(This post was originally posted on June 25, 2010, at the Safe Harbor blog. Image by The Gospel for OC.)
This week has been a monumental one as my wife and I have been so blessed to bring our first little child into this world. As a new father, I wonder how society will evolve; praying that our little boy would be shaped by a biblical worldview that upholds the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ rather than the evolving secular worldviews of the moment. Unfortunately, we see all too often how a secular or humanistic worldview can even shape the message of the gospel – causing global movements and trajectories towardswealth prosperity, liberation theology, or what appears to be a renewed emphasis upon the social gospel.
This past spring, we attended the Together for the Gospel (T4G) conference whose goal is “to reaffirm this central doctrine of the Christian faith and to encourage local churches to do the same.” Underpinned by the conviction that “the gospel of Jesus Christ has been misrepresented, misunderstood, and marginalized in many churches and among those who proclaim the name of Christ”, T4G’s network of churches affirm the inerrancy of Scripture and the centrality of Christ in promulgating a gospel that is ‘unadjusted’ by the tides of popular social thought.
During the conference, Albert Mohler illuminated the trajectories of current societal movements that influence an ‘adjusted’ gospel in the United States in which my thoughts race towards how an ‘adjusted’ gospel extends its branches, globally, through the work of Western-based overseas ministries. In serving the spiritual and physical needs of those living in impoverished countries, we must constantly ask what our gospel message is and whether it is in alignment with the inerrant, unchanging Word of God.
In John 6, Jesus proclaims Himself as the ‘bread of life” (verse 35), which is followed by a discourse on the true meaning of these words. The Jews grumbled (verse 41) and eventually, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (verse 66). Looking at the words of Jesus, it is clear that the followers had a much different expectation of what the Messiah’s purpose was. Perhaps, they preferred to hear a liberation theology, expecting a political figure that would lead them in an earthly reign – “Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself” (verse 15). Perhaps, they would have preferred to hear awealth prosperity gospel in which Jesus’ purpose was to continuously give them their physical desires – “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (verse 26).
Instead, Jesus gives us the words of eternal life that place Him at the center of the gospel – “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (verse 40). It is a gospel that is pure, unaltered, unchanging, and everlasting! Jesus was not concerned with impressive evangelistic numbers or man’s approval; He was concerned with the Truth of Himself.
As I look upon my newborn son, I am filled with an unbelievable joy knowing that the ‘unadjusted’ gospel of Jesus Christ transcends time, social movements, and differing cultures throughout the world. I am excited for a renewed emphasis upon the purity of the gospel that is taking thousands of churches in this country by storm, and am eager to witness how it is already changing and will transform the work of global missions and development in impoverished regions throughout the world.
5 Comments on "The ‘Unadjusted’ Gospel to the World"
That sounds like a rad conference. I’ve never heard of ” T4G”
Thank you for writing this, but I have one question: what is meant by the social gospel? Is it like helping the poor?
That sounds like a great conference. I think the church needs to reexamine what it believes and why we believe it. Epistemology.
Casey – Thank you for your question regarding the ‘social gospel’, as it is a concept that many readers may not be familiar with.
At the root level, the social gospel places the PRIMARY focus upon social justice causes rather than placing the PRIMARY focus upon Jesus Christ, and Him alone. This is the point at which the Gospel is ‘adjusted’. We are undoubtedly called to serve the poor. However, this service ought to flow out of what Christ has accomplished on the cross for us.
Let us always be ready to proclaim the ‘unadjusted’ Gospel of Jesus Christ AND let us always be ready to serve those in need out of Christ’s love for us. However, let us never believe that serving the poor should replace proclaiming the Gospel.
Without completely overdoing it, I am compelled to share some great thoughts from Tim Keller from an interview with Kevin DeYoung (http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/10/26/interview-with-tim-keller-on-generous-justice/):
“[Question:] Any cautions you would give to Christians who are eager to transform the world or make the shalom of the city their church’s mission?
[Tim Keller:] I believe that making disciples and doing justice relate (not exactly) but somewhat in the same way that faith and works relate to one another. We would say that faith alone is the basis for salvation, and yet true faith will always result in good works. We must not “load in” works as if they are an equal with faith as a salvation-base, but neither can we “detach” works and say that they are optional for a believer. Similarly, I would say that the first thing I need to tell people when they come to church is “believe in Jesus,” not “do justice.” Why? Because first, believing in Jesus meets a more radical need and second, because if they don’t believe in Jesus they won’t have that gospel-motivation to do justice that I talk about in the book. So there’s a priority there. On the other hand, for a church to not constantly disciple its people to “do justice” would be utterly wrong, because it is an important part of God’s will. I’m calling for an ‘asymmetrical balance’ here. It seems to me that some churches try to “load in” doing justice as if it is equally important as believing in Jesus, but others, in fear of falling into the social gospel, do not preach or disciple their people to do justice at all. Both are wrong. A Biblical church should be highly evangelistic yet known for its commitment to the poor of the city.”
Wow. Thanks for the info Andrew! That was really helpful. I kinda figured it might be that. I read that interview with Tim Keller and that helped clarify things. I agree that Jesus has to be the primary focus. Really puts things in perpective and makes me wonder if I put him as primary focus versus religion or works.
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