This page was last updated: September 1, 2010
What is the True Gospel
As this age draws to a close, the religious scene in the Western
world is in chaos. Decades of secularist thought have taken a heavy
toll on those societies that were formally quite religious and moral.
The state of Western Christianity has become so secular that
missionaries from Africa, South America, and Asia are trying to
preach the gospel to Europe and America!
Today, among those still professing to be Christian, doctrinal
confusion abounds. While three-quarters of Americans are associated
with Christianity, only half consider themselves absolutely committed
to the Christian faith. Less than half of Americans strongly believe
the Bible is totally accurate in all its teachings—and these figures
are far higher than in the rest of the Western world! With so little
commitment on earth to the truth of God, it is hardly surprising
there is so much misunderstanding and disagreement over the basic
message that our Savior brought from the Father—the gospel.
"Just believe on the name of Jesus, and you'll be saved" is a common
message of professing Christian ministers and Sunday morning "gospel
programs." Others say the gospel is that God sent His Son to die for
our sins. Still others condense it all down to a trite "Jesus loves
you" that fits nicely on bumper stickers—and believe they are
spreading the "good news"!
It is certainly true that belief in Jesus Christ is the major
requirement of salvation—although more is required than just
intellectual agreement. It is also true that God did indeed send His
Son to pay the penalty of our sins, and, yes, God certainly does love
us. But not one of these common sentiments is the true "good news"
message that Jesus Christ brought! At best, these statements are each
only a portion of the gospel message.
Nowhere does Jesus Christ say that the gospel is about Him coming to
die for our sins! Instead, the gospel He preached answers why He did
so. More than that, it reveals the momentous purpose that God is
accomplishing, and declares the reason reconciliation through the
blood of the Lamb is necessary. We need to know what the true gospel really is!
