The nature of the gospel is by far the most important subject a Christian can understand for himself and others. Before one can understand why there is even a gospel, we need to comprehend what sin is, otherwise there is no need to have a gospel. This involves understanding the nature of man. The Gospel is God’s way to deal with the nature of man. When Adam and Eve Sinned by disobeying God it was a personal, individual sin but the moral consequence became communal. In other words, from their passing on their nature that had changed, the whole human race was affected drastically for the worse. Adam was an individual yet the Bible also applies the name Adam to all mankind, the whole of the human race. He became mankind’s headship and what affected him likewise affected everyone who came afterwards from his lineage. We can understand this better today by our genetic makeup. When a flaw occurs in the DNA code, it is passed down to the following generations. Adams sin was so catastrophic in changing the nature of man that not a single human being that has come from the gene pool has escaped the pollution inherited from him. We are now born with a genetic flaw and it consequentially brings death to all. Adams posterity shared in the consequences of his disobedience. Despite the fact that man was able to live in the beginning to grand old age of 900 plus years, our resilience to live tremendous long periods slowly declined in each succeeding generation. As humankind advanced, the effects of sin continued to develop further on our body.

Knowing the dire position we are all in, God through our short history began to deal with mankind in various ways to bring us back into what He first intended for us. This has been done through what is now known as the gospel, God’s declaration of good news to mankind.

The alienation of man from God through human sin necessitates a reconciliation; within the Jewish sacrificial system it had repetitive offerings that “covered” sin temporarily (the Hebrew word for atonement, kaphir, means “covering”). This made it possible for sinful man to approach a holy God and be in covenant relationship with Him. The sprinkling of blood upon the mercy seat in the tabernacle (Lev. 16:15-16) and the sprinkling of the blood of the Passover lamb (Exod. 12:7) underscored the importance of substitutionary sacrifice under the Old Covenant made between Yahweh and Israel. In the New Testament, particularly in the Book of Hebrews, the significance of such sacrifices is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is pictured as both high Priest and the atoning Sacrifice (Heb. 9:11-15; 10:10-12). And the form of that reconciliation was by the cross -- where the ultimate and final sacrifice would be made.
This is why we find the death and resurrection was the centerpiece of the apostles’ preaching through the book of Acts.

The sacrifice of Christ has a specific word used, “vicarious,” it comes from the Latin word vicar, which literally means “in place of” or “a substitute.” In Isaiah 53 we find the vicarious atonement is a man: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (vs. 4-6). This was His purpose of incarnating, so seek and saved those who are lost.

Mankind has a certain view of himself; we do not like to think the worst of ourselves but the best. So we find all the other religions have people do certain acts, good deeds, obeying its rules to have the favor and the blessings of what they perceive as God. This is how they relate to God. There is only one religion that does not work by this type of operation is Christianity. Instead of man’s attempt to reach up to God by his works, God came reaching down to man. Instead of man trying to earn God’s favor, God gave it freely by His “only begotten Son.” In Isaiah it says all our righteousness is like filthy rags, it is even more explicit in the Hebrew wording: used bloody rags. That is how God sees our good works. I know this doesn’t sound too promising; it isn’t if you choose to go this route. One has no choice but to embrace the gospel once they understand their unacceptable condition before God.

Rom.6 explains that all have sinned, so we need to explain what sin actually is. Rom 3:10-12 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ reveals the most dreadful news: all have sinned, and that God judges sin. The very nature of the gospel declares we are ALL sinners, but it offers the cure giving us the best news ever heard, salvation from sin. Sometimes the gospel needs to be explained in detail over and over until the light shines through the darkness. If one rejects the gospel they are not rejecting a certain teaching, they are rejecting the person the Gospel is focused on, and are essentially rejecting the God they really want to affirm.

The only person’s who has ever become a sinner because they sinned were Adam and Eve; everyone born afterwards sins because we are sinners in our nature. God knows this and this is what He needs to repair in the human species.

Oswald Chambers stated, “Never build your preaching of forgiveness on the fact that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. It is untrue to Jesus Christ's revelation of God; it makes the Cross unnecessary; and the Redemption “much ado about nothing.” God could forgive men in no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted to be Saviour because of His death” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

Arranged by His Grace

The gospel itself is God’s arrangement by His grace. We enter into covenant by His work through faith, trusting in what He has already done. The calling to faith is initiated by God and our response is our obedience, (faith is the first act of obedience), by this we are accepted by him? This is all He asks from us to receive the free gift of salvation.

