A number of conversations with various folk and listening to a number of developing conversations in the blogosphere like that on Scot McKnights site have got me thinking about the gospel again, and particularly how we witness to people about it.
I would believe that all gospel centred, reformed thinkers (that would be you I hope!) believe that Jesus died to save us from our sin through a substitutionary atonement (1 John 2:2) and we agree that we want people to be saved by God and that Christ's sacrifice might be for them too. The Bible reminds us that God desires all people to be saved. And so our desire is to be part of that great call to salvation in Jesus.
Every leader of every ministry and every HomeGroup leader should be helping those under their guidance to bring the gospel to all in need of being saved. And just in case you're not certain: yes it is your job to be Jesus witness, and yes millions will die this year outside of saving faith in Jesus. The time is now friends!
But here is my thought: our gospel is often smaller than the biblical gospel and our call to respond to it is often not quite what the bible presents. How so? well let me make just two points and hopefully they will get you thinking a bit.
1. The gospel is not just a call to be saved it is a call to live saved. The gospel is applicable to all of life. In fact the gospel is a call to live as part of God's great redemptive story for the earth. Sure it is about being saved, but also about living saved. The gospel has implications in how I live my marriage out, how I parent my kids, spend my money, take holidays, do business and how I spend my time. The gospel of the bible is a rich, full gospel of which repentance and salvation by grace are the start. It is about living by gospel grace too. Which brings me to my second point.
2. The reason so many people live such half hearted Christian lives is that we've called them to believe in Jesus, but we've not called them to follow Jesus. Do you follow me? It's easy to say I believe, its hard to live that belief out daily. Because our gospel is so anaemic we have created Christians who think they are saved because they have believed something, rather than having followed someone.
Forty four Times in the ESV Jesus tells people to "Come follow me". The modern idea of belief is not what the biblical authors intended. The biblical idea of belief is richer than merely intellectual agreement. Perhaps as we witness to people the call should be "come follow Jesus and you will be saved" of course lets not deny that we are saved by grace and that we have little hope of success in our following him, hence the need of God's mercy.
But the call is still and will always remain to pick up our cross and to follow Christ. Many will say they believe, few will actually carry there crosses and follow their saviour to a death of self. But then Jesus did remind us that the way is narrow to eternal life and few will find it.
May you be one of those few and may you do all you can to get others to journey with you. For God's glory alone!
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