of Park Street Church (Boston, MA) from 1936-1969, the founding president of The National Association of Evangelicals, and the founding president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Owen Strachan, (who is writing his doctoral dissertation on Ockenga) was interviewed by Nathan Finn (of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) about this founding "neo-evangelical", pastor-theologians, and The Gospel Coalition. Read the interview here: [Part 1] [Part 2]

Imputed A: I am so grateful for the active obedience of Christ and the imputation of His righteousness to those who believe in Him. The heart of the gospel is that we can do nothing to earn God's favor and cannot satisfy the just wrath that is necessary payment for sins. Jesus has fulfilled the law perfectly (active obedience) and gave Himself as a propitiatory (wrath-satisfying) sacrifice by dying for us (passive obedience)... now THAT is good news. Tullian Tchividjian (of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL) shares a story that is analogous of redemptive imputation over at The Gospel Coalition. Now, all analogies break down eventually... so by pressing this one too far, one might think that we are merely "virtually" saved that we might work harder to atone for our sins... but our salvation is definite and rests on the objective person and work of Jesus Christ: "Because we are, right now, under the completely sufficient imputed righteousness of Christ... threat of failure, judgment, and condemnation has been removed."

A Great Week for Battle: We live in a culture that is constantly challenging the biblical worldview. In order to prepare ourselves for spiritual warfare and defend the truth we hold dear, we must be biblically literate and equipped with weaponry that destroys strongholds and arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God. "The Battle Belongs to the Lord: The Power of Scripture for Defending Our Faith" by K. Scott Oliphint (Professor of Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary) is a great resource for such preparation and equipping... and it is only $5 this week (only 3 days left) at Westminster Bookstore! Pick up a copy for yourself (or several... to give to others) in order to better contend for the faith with gentleness and respect.

Ligonier Q&A: On May 19th, a few days before Harold Camping's (newest) rapture predictions fell short (again), R.C. Sproul hosted a panel discussion dealing with various controversial topics with guests Sinclair Ferguson, W. Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson and R.C. Sproul, Jr. These pastor-theologians discussed dispensationalism, Harold Camping, regeneration, election, predestination, the sovereignty of God, postmodernism, and inerrancy.

Red Like Blood Giveaway: Win an ESV Compact Bible, three copies of "Red Like Blood: Confrontations with Grace" by Joe Coffey & Bob Bevington. Entries close at 6pm EST on Memorial Day.

That does it for this triple-shot edition of "Fresh Picked Daily"... make sure to follow me on Twitter and find me on Facebook for updates. I am also on The City. Soli Deo Gloria!

The Anthropocentric Truth-Suppression of Feminism

I was reading Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World by Carolyn McCulley this past weekend and found her coverage of some of the more well-known feminists very intriguing. I have but a surface-level knowledge of the subject of feminism, so to learn more about the origin and history of the movement as well as the presuppositions and theories of the most well-known figures was very profitable. I was, for obvious reasons, fascinated by the theological issues surrounding some of the biographical accounts. Take for example this excerpt about Elizabeth Cady Stanton (colleague of Susan B. Anthony, co-founder of the National Women's Sufferage Association, and author of The Woman's Bible):

"Her activism started with marriage reform and sufferage and then migrated to religion. Stanton developed her atheistic beliefs as a young woman in reaction to the revival meetings of evangelist Charles Finney. After hearing Finney preach, Stanton was terrified of damnation: 'Fear of judgment seized my soul. Visions of the lost haunted my dreams. Mental anguish prostrated my health. Dethronement of my reason was apprehended by my friends... Returning at night, I often at night roused my father from his slumbers to pray for me, lest I should be cast into the bottomless pit before morning.'

But this conviction did not last long. Her family convinced her to ignore Finney's preaching and took her away on holiday to Niagara Falls in order to clear her mind. Following this vacation, she wrote:

'Thus, after many months of weary wandering in the intellectual labyrinth of 'The Fall of Man,' 'Original Sin,' 'Total Depravity,' 'God's Wrath,' 'Satan's Triumph,' I found my way out of the darkness into the clear sunlight of Truth. My religious superstitions gave place to rational ideas based on scientific facts, and in proportion, as I looked at everything from a new standpoint, I grew more and more happy, day by day... I view it as one of the greatest crimes to shadow the minds of the young with these gloomy superstitions; and with fears of the unknown and the unknowable to poison all their joy in life."

God is sovereign, and He knows His people (John 10:14). None can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them (John 6:4). To wonder, "what if?" in the case of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is not very wise... our resources would be put to better use by learning from this example and applying what we have learned in future situations. Though regeneration is monergistic, God has given us a great duty and opportunity to proclaim His Gospel, so that His people will be drawn to Him by the Spirit. Let us maintain and defend the biblical Gospel and seek to evangelize and disciple according to Scripture. Yes, God will save those whom He has elected, but we must labor over truth in our evangelistic efforts in order to produce maturing disciples, who will be equipped to continue that blessed and honorable duty of magnifying Christ.