Grace means its all God’s work; it is His mercy given freely to us that is an expression of His love for us, we are unable to earn what He offers and we don’t have to try and earn it, because He gives it to us for free. That should be good news to all. 

This was all done by the invisible God made known in a man called Jesus (Jn.1:18), that we could come to know our creator in a greater and more intimate way then ever before revealed man. God became a man through a virgin conception by a young Jewish girl engaged to be married. Although all sinned in Adam, there is only one human that was ever born without a human father. In a miraculous way He was conceived and able to bypass the polluted gene pool and become a man without sin. Only a man without sin could be acceptable to take the place of those who had sinned.

Charles Spurgeon spoke on the law by saying, “There is no point upon which men make greater mistakes than upon the relation which exists between the law and the gospel. Some men put the law instead of the gospel: others put the gospel instead of the law; some modify the law and the gospel, and preach neither law nor gospel: and others entirely abrogate the law, by bringing in the gospel. Many there are who think that the law is the gospel, and who teach that men by good works of benevolence, honesty, righteousness, and sobriety, may be saved. Such men do err. On the other hand, many teach that the gospel is a law; that it has certain commands in it, by obedience to which, men are meritoriously saved, such men err from the truth, and understand it not. A certain class maintain that the law and the gospel are mixed, and that partly by observance of the law, and partly by God’s grace, men are saved. These men understand not the truth, and are false teachers. … The coming of the law is explained in regard to its objects: “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound.” Then comes the mission of the gospel: “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

Romans 3:25-28 “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”

No man can keep God’s law the way He asks, therefore the law makes us guilty; it cannot be used to prove our goodness or make better persons out of us or make us more spiritual because it does not improve on the internal fallen nature of man. It only condemns, this is why Paul says it is used now for the ungodly sinners (1 Tim.1:9).

By believing in Jesus’ work on the cross our boasting is excluded, just as Paul states in Eph.2:8-10 We are saved by His grace through faith, not of works. In other words there is absolutely nothing you or I can do to merit God’s favor toward us, even if we are the most righteous pious person on earth it would not merit anymore credit than one who goes around and does the very opposite. The fact Jesus makes it clear that He came to save sinners, not to call the righteous. Why? Because if you think you are righteous then you cannot see your sin and have no need to be saved. He calls these persons blind.

We have a decision to place our hope in Christ’s work on the cross after He has shown us His grace. This is in response to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Spirit is to help us come to faith in Christ. He will show the sinner this is the only way to God. As John wrote the Holy Spirit was sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.

Most non-churched people do not understand the Gospel or have had it adequately explained, so they ignore the eternal ramifications of rejecting it. If they understood their position to God without the gospel they would certainly not hesitate to receive forgiveness God’s way.

Without at least a basic understanding of these essentials, there can be no true acceptance of the biblical gospel. How can one place trust regarding eternal destiny in something he doesn't understand and in someone who he doesn't really know? In parable of the seed and the sower Jesus explains the only seed that grew was because it fell on good soil, that soil that had understanding. You don’t need a great deal, but a basic comprehension of what is required. God will multiply it as you receive and accept the truth. The truth on--His nature, the fall of man, sin as our present condition, the need for redemption, and the plan of salvation in the gospel as the basics.

When the Gospel in the Church is not accurately taught or explained, people end up not understanding the message of sin, repentance and saving faith. In its place is substituted a message which concentrates only on God’s love. While this is true and is the very reason the Son was sent, it is only a part of the Gospel. It does not include the implications of one’s sin and the punishment intended for sin. Without the Gospel’s presentation of Christ as the Savior from our sin, and the message of forgiveness of sin, one can end up with a superficial knowledge of what the Gospel is all about. This only makes Church members, not true converts. A Gospel without repentance leaves people trapped in their sin while still believing in Christ. They can find themselves trapped in the sin they once practiced because they have not clearly seen the offense of sin. While we may not expect all the things pertaining to the Gospel to be proclaimed each time it is presented, but they certainly need to be taught afterwards. Otherwise one is left not building on the one sure foundation. and it is not the recipients fault but the leaders in the Church that have not presented the gospel to them fully or accurately.

