The gospel provides our need for soul salvation, which is only possible through the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is God. When we saturate ourselves in the biblical gospel, we can more easily recognize and reject other “gospels” and encourage others to do the same. “The name of Jesus is given to men of every age and nation, as that whereby alone believers are saved from the wrath to come…[and] who desire to know nothing in comparison with Christ crucified. And the followers of Christ should act so that all who converse with them, may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus. That makes them holy, heavenly, spiritual, and cheerful, and raises them above this world.” (1) “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) “Oh, how the world hates such statements! If you want to be laughed at, scorned, hated, even persecuted, testify to the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. Say that Jesus is the only Savior, that only by believing in him can one escape hell. The world will fight you to the death, because nothing is so offensive to the natural man as teaching that we cannot save ourselves, that we cannot choose our own way of salvation, and that if we are going to be saved it must be by God in the way he has appointed…You may say, ‘But that sounds so narrow.’ Yes, it is narrow. ‘But it sounds so exclusive.’ Yes, it is exclusive. ‘But it sounds intolerant.’ Yes, in a sense it is intolerant. But it is also true. And any man or woman who turns his back on what is true is simply foolish.” (2) The one true gospel provides our need for soul salvation, which is only possible through the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is God.
Other Gospels?
Unfortunately, referring to the gospel may not be enough for everyone to know the biblical, true gospel. There are many “gospels” that are professed by organizations and churches. As we begin a new year and a new study, I thought it appropriate to address other “gospels” to be sure we’re all on the same page—that of the Bible, any page of the Bible—when we speak of the good news of salvation as the gospel. In my research about these other “gospels,” I came across a helpful description of five, along with the true Kingdom gospel of Jesus Christ. “Most churches intend to produce mature, reproducing disciples, but this is generally not happening in reality. The answer is clear. We are attempting the impossible. We cannot create mature disciples from Christians who believe in a consumer gospel or a legalistic gospel—or any other gospel…except the kingdom gospel. Trying to do so is like pushing a boulder uphill, because we are trying to get people to act in Christlike ways without correcting what they truly believe.” (3)
The Forgiveness “Gospel”
“The proclamation of this gospel makes it damnably difficult to move people into daily interactive relationship with God, because they believe they only need Jesus for his blood. They can’t fathom a reason to follow him now, because they think the deal is simply a contract to stay out of the bad place, payable-upon-death. Discipleship to Jesus simply doesn’t make any sense on this understanding of the gospel.” (4) The lie of this “gospel” is that your only need, to live as a Christian, is forgiveness for rejecting Jesus Christ. This approach views Jesus Christ as someone who once lived and died rather than our living, breathing, active King, who intercedes and prays for us.
A Helping the Needy “Gospel”
Helping people in need is good but not evidence of salvation. Recently, I was talking with a friend about significant policy changes in an organization that is moving away from God. During our conversation, she said that she joined because it was a “Christian” organization. I joined despite knowing it was not necessarily one, but happened to include many Christians. Her characterization of the group as Christian was the fact that the organization’s purpose is to do good works and include prayers and references to God. But many organizations strive to help those who are impoverished but do not promote or support Christianity in any way. I’m sure that you and I could name at least ten right now, including Habitat for Humanity, the Peace Corps, and the Red Cross. The lie of the “helping others gospel” is that a person can achieve their salvation by the good works they do, as most religions teach. This false teaching leads people into deceit and away from God rather than to him. Only the true gospel of Jesus Christ considers good works as the fruit of salvation, not its cause or justification.
The Popular But False Prosperity “Gospel”
“The prosperity gospel is an umbrella term for a group of ideas—popular among charismatic preachers in the evangelical tradition—that equate Christian faith with material, and particularly financial, success. It has a long history in American culture…[but] Its roots…don’t just lie in explicitly Christian tradition. In fact, it’s possible to trace the origins of the American prosperity gospel to the tradition of New Thought, a nineteenth-century spiritual movement popular with decidedly unorthodox thinkers..[who taught that] if you could correctly channel your mental energy, you could harness its material results. New Thought, also known as the ‘mind cure,’ took many forms: from interest in the occult to splinter-Christian denominations like Christian Science to the development of the ‘talking cure’ at the root of psychotherapy…[and] positive-thinking self-help represented by books…[to] See yourself in a prosperous condition and…before long be in a prosperous condition.” (5) The lie in the prosperity gospel is that believing in Jesus Christ will result in a successful, healthy, comfortable, near-perfect life. Jesus’ life was anything but comfortable, so following him would follow suit. His perfect work of atoning for our sins by being executed as a criminal is as far as one can get from comfortable or materially prosperous.
