The True Gospel
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.
- Galatians 1:6
What is the gospel? I don't think most people know. Some people may think most Americans have heard the gospel, but I beg to differ. I don't think they have. I have heard a lot of preachers talk about the gospel and not give the gospel. We have to be very careful that we give an accurate presentation. Otherwise, it could have a disastrous effect. We don't want to edit God's Word. We don't need to try to make it more appealing by taking things out of it. Nor do we need to make it more complex by adding things to it. We just need to declare it for what it is and let God do His work.
As much as possible, we should seek to build a bridge and be tactful. Then, having established that, we need to share the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ. The Bible warns of a different gospel that people can believe. The apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel" (Galatians 1:6). Let's make sure we give out the true gospel.
Here is the problem: People are not going to fully appreciate the good news until they first know the bad news. The bad news is that we have all have sinned against God and have fallen short of His standards. And if we don't turn from that sin, the Bible says that we will spend eternity separated from God in hell.
Someone once asked C. H. Spurgeon to sum up the Christian faith in a few words. C. H. Spurgeon did it in four: "Jesus died for me." If you know that much, then you are ready to share the gospel.
