Our Emaciated Gospel

We don't tend to share the whole gospel. We share a very scaled-down version. This is something we've been doing for generations, and we've gotten away with it for quite a while, but our society has changed. It's time we reconsider how we present the gospel.

The gospel — salvation — is so much more than simply forgiveness of sins and escaping hell. Forgiveness of sins might even be fairly thought of as a means to a greater end.

What do I mean? Let's look at how Paul talked about the gospel:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:3-8)

Forgiveness of sins is in there, but look at how long it took him to get to it. Let's see how Peter talked about it:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1Peter 1:3-5)

New birth, adoption, inheritance. And these are only getting started on the "every spiritual blessing" Paul spoke of.

Why does this matter? Because the gospel we've been sharing is being tuned out by those who grew up hearing either it or a caricature of it. Because people today are looking for things the gospel offers, but we never tell them about it. Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is so much more glorious than we've been letting on.

What are the blessings of the gospel? Here is a non-exhaustive list.

We know God and are known by God. Jesus said, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). God in turn knows us (Gal 4:9). God isn't a stranger anymore to those who are in Christ. And now his Spirit dwells in us, giving us comfort and assurance (Eph 1:13-14, Rom 8:16).

We are reconciled to God. By nature we oppose God and he us. "But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (Col 1:22). Now we can have peace with God (Rom 5:1).

We have been redeemed. "Redeemed" suggests we were prisoners. We were. We were slaves to sin, but now we have been set free (Rom 6:20-22).

We are adopted into God's family. In Christ we have received the Spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15) and are now children of God (John 1:12). We are brothers and sisters of Christ (Matt 12:46-50) and of each other (Eph 2:19). Therefore,

We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17). Just as we are not servants but sons, we will not merely live but reign with God. And so,

We will be part of the renewed creation. We will live on the renewed earth in renewed bodies. Many people believe Christians look forward to an ethereal existence floating on clouds. No, we look forward to physical bodies (1Cor 15:42) on a new earth (Rev 21:1) after God renews all things (Matt 19:28). We will see and be part of the way the world was always supposed to be.

All of this, and more, is what being "saved" means. But it's hard to pack all of it into an elevator pitch. So what should we do? We could tailor our approach to the people we're talking to. Is it someone who feels isolated? Make sure to highlight our adoption into the family of God and our fellowship with other believers. Is it someone who feels deeply the pain of living in this fallen world? We can tell them about the promise of a renewed earth for those who follow Christ.

If people are not willing to accept they need forgiveness of sins, they cannot have access to the other blessings of the gospel. But if we make it clear we're offering more than simply "heaven", we may find the gospel still appeals to this jaded generation.

Who do you know that needs to hear about the treasures we have in Christ? Can you share it with them?


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