Gospel

Very often, the "gospel" that people preach is not the gospel revealed in Scripture—and what we hear is not always the true gospel either. This is a deeply serious issue, because if the content of the gospel we hear is inaccurate or incomplete, then the very foundation of our faith is compromised. Sadly, this phenomenon is extremely widespread, and it is quite possible that we ourselves are immersed in such an environment without even realizing it.

American Reformed theologian and pastor R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) once said in an interview, "I’ve found that today, everything but the gospel is being called the gospel."¹ In another panel discussion, he remarked, "When I meet with newly admitted Doctor of Ministry students, I ask these pastors to define ‘the gospel.’ If 10% of them give a satisfactory answer, I would be satisfied."²

The Gospel Coalition once held a panel discussion where three of its prominent theologian-leaders—D.A. Carson, Timothy Keller, and John Piper—discussed the question: “Did Jesus preach the gospel?”³ The very existence of this discussion speaks volumes.

Greg Gilbert, also affiliated with The Gospel Coalition and author of the book What Is the Gospel?, explained the motivation behind writing his book by saying, “If you ask 100 evangelical Christians, ‘What is the content of the gospel?’ you’ll probably get 60 to 70 different answers!”⁴ ⁵

American New Testament scholar and theologian Scot McKnight, author of The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited, also noted, “When you ask people to define the gospel, the answers most often given would sound unfamiliar to Jesus and the apostles of the first century.”⁶ ⁷

Contemporary British New Testament historian and theologian N.T. Wright simply defines the gospel as: “The kingdom of God has come through Jesus, and you are invited to be a part of it!”⁸

American philosopher and Christian spiritual teacher Dallas Willard (1935–2013) offered an analysis of this phenomenon. He identified three popular versions of the gospel today: the first, typically from the right wing, goes something like: “If you believe Jesus died for your sins, your sins will be forgiven and you’ll go to heaven when you die.”⁹ The second, from the left wing, says: “Jesus died to liberate the oppressed, and you can join him in that fight.” The third says: “If you submit to the church, God will accept you.”¹⁰

Willard believed the message of the gospel is this: “You are to trust Jesus, become his disciple, and now live with him in the kingdom of God.”¹¹