The Great American Lie—The Consumer Gospel
“In his book The Empty Church, historian Thomas C. Reeves says: ‘Christianity in modern America…tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, an otherworldly outlook, a zeal for souls, a fear as well as love of God. There is little guilt and no punishment, and the payoff in heaven is virtually certain. What we now have might best be labeled ‘Consumer Christianity’” The cost is low and satisfaction seems guaranteed.'” (6) This Consumer orientation leads to the lie that we enter heaven simply by dying and that God’s love is universally equal for believers and unbelievers. But God, the great Judge of all humankind will condemn those whose sin-filled hearts are unchanged, and continue to live however they wish. God loves believers too much to leave us as they are. In Christ, we become new creations, hating the sins that separate us from God.
The Be Right, Legalistic Gospel
This one is especially tempting for believers because we were often raised in an environment of rule-keeping and taught by parent that the greatest obedience is to live by God’s commands. “We wrap rules around ourselves like a blanket in a cold world full of unexpected circumstances. If we can keep our rules, we think we’re okay…But when our rules get threatened by challenging circumstances…the sudden lack of control sends us into a whirlwind of emotions. When our rules and plans are in control, life feels comfortable. Legalism is easier because it only requires us to know about God instead of developing an active, daily reliance on Him. Legalism allows us many of the benefits of Christianity like community, acceptance, and even grace, but it stops short of true salvation. It doesn’t truly penetrate your heart and change your life. It doesn’t accept your complete inability and God’s pervasive glory. It is always easier to know about someone than walk in intimate relationship with them.” (7) We are lying to ourselves when we think our knowledge of God and his expectations is as important as our confessional and dependent relationship upon him
The One True Gospel
The Kingdom Gospel is the only true gospel that will save our souls, to worship, love, obey, and enjoy Jesus Christ. “At the heart of the good news of the New Testament is the message of the cross. In His death, Christ performed a work that effected reconciliation between God and all who put their trust in Christ. The atonement of Christ by which, in his obedience, he offered a perfect sacrifice, propitiating the Father by paying for our sins and satisfying divine justice on our behalf according to God’s eternal plan, is an essential element of the Gospel…[and] answers the most significant dilemma that any human being will ever encounter…How can an unjust human being ever hope to survive the judgment of a just and holy God? The [only] remedy for this problem is found in God’s eternal plan to provide a way of salvation for His people in such a way that their sins will be covered and that God’s own justice will be satisfied. God will not negotiate His own righteousness…The critical work that is in view here is the work of Christ on the cross by which He offered an atonement for His people. This atonement offered in obedience by Christ is a perfect sacrifice that assuages the wrath of the Father by paying for our sins and satisfying divine justice.'” (8) This one true gospel alone provides our need for soul salvation. Will you saturate yourself in the true, biblical gospel to recognize and reject any other gospel and encourage others to do the same? Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Related Scripture: Matthew 19:23-26; John 4:22-26; 5:35-36, 40; 8:23-34; 20:30-31; Acts 10:37-43; Galatians 1:6-9; 3:20; 4:4-5; 1 Timothy 6:13-15.
Notes:
1. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary—Acts 4:12
2. Boice Expositional Commentary on Acts 4:12
3. The Six Gospels We Preach Today: Hull, Bill, The Bonhoeffer Project, https://thebonhoefferproject.com/weeklycolumn/2016/12/14/the-six-gospels-we-preach-today-1
4. Sternke, Bill, Forgiveness Isn’t the Whole Gospel, https://bensternke.com/forgiveness-isnt-the-whole-gospel/)
5. Burton, Tara I, https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/9/1/15951874/prosperity-gospel-explained-why-joel-osteen-believes-prayer-can-make-you-rich-trump
6. https://www.thegospellight.com/resources/articles/2020/01/19/consumer-christianity
7. Combs, Maggie, Legalism is Easier, the Gospel is Better, https://www.reviveourhearts.com/blog/legalism-easier-gospel-better/
8. Sproul, R. C., What Is the Gospel?, Reformation Trust Publishing, 2020.
January 4, 2024
Divine Wisdom for Daily Living by Joanne Colvin 