Forgetting the Gospel

I received Greg Gilbert's short book, What is the Gospel, for my birthday. A number of the blogs I read mentioned it as a good reminder for Christians as well as a brief synopsis for the lost. In our day, the gospel has been pulled in all different directions to the point where professing Christians are not proclaiming the same gospel. By way of making it more "user-friendly" to our unfriendly culture, the gospel has lost the nature of its good news. Gilbert's book described this problem, and then went about reminding of us the truths we should be proclaiming as ambassadors for Christ.

Gilbert summarized the gospel into four major points: God, man, Christ, and response. God refers to the one who created us, and to whom we are, therefore, accountable to. Man summarizes the problem facing all of creation. We sinned against God and have no hope of fixing the problem. Christ (the good news) is the only One who can fix the problem. Through His perfect life as the God-man, death on the cross in our place, and resurrection signifying victory over sin and death, we can experience the blessings of God and not His wrath. Our response is to then confess and repent of our sin while surrendering ourselves to the rule of Christ in our lives.

While this seems simple enough to share with others, the real problem comes with convincing ourselves of no longer being in desperate need of the gospel. We (and by we, I really mean I) think the gospel is a "once and done" event. We recognize the first three points and respond in faith. Then, we think it no longer applies. I see it in my own tendency to take advantage of the amazing grace given to me as well as live under the yoke of sin. The gospel never gets old no matter how new or old the Christian is. We are constantly sinning, and in need of God's grace to forgive us. The moment we think we are too good for the gospel is the moment we begin preaching something other than what is outlined in the Bible.

Apparently, the problem of forgetting the gospel is nothing new. As I read through The Valley of Vision I am amazed and challenged to see how many times remembering the gospel is a plea made in prayer. My heart should reflect the humility to acknowledge my own neglect and ask for a daily understanding.

Give me to feel a need of his continual saviourhood...I need the same counsel, defence, comfort I found at my beginning...O let me never lose sight of my need of a Saviour...May I always feel my need of him...No poor creature stands in need of divine grace more than I do...Grant that I may always weep to the praise of mercy found