Still needing the gospel

It’s funny the ways we have come to express certain biblical teachings, characteristics of church, or aspects of being a Christian. Some of these phrases have come to be known as church lingo, adages or “Christianese.”

One potential problem with such communication is using too narrow of a focus on biblical teaching. For example, one of the most often used phrases in evangelism is to invite a person to “ask Jesus into their heart.” That image is used only once in the New Testament (cf. Ephesians 3:17). There are several other biblical ways that relationship could be expressed.  

Consider also how we use the phrase “the gospel.” I would suggest it is most often used as a set of facts about how a person can be saved and reconciled with God. Certainly this alone is good news, but I am concerned that we might be communicating the gospel is for “pre-salvation” and discipleship is for “post-salvation.” Wilhoit (2008, p. 26) uses this figure to illustrate this problem:

Another way church culture communicates the growth process looks like the figure below where the gospel is for conversion of unbelievers and discipleship is for new believers. However, as I think about my experiences in church culture/lingo, I’m not really sure what mature believers receive:

My main point here is stress the notion that the gospel is more than a first set of facts about what God has done through Jesus Christ in offering forgiveness of sins - then comes discipleship. The gospel is good news for the entire Christian life. No matter where we are in our walk with God, we are still needing the gospel.

Taking into account the main transitions people experience as believers, I would suggest the following figure to represent this idea:

As Wilhoit puts it, “The gospel is the power of God for the beginning, middle, and end of salvation. It is not merely what we need to proclaim to unbelievers; the gospel also needs to permeate our entire Christian experience” (2008, p. 27).  The gospel is the power of God for salvation, for growing in maturity of faith, for disarming the power of death, and for the resurrection of the saints to live forever in the new heaven and new earth.

Are you still engaged in hearing the gospel? What aspect of it are needing to be comforted by, challenged by, matured by, educated by, or inspired by? No matter where we are at, we are still needing the gospel.

References:

Wilhoit, J.C. (2008). Spiritual formation as if the church mattered: Growing in Christ through community. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.