The gospel is a present invitation, a now proclamation, not a tomorrow one (today IS THE DAY OF SALVATION the Scriptures declare). God calls us to Himself as if we are dangling from a high cliff with only two fingers ready to fall to our destruction. That is how he sees our situation in life and He wants to rescue us.

Now we come to the most important issue concerning the Gospel the person of Jesus Christ in salvation. It is this teaching that can turn the Gospel into a counterfeit even if one preaches Jesus is the Son of God who died for sin. The person of Jesus in salvation is as important as what He accomplished on the cross.

There are many counterfeit gospels spread by those who believe they have justification by Scripture to approve their unique teaching positions. Many Judaizers are still with us today that insist we must keep the laws, they even go as far as the food. They mix law with grace--which annuls grace. Some say without baptism from their church group you cannot be saved; others claim one must be baptized in a certain way, such as the Oneness Pentecostals, who claim baptism saves through Jesus' name only; still others insist to seek a separate experience of the Holy Spirit (by speaking in tongues or being slain), to prove you have received the Spirit. By telling people they must obey these extra commands and distortions of Scripture, they make it impossible for true regeneration to occur.

But the most concerning is the claim that one only needs to believe in God’s son dying for sin will save when they insist that He is not deity but only a man. This would include all the cults which certainly presents a greater problem than just distorting the truth but uniting the Church with those who are not the church. The Gospel concerns God’s only Son and His work on our behalf to forgive sin, but if it is focused on something else that is not the God/man, the unique Son of God( God became flesh), no matter how sacred or Biblical it is, it is not the gospel of Christ. In Lk.2:25 Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel as he was promised by the Holy Spirit he would see the Messiah before he dies. Jesus as a baby is brought into the temple according to the law by Mary, Simeon led by the spirit into the temple sees him and says, “My eyes have seen your salvation.” our salvation is a person, who is both God and man. The Gospel focuses on the person of Christ the Son of God who came as the Savior from heaven (1 John 4:14; John 6:38,8:23, 16:16,17, 28).

Michael Horton states “The Christian faith rests on the claim of its Founder that He was the Messiah, God incarnate, the Savior of the world, and the claim of its apostles that they were eyewitnesses to His resurrection” (Michael Horton, “Recovering the Plumbline,” The Coming Evangelical Crisis, Moody, 1996, pp. 257-258).

1 Jn.4:14 “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (referring back to 1 Jn.1:1)[And we the apostles and disciples of his time have seen]. The apostles testify to the facts concerning Him in all the gospels. They had the fullest proof of this from his doctrine and miracles, which they heard and saw during the whole time that he sojourned among earth.

This confession also included His humanity as well, He truly was God in the flesh because John earlier wrote of those who denied this in chapter 4 have the Spirit of anti-christ. The problem in the early church was not that Christ was God but that he was human. The Gnostics denied God became a man, these false teachers denied the reality of the incarnation; so this confession was all important because it involved the virgin birth.

This confession was not mere words as in repeating a creed it involved faith in the heart as its foundation, acknowledgment with the mouth. This means they acknowledge this by mouth and by practice; from what they teach, their profession in the life and conduct.

Just believing in Jesus doesn't save you, although you may feel good and secure in what you believe. It must be understood who he is. 1 Cor.15:47: “the first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second man is the Lord from heaven.” He is Lord of the universe. He must be understood as Lord, God, without this understanding you don't have the true Christ of the gospel message, nor can you practice Christianity.

To believe the biblical Gospel means to accept the apostolic teaching of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. As Christians we are to affirm that the Gospel is only the saving power of God to salvation. It becomes the only way because it is connected to the unique Son of God. Salvation is centered on the person of Christ, who He is. The deity of Jesus is entirely important, just as much as it is dependent on His work on the cross. The person cannot be separated from the gospel it is intrinsic in it. Because if we do not have the correct Jesus, the one we believe on for salvation cannot save us.

