Sermon Tone Analysis

Chapter 58

Chapter 58

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

Confusion abounds with respect both to the content and presentation of the Gospel of the grace of God.

Some do not present it purely; some do not present it clearly; some do not present it sincerely.

But because God is gracious, He often gives light and faith in spite of our imprecise witness.

I. SOME FALLACIES IN THE PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL

A. The Fallacy that the Gospel Primarily Concerns Other Than Sin

There can be no Good News for the person who does not sense that he needs Good News.

And there can be no sense of need without some realization of sin.

Of course, sin has many symptoms that can alert an individual to the basic problem, sin.

Therefore, a Gospel presentation can focus on lack of joy or peace or the need to have help in solving problems, but those are symptoms of the sin that alienates from God.

Nevertheless, one does not need to be saved in order to have joy or peace or the solution to problems.

He needs to be saved in order to have sins forgiven.

Lack of joy is not what bars people from heaven.

Sin is.

The Gospel believed solves the sin problem.

B. The Fallacy that There are Different Gospels for Different Age-Groups

There is not one Gospel for children, another for young people, yet another for adults, one for unchurched people, while another for those with a church background.

There is one Gospel.

There may be different ways of explaining the Gospel to different groups, but unless the content is the same, those different explanations may create different gospels.

Different vocabulary may be indicated, but those different words must convey the same Gospel.

C. The Fallacy that the Truth is in Other Than the Word of God

Experience can confirm or deny truth, but it does not create infallible truth.

Neither does archaeology.

Neither does fulfilled prophecy, for the prophecies of the Bible were true before they were ever fulfilled.

Neither does apologetics.

These approaches have their place, but only in the Word do we have absolute truth.

Like the apostles, we must preach the Word () and reason out of the Scriptures (17:2).

D. The Fallacy that Cleverness Will Convict

If the convicting ministry of the Spirit is to set the truth of the Gospel before the unsaved person in such a light that he must acknowledge it as truth (whether he believes it or not), then this must be done by the Spirit, not by my cleverness.

Of course, our presentation should be well prepared and well presented, but these in themselves do not guarantee that anyone will be convinced.

God must do that.

E. The Fallacy that Charm Will Assure Results

Insofar as we can exercise control, we should not be offensive as to dress, speech, or culture, but the moment we announce the Gospel we take on the offense of the Cross ().

The message is a stumbling block; the messenger should not be.

But even though he is not, this will not guarantee results.

Charm does not convert people.

F. The Fallacy that Procedures Produce Conversions

Procedures do produce results, but results are not always the same as conversions.

Pressure can produce results; music can hypnotize; settings can intoxicate; and stories can move; but none of these necessarily bring conversions.

A good test for any Gospel message is this: Did the speaker give his listeners something to believe, not did he give them something to do.

II.

SOME FALLACIES IN STATING THE CONTENT OF THE GOSPEL

A. The Fallacy of Adding Baptism

Though an important Christian ordinance, baptism is not a part of the Gospel.

To include it in the Gospel is to add a work to the grace of God.

However, some feel certain verses do make baptism a requirement to be saved.

1. .

The original ending of Mark’s Gospel is the subject of much debate.

It is doubtful that what we designate as verse 16 was part of the genuine close of the Gospel.

At best, it would be unwise to base any doctrine on the content of verses 9–20.

However, it is also possible that if verse 16 is a part of the inspired text that the reference is to baptism of the Spirit.

After all, the Lord would have spoken at almost the same time as He spoke concerning the imminent baptizing ministry of the Spirit.

2. .

Baptismal regenerationists understand this verse to teach that repentance and baptism lead to the forgiveness of sins.

Unquestionably baptism was a clear proof in New Testament times of conversion, whether it be conversion to Judaism, to John the Baptist’s message, or to Christianity.

To refuse to be baptized raised a legitimate doubt as to the sincerity of the profession.

Therefore, when the Jewish crowd asked Peter what they must do, he quite naturally said to repent (change their minds about Jesus of Nazareth) and be baptized (give clear proof of that change).

Though it is true that exegetically the text may be understood to say that baptism is unto (eis) the forgiveness of sins, it is equally true that it may say that baptism is not for the purpose of the forgiveness of sins but because of forgiveness (that had already taken place at repentance).

Eis is clearly used with this meaning in —they repented at (on the basis of, or because of) the preaching of Jonah.

It certainly cannot mean in that verse that they repented with a view to the preaching of Jonah.

So may be understood that the people should repent and then be baptized because their sins were forgiven.1

3. .

The verse contains four segments: (a) arise (which is a participle, arising); (b) be baptized (an imperative); (c) wash away your sins (another imperative); and (d) calling on the name of the Lord (another participle).

To make the verse teach baptism as necessary for salvation necessitates connecting parts b and c, be baptized and wash away.

But rather than being connected to each other, each of those two commands is actually connected with a participle.

Arising is necessary before baptism, and calling before sins can be washed away.

Thus the verse should be read this way: arising, be baptized; wash away your sins, calling on the Lord.

The verse correctly understood does not teach baptismal regeneration.

B. The Fallacy of Misunderstanding Repentance

Repentance means a genuine change of mind that affects the life in some way.

Like other significant theological terms it must be defined specifically by asking a further question, namely, Change the mind about what?

Unsaved people can truly repent but without being saved, as, for example, to change the mind about a bad habit and to break that habit as a result.

Christians can repent of specific sins and stop doing them (; —notice that in this verse sorrow leads to repentance, but it is not necessarily the same as repentance).

And unsaved people can repent unto salvation.

This saving repentance has to involve a change of mind about Jesus Christ so that whatever a person thought of Him before, he changes his mind and trusts Him to be his Savior.

That is the only kind or content of repentance that saves (; ; ).

However, saving repentance may be preceded by a repentance concerning sin (which activates an individual’s sense of need for forgiveness) or a repentance toward God (which alerts him to the fact that he has offended a holy God and therefore needs a way to appease Him).

This aspect of repentance (like ) is still not saving unless it is accompanied by faith in Christ ().

C. The Fallacy of Making Surrender of Life a Part of the Gospel

1.

The question.

The question is simply this: Does one have to make Christ Lord of his life or be willing to do so in order to be saved?

One yes answer puts it this way.

The lordship view expressly states the necessity of acknowledging Christ as the Lord and Master of one’s life in the act of receiving Him as Savior.

These are not two different, sequential acts (or successive steps), but rather one act of pure, trusting faith.

It takes little theological acumen to discern the base differences between the lordship and nonlordship views of the presentation of the Gospel.

2. In the same vein, Arthur W. Pink wrote:

In the same vein, Arthur W. Pink wrote:

Something more than “believing” is necessary to salvation.

A heart that is steeled in rebellion against God cannot savingly believe: it must first be broken.…

No one can receive Christ as his Saviour while he rejects Him as Lord!

It is true the preacher adds that the one who accepts Christ should also surrender to Him as Lord, but he once spoils it by assertion that though the convert fails to do so nevertheless heaven is sure to him.

That is one of the devil’s lies.3

Simply stated the question is: Does the lack of commitment to the lordship of Christ over the years of one’s life mean a lack of saving faith?

Or, as Boice asked, “Is ‘faith’ minus commitment a true biblical faith?”

4 Boice says no, it is not.

Notice that the question is not whether believers will sin, or if they will bear fruit.

All believers will bear some fruit in their Christian lives.

Nor is it a question of whether believers should decide who will direct their lives.

That is an essential question for spiritual growth, and some apparently decide that issue when they believe and some do not.

The question is: Is commitment of life a necessary part of faith and thus of the Gospel?

2. Some examples.