The Only Water In This Gospel Is Living

Written by Mark Dodd on February 26, 2010 in Uncategorized - 1 Comment

I would like to address the issue of presenting what many refer to as a “watered-down” Gospel. First of all, I would like to change the terminology by calling it a “compromised” Gospel. I prefer this change of terms because to say “watered-down” gives the impression that the problem with this sort of Gospel is its simplicity. There is no problem with simplicity—in fact, the Gospel can be quite simple—but there is a problem when we leave essential truths out of our presentation of the Gospel. A huge problem.

I recently heard a pastor teaching on the Gospel, saying that what is important is that people trust in Jesus, and that the words don’t matter. This made me sad that people had presented the Gospel in such a way that it seemed like the words were more important than the truths they present. But the fact is this: there are certain words that stand for very important things–things we are willing to stand for and are unwilling to leave out of our understanding of the Gospel. It is enough to trust in Jesus; however, it is not enough to just say we do. What if we don’t know who he is or why we can trust in him? Then our “trust” is meaningless, and it is not in anything real. Jesus, however, is very real.

The truth is that there are many compromised, or incomplete, versions of the Gospel which a person can hear and still get saved. However, we should not be willing to leave any wiggle room when it comes to the salvation of souls. Our goal in the way we present the Gospel ought to be to present it in such a way that, if someone believes in his heart and mind that every word heard is true, and trusts in that truth, salvation is the only possibility. If we were to simply say “Trust in Jesus!” the hearer may have heard (from a person or from the Holy Spirit) enough about Jesus to truly trust in him for salvation. But it is also possible that he may not have. Likewise, if we say, “Believe that you are a sinner!” without mentioning that the Cross saves people from their sin, the hearer may come to belief in the cross, but he also may not. There are some ideas that we must not leave out of our presentation of the Gospel, because if we do, we are simply leaving too much room for Satan and sin to misinterpret the message that we bring.

We cannot allow this.

So let’s look at what these essentials are:

Sin (total depravity): If we present the Gospel to people without telling them that they are sinful, they may not repent of their sin. Furthermore, they may not see the truth of the fullness of what the Cross was for and what it saves them from (Psalm 51:5).
The Cross (substitutionary atonement): On the Cross, Jesus bore the wrath of God, which rests justly on unrepentant sinners. If people hear that they are sinful without hearing that Jesus overcame their sin, they are not led into salvation; instead, they are led into fear. We must preach in fullness. We must preach confidently that on the Cross, Jesus destroyed our sinful nature, paid for its offenses against the Lord, absorbed the wrath we rightfully deserved, and gave his righteousness to those who trust in it’s sufficiency (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The New Birth (regeneration): When we came into this world, through our natural birth, we were born with sinful desires. However, when we come to believe in the Gospel, not only are our offensive actions and desires forgiven, but we are given a new nature–through a new birth–with new desires and a new ability to do good works (which we did not have in our sinful nature) through spiritual gifts (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Now, does this mean that if you don’t use the phrase substitutionary atonement, then you are presenting a false, or compromised Gospel? No. Now, I love those words, and I absolutely think they are beneficial, but I do not place my trust in those words; I trust in the truth that they represent.

Now, here is another question that I already have an answer for: Does this mean if we preach a complete Gospel, then every hearer will be saved? No. Saving souls is the work of God, not us. However, it is our job to tell the fullness of the truth, out of love for others, and the rest we trust to the work of the Spirit. Preaching a complete Gospel is not about control; it is about faithfulness.

Let us be motivated by our love for God, and for one another, to preach the Gospel, simply–but in the fullness of its truth–and never forgetting the necessity or victory of the Cross of Jesus.

About the Author

Mark Dodd serves as associate director at The Gospel for OC and one of the editors of The Gospel for OC | blog. He is also a grade school teacher at a local Christian academy.