Scripture affirms that God HIMSELF is our savior. The whole Old Testament bears witness to this fact. If your savior you have believed in is not God then you are not saved. Romans 10:13 says, “And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD [Yahweh] will be saved.” The apostle Paul is quoting Joel 2:32 (“calling upon the LORD [Yahweh] in context is being fulfilled by calling upon Jesus Christ. “Calling upon Yahweh” is “calling upon Jesus Christ,” they are one and the same. Paul is identifying the messiahs identity as Yahweh to the people for salvation. This is all through the New Testament as the testimony of the Holy Spirit and God the Father.

Jesus states in John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.”

[I came forth from the Father] He existed from eternity in glory with Him (explaining this in Jn.17).

[Am come into the world] His incarnation by a virgin birth, passing the pollution of sin.

[I leave the world] after His death He ascends to God from where He came from.

[And go to the Father.] At His ascension He is brought back to his former and rightful place. This Scripture the person of Gospel is proclaimed as Lord. Again 1 Cor.15:47: “the second man is the Lord from heaven.”

What does the Son of God mean is what matters, not just the words said. There is more than one doctrine that is connected to salvation. The primary one is that Christ is God in the flesh, After asking who the the disciples think He is, when Peter confessed “thou are the Christ the Son of the living God,” Jesus said the Church would be built upon this. 

How can we call upon him who became man unless we are told whom we are calling on. Our faith rests in the person first, then His work on the cross. It matters “who” died for our sin as much as His dying for the sin. Romans 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus...thou shalt be saved.” It is the confession of Jesus as God --having faith in the God-man that saves us from the penalty of sin.

If we reject the Bibles teaching of God in Christ--the God man have we received salvation? 1 Corinthians 12:3 “No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” Again to be called Lord is to acknowledge Jesus is indeed Yahweh. The next time someone says “I believe he is the son of God or Lord” ask them what they mean by this. If we believe in Christ but deny His deity, we are not in possession of the true faith that justifies, we will not be saved. Because any other Christ is a false one, a non-existent person. True doctrine is connected to the person of Christ who delivered His teaching to the apostles.

The Word of God, whether read or preached, it is God’s means of presenting salvation found in Christ; faith is our means of receiving that salvation. Repentance is an act we do because of faith, if one truly hears the message of the gospel and obeys its requirements. God loves you enough to tell you that you are a sinner. Does it become offensive or even hateful for one to tell another the truth? Let me put it this way, what if you went to a doctor for your daily examination and he found something wrong that could kill you if you did not immediately take care of it. Would you blame your doctor for telling you this or would you thank him and take the medicine? The gospel is our medicine for sin; it is not one of many cures to take but the ONLY cure.

When people claim Christ but do not understand the uniqueness of the gospel, they eventually incorporate Christ as a teacher among the many other teachers like the Bahai religion does. Not as the way the truth the life, the only way to the Father. Maybe this is why we have many professors not many possessors. While most churches have orthodox statements of faith, many of the congregant’s do not know what those statements mean; so how can they believe it? If asked questions on the central core teachings such as: what is the Gospel and how is one saved, many probably could not answer them accurately or point in Scripture where the answers could be found. They cannot explain or defend the teachings they hold, so how can they in all honesty admit to believing them? We have a problem in the Church that cannot be ignored. But it can easily be solved, by teaching apologetics, equip the people on the why the Scripture is true.

We must deal with the sin factor before His love is known to us. Jesus said to love God, your neighbors and even your enemies, He used love as the motivation of whom you will serve God or Mammon (Lk.6:32) or addressed those who loved attention and used their prayers and money in front of people to gain it (Lk.20:46). Love of God was shown in how they accepted him (Jn.5:39-42) What He did do is show love by example and drew people into a place to act in love. The reason for this is that love is an action not just a teaching or something you believe in.

Jesus often recited the law to show where one has not done what God requires. When we remove teaching the consequences of the law before the gospel is presented people will do not see their sinfulness in the way God does. This does not mean that the Holy Spirit cannot show an individual the depths of his despair. But by omitting the law and only concentrating on only love a preacher can get a lot of “decisions for Christ” but will he have  true converts. The appeal of success today is to base ones ministry on decisions at the altar and not on the survival rate afterwards. It matters if they are not there the next week or month, we don’t want fair weather converts but true disciples who heard and counted the cost.

