Pastor Powell's Column

May 2008

Stop "Improving" The Gospel

Building up one another in love for the work of Christ in the World – the purpose statement of The Fellowship is imprinted on our hearts. It flows from the final earthly teaching of Jesus Christ, His “Great Commission” to the church. How does Matthew record it in his 28th chapter?

Jesus sends us to make disciples of all nations and to teach them a simple four-point outline, four propositions that summarize the way of salvation.

Correct?

No! Matthew 28:19-20 sends the church to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” We are not at liberty to pick the parts we like and discard the rest. Nor can we fulfill the Commission by highlighting only parts that are most acceptable to 21st century ears. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Not that it’s wrong to use a three-, four-, or five-point summary as a starting place. I often do so. But beware of making that the ending place.

The Apostle Paul is our example in gospel work. In his words: “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” This must be our goal. The whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) Nothing more. Nothing less.

In our day, many are attempting to improve the Gospel’s attractiveness and effectiveness by adding to it. Additives from psychology, philosophy, prosperity teaching, political ideology, or new revelations. Perhaps the biggest temptation in our circles has been to add human methodologies and “church-styles” to the gospel. Any additions end up distorting, and ultimately supplanting the message.

This is help that the Gospel doesn’t need! The naked gospel is the power of God for salvation. (Romans 1:16)

Of greater concern are the subtle subtractions from the Gospel. In the interest of generating more approval and less opposition, certain offensive aspects of the message get minimized or muted. That’s why we are hearing far less about hell, human corruption and inability, Christ’s death as substitution, repentance, justification by faith, the Lordship of Christ, the disciple’s call to suffering and sacrifice, the judgment and wrath of God, and the need for the Holy Spirit to regenerate life in our dead souls. True, the message we preach is more than sin and salvation. But it must never be less.

These same offensive truths, as well as other cardinal teachings, are increasingly being denied in evangelical circles. Not just the cults or liberals of the radical revisionist sort. But evangelicals, who claim to be “Bible-believing”. How does this happen? One generation assumes certain teachings are safely tucked away in the doctrinal statement, while emphasizing other more appealing messages. Then what is assumed is soon ignored; what is ignored is soon forgotten; what is forgotten is soon questioned; and what is questioned is all too soon denied and denounced. This erosion of the message is already well advanced and widespread.

Reducing the Gospel to make it more palatable is robbing the church of its heart, robbing the message of its power, and robbing many of true salvation. When the gospel is reduced, not merely to four propositions, but even further reduced to: “Here. Pray this prayer and you’re in!” – when the average church goer has little understanding of what Jesus has done for us, and what He does in us, but only the legalistic look to His example in “What would Jesus do?” – when more and more churches are emphasizing “Get people to join the church first so they will learn how to become believers later . . . maybe.” – when these reductions and accommodations become prevalent, is it any wonder that church pews are lined with “demi-christians” (to borrow a term from A. W. Tozer).

This is why we must renew our commitment to declare the whole counsel of God. This is why we must proclaim Christ in all His fullness. The gospel is Christ. This is the relevance of our current sermon series on the book of II Timothy, and “guarding the treasure that has been deposited with you.”