Matt Chandler has written a book called The Explicit Gospel. It is important to probe his meaning of explicit which means “stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.” It is also important to probe the meaning of the word Gospel. Christians probably know that Gospel means “the record of Jesus’ life and teaching in the first four books of the New Testament.” Maybe someone reading this post is a bit unclear on the meaning of “Gospel.” My intent is not to insult readers, just be explicit.
What Chandler proposes to do with his book is be very clear that too many Christians today just don’t know much about the Gospel. He writes “people have heard the Gospel but didn’t have the spiritual ears to truly hear it, to receive it” [12]. What has happened to many Christians is they have heard a version of the Gospel [from the pulpit] but they have not taken the time on their own to probe the meaning of the Word through ongoing discussion with others or ongoing personal study. They assume they have a knowledge of God’s word. Again, Chandler writes “the Gospel has been merely assumed, not taught or proclaimed as central. It hadn’t been explicit” [13].
Chandler cites example after example of people who have been raised in the church but they don’t have much knowledge of God’s Word. I like the way he describes these people: believers who practice “moral, therapeutic deism”. The idea behind this notion is that if we “clean up” our behavior, we will earn favor with God. God may have entered a person’s heart, but after that, the believer takes over. There is no longer a need to rely on God for spiritual growth. Some would see this as even more complex; moral therapeutic deism is really the siren call of the American idea of self-help. Believers need to concentrate on self-actualization and self-fulfillment. God is relegated in the process as your cheerleader as you do all the work to be the best you can be.
That is not the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
What is wrong with this version of the Gospel? There is too much self-reliance and not enough Jesus reliance.
What is wrong with this version of the Gospel? Jesus is not in the center of it all as He should be. I turn to the Apostle Paul who expresses his debt to Christ in Galatians 2: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Paul’s reference to the law is to Jewish law, the Pharisee’s 1st Century version of moral therapeutic deism [that is a “stetch”, but maybe you get my point].
If Christ died for us to achieve righteousness through self-actualization and self-fulfillment, He died for no purpose. We don’t need him. He is not central to the process. The driving force of our transformation into more righteous beings is not through the Helper, the Holy Spirit or the Divine Counsellor; it is our self-centered efforts at self-righteousness.
This is the way I was raised in the church so when Chandler expresses his disappointment in believers who don’t really know the power of Jesus Christ as expressed in the Gospel, he is disappointed in me. Church attendance, Sunday school membership, going to Bible Study on Wednesday night, journaling, Bible reading plans, committee membership at church, choir singing etc., all that does not matter one bit if I don’t have Jesus Christ as the center of my life. That is why I am working on new posts for his book. I have realized that I have just been typing thoughts to create blog posts and I have not been taking the time to ask why. [Maybe I am admitting I did not have Jesus Christ as the center of my writing]. When I am under great pressures in life [as I have been lately] I forget to draw upon the Gospel for my needed strength. I chafe at my inability to have peace in my life. I long for control when I cannot have it. I go “through the motions” of live expecting some righteous reward and it is not forthcoming. This can destroy my faith.
I forget that my Lord and Savior are with me, in my time of trouble and that all will eventually be well according to His purposes, not mine. My life is not all about my desires. It is about Christ and what I can do to further His Kingdom. I should live by faith but instead, I have a desire to live in the flesh. Life should be a “bowl of cherries” and lately it has not been. How should I handle this season of troubles?
I should have even greater faith.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” [the book of James].
When times are wonderful, we should praise God. When times are troubling, we should praise God. We owe all that we have in this life to Jesus Christ. There is not condemnation for any of us, for Christ has set us free. It is not our doing; it is due to His sacrifice on the cross. When we try to live a perfect life, expecting a perfect result in the afterlife, we are not living a life based on the explicit Gospel. We are living a life based on self-righteousness. Jesus never tells his followers to have pride about their faith; he models humility in his obedience of His Father’s will. He preaches about God’s chosen ones as those who are patient, gentle, humble and meek.
I quote Chandler’s words about his reliance upon Jesus: “My sin is in the past: forgiven. My current struggles: covered. My future failures: paid in full all by the marvelous, infinite, matchless grace found in the atoning work of the cross of Jesus Christ” [15].
The explicit Gospel: His work, not mine.
St. John Studies 