So why do so many people not continue in their profession? As some have pointed out, we lack good discipleship tools in the church, so this can be one of the reasons. Statistics prove there is an 80-90% fall-away rate on new “decisions” for Christ. Of the 10 to 20% that still come to church only 3% of them are truly committed, active and faithful workers for Christ. Faithfulness is the outworking of living faith. As God builds our faith through trials, our faith grows. If we shrink back, or are mislead our faith can be shipwrecked. One of the ways to destroy your own faith is to believe there are to be no trials or suffering for those who have faith. This is not what Jesus or the apostles taught or lived. Your either growing or shrinking there is no neutral ground in the spiritual war we are all in.

Many stop at conversion without regeneration. In other words they are convinced they need a savior, and that they need to wholeheartedly follow Christ, but when we have people years down the line of their decision saying Jesus is not God, whom then did save them? Their unwillingness to follow him shows that they do not esteem Him for who He really is.

Maybe we are starting on the wrong end with just saying God loves you when it should be: you have not lived up to what God’s standards are and you need to repent to receive His love. Its true God loves us even while we are sinners, this is when Jesus died for us, and some people need to hear about His unconditional love more than their guilt, but this should not be the entire content of our message. How can one receive the blessing when it first involves a spotlight shown on a person’s heart for them to see it being corrupt, convincing then that they need Christ desperately, not as a way, but the only way!

The gospel is not about God being our “best buddy” and He should not be offered as such, although He becomes our friend from the gospel. We should never concentrate on His humanity so much that we neglect He is GOD. We should not trivialize who He is.

What about the practice of saying accept or receive Jesus in you heart. We should be careful in how we present this because this is not the gospel but a benefit from it. This is what actually happens when someone does accept the gospel, so it really declaring what will happen when you believe the gospel. Galatians 4:6. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, John 1:12 as many as received Him to them he gave power to become children of God.” God indeed comes into your life and into your heart because you believe the gospel, but saying this is not the gospel itself. It can accompany the gospel presentation to explain what will transpire, but it does not save. He came in us as the promise given to all who believe in the gospel.

We don't want to give the impression that there is nothing blocking one from God except asking him in. When in fact there is, our sin. One must deal with their sin by the cross before Jesus can take His abode in us.

We also need to be careful in saying, “God has a wonderful plan for your life” as the gospel message. Certainly God has a plan, God may have great plan for your life, but this does not save someone, nor does it help to enticed people by such statements as God’s plans are big and wonderful, because we actually do not know God’s plan for everyone. I have seen people get saved and in a year they died, or the heat was turned up. We don’t know what God’s plans are for every person. Ultimately God’s plan is better than Satan’s and we will all receive the benefits of his grace by entering heaven, but for the meantime we are on earth and we just don’t know. Imagine a Muslim in an Islamic country having their whole family convert and become Christian and hear God has a great plan for their life and he then sees most of his family killed for their conversion. What would he think? Where is this great plan? So we have need to qualify this statement when we say it.

Is what I’m saying biblical? Look at Paul. The first thing after Jesus saves Him, He says I will show how much suffering he will have for my sake. Yes, God had big plans for Paul but he did not tell him this. How many altar calls are made with this biblical declaration to include suffering? Come to Jesus and you will suffer but you will have eternal life. But this would be more accurate as he does not promise to remove us from tribulation and we are told that we will suffer for His namesake. Peter also pointed out in 1 Peter 2:21: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” We cannot disregard the reality that we may experience suffering and even persecution. The fact is, the cross means suffering in this world. One will find this out later as they follow him on the narrow road He leads them on. God’s plans for us are His blessings and the benefit of believing the gospel.

Its unfortunate that today's modern preaching style they promise new converts wonderful benefits: everything will be rosy -- no suffering, in its place is success, prosperity, life improvements to their marriage, business, relationships. The Bible does say that there are benefits that belong to the Godly but it also says they will be accompanied by rejection and persecution. When persecution does come and all those life improvements don't materialize as fast as they expected, or not at all, disillusionment can set in. Sooner or later the new “Christian” falls away because his faith lacks root. They fall back into having no hope, worse than if they had never heard this defective “gospel” preached in the first place. Jesus explains in Mt.13 of the seed and the four different soils it falls on. It is those who had understanding that persevered and are fruitful.

