The greatest message in the Bible, the Gospel of the Lord Christ Jesus. Perhaps it is the single most popular message in all of Christian history if not human history. The best news in the world, that the Lord Christ Jesus was crucified, died, taking the just penalty for our sins and on the third day rose again from the grave. That same message Paul preached. The same message that all the Apostles preached. The same message that the Lord Christ Jesus preached. Repent and believe the gospel.
I find great irony in the modern church world today that men and women preach the gospel with so little conviction. It’s as if they are convinced that the duty, rather, the privilege we have in preaching of the gospel is something that we suggest men do. Therefore we tell people “You know you’re a sinner right? If you want to go to heaven and live a blessed life, all you have to do is confess you sins, ‘repent’, and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.” It is a wonderful thing, the only problem is that this form of persuasion is entirely unbiblical.
People take that message in such a traditional context that it has become a suggestive formula. Yes, the gospel message is to repent and believe in the finished work of the Lord Christ Jesus. But in the context of modern Christendom the message has been so denigrated that most, if not all of these biblical terms, because of the traditions of men, have been degenerated and redefined to suit some sort of evangelical model based on contextual efficiency.
Romans 10:9-10 is read as well as some sort of marketing strategy, an evangelical hoop, but preachers fail to realize that when Paul said “Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart…” he by no means said it apart from the rest of Romans chapter 10, nor did he say it apart of Romans chapters 1 to 9. The point he was driving at is that anyone, Greek/Gentile or Jew, can call upon the Lord Christ Jesus and be saved. He was not randomly preaching to a group of people and suddenly tell them out of the blue that if they want to be saved that’s all they have to do. But if any one person seriously faces the heart of Paul’s message, he would see the radical difference of his message.
Even the call modern evangelists make to repentance has been so dumbed down to the point that it really disgusts me. Why? Because, in the 21st century today, it is politically incorrect to remain faithful to the biblical proclamation of the Gospel. There is no seriousness about repentance. It is merely suggested that to repent is to “turn away from one’s sins.” I find it hard to believe that was the same message that the Bible proclaims. The true message was “unless you repent you will likewise perish!”
It isn’t merely “realize this then do this.” But the message was and is that the wages of sin is death. The offense of sin is an eternal offense against God. The concept of sin and transgression of the law is one that the Jew’s perfectly know. To the gentiles, Paul makes it increasingly more severe since we have no law, all that is said of us is that we were not bound by the law but are given toward a depraved mind (Rom 1:28)! The weight of sin is preached and the just penalty before a righteous Judge is eternal torment in Hell! The message was not, “You know God has a wonderful plan for your life…” Nor was it, “God wants you to live a life of victory…” Neither was it “If you want to enjoy living your best life everyday now with 40 days of purpose…” But it was “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)” What must you do to be saved? There are no options. There are no suggestions. There is only a command. Repent and believe the gospel.
The Lord Christ Jesus is no weak beggar asking people to accept Him into their hearts. He is a powerful Savior. Many times I find myself offended by men, no matter how sincere they are in gospel proclamation, by their ignorance of the Truth, even in their profession as to be “called to preach” while knowing so little of what they preach. It literally makes me sick that hundreds and thousands of pastors and teachers, week in and week out present the Lord Christ Jesus as some kind of sugar coated santa claus that just wants the best for you as long as you do these “simple things.”
So much disrespect for souls in the deception of their message. So much disrespect and disregard just as much in the incompleteness of their message. They say it’s all about souls, it’s all about “making disciples.” But what do the great majority of “evangelists” preach to make them disciples? Preach half a gospel, make half a Christian. Sad thing is that there’s no such thing as half a Christian, no less half a gospel.
I find that the reason most of us are tempted, or even given away to this delusion is that preachers are little convinced that it is God’s message. Most of us find it hard to believe and be driven by the conviction that it is God who saves. So few of us are truly persuaded that it is in the foolishness of the message preached that pleases God to save those who believe (1 Cor 1:21).
The message of the Gospel is repent and believe.
The Gospel is not our to edit or “package” to make relevant to people. It is only ours to proclaim.
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