A.W. Tozer said, “The new cross does not slay the sinner, it redirects him. It gears him into a cleaner and jollier way of living and saves his self-respect. To the self-assertive it says, “Come and assert yourself for Christ.” To the egotist it says, “Come and do your boasting in the Lord.” To the thrillseeker it says, “Come and enjoy the thrill of Christian fellowship.” The Christian message is slanted in the direction of the current vogue in order to make it acceptable to the public. (The Old Cross and The New, by A.W. Tozer, 1966)

A gospel that does not preach the cross in its full sense is not the Gospel of Jesus. When Christ is displaced from His proper place, when He is no longer followed correctly the believer finds himself in a cross-less walk. Our means of sanctification, correction, chastisement and growth are not without suffering. Christianity is cross-centered, as it is central point to why Christ came to earth. All of God’s blessings come from Him through the cross, and are delivered to believers by His Spirit and His word.  We cannot disregard the reality that we may experience suffering and even persecution, the fact is--the cross means suffering. Today we can listen to most of the popular Christian TV teachers promise everything to a believer but neglect this essential ingredient to Christianity. What is being taught today is that we should not suffer or have pain or be corrected. This leads to illegitimate children, not true sons of God.

The Bible used to be accepted where it says, “All who desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12), here's a promise you don't hear to often! 

A.W. Tozer “"With perfect knowledge of all this, Christ said. `If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself; take up his cross and follow Me. ' So the cross not only brought Christ’s life to an end, it also ends the first life, the old life of every one of His true followers... this and nothing less is true Christianity. We must do something about the cross, and there's only one of two things we can do-flee it or die upon it!”

“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience” (James 5:10). For even the prophets who were types of Christ all suffered, none had an easy life for too long. Jesus did not promise Paul or any other apostle a life of ease and material riches or health? In Acts 9:16, Jesus said right after Paul was saved: “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake,” not how much he will gain.

We need to learn that the gospel message does not always work quickly. Many want to see immediate results or the gospel preached is considered by them to be void of the power of God. Many in Christianity have traded faith for spiritual experiences. If you felt something or saw something that convinced you God is real, this is enough. We are confronted with a new type of Gospel, one that emphasizes experiencing the supernatural. Today in many Churches miracles are preached for salvation, not Christ crucified. When we proclaim the gospel many are won by emotions or by promises to be healed or are moved by signs and wonders. All of these have nothing to do with the content and nature of the gospel. Yes we may become emotional, moved to tears although the majority of people say they felt nothing but accepted its veracity by faith. Yes someone may be healed emotionally and even physically. But to offer this as a promise to all would be unfair and misrepresent the gospel itself.

The greatest miracle is one being translated from the kingdom of darkness to light. Acts 26:18: “to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” what a joy it brings, to know you influenced someone in such a way that there eternal destination was changed.

Gresham Machen said “... The growth of ignorance in the Church is the logical and inevitable result of the false notion that Christianity is a life and not also a doctrine; if Christianity is not a doctrine then of course teaching is not necessary to Christianity. But whatever the causes for the growth of ignorance in the Church, the evil must be remedied. It must be remedied primarily by the renewal of Christian education in the family, but also by the use of whatever other educational agencies the Church can find. Christian education is the chief business of the hour for every earnest Christian man. Christianity cannot subsist unless men know what Christianity is...” (Gresham Machen Christianity & Liberalism p. 176-177)

Paul preached the cross, “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians1:18). The Bible states it is the “preaching of the cross” that contains “the power of God” unto salvation, it is the finished work of Jesus on the cross. The content of the gospel can never change.

Rom. 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

1 Cor. 1:18 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

We don’t want to honor God with our lips, and have our hearts are far from Him. God’s heart has always been to the lost, nothings changed. The Church needs to stop its ride of pleasure seeking and daily positive affirmations of bless me and get down to God’s business, saving the lost with the message of the gospel. The gospel needs to be preached more than ever before, but it’s going to have to start with those who preach the gospel--getting it straight and stop candy coating it. Lets uphold the ancient message-Jesus the Son of God came into this world and suffered and died upon the cross for the sins of the world and rose again as the Scriptures say on the third day. This was and still is the power of God.