Recently, I was reminded that the gospel is good news, not good advice. Think about when we give advice: usually it’s when we’re giving counsel about a course of action, how to do something and make it work.
On the other hand look at what we mean when we tell good news. Suppose there was a king who has just vanquished an invading enemy. Who does he send to proclaim the news? Messengers! Not military advisors.
He would send advisors if he has just lost the battle, to give counsel on what to do next. There would be great fear because they’ll be fighting for their lives.
But when he has won the war, he sends messengers. They would be very joyful messengers, and the response would also be great. But it would be a response of joy and peace.[*]
In thinking about being God’s witnesses in the world, have we ever agreed with this statement:
Proclaim the gospel, use words if necessary?
You may have heard this quip somewhere. It’s used to remind us not to be pushy about our beliefs and instead try to live exemplary lifestyles to win people to Christ. But that’s a misunderstanding of what the gospel really is.
If it really is all about Jesus saving us by his atoning, sacrificial death on Calvary’s cross two thousand years ago, then we should be more declarative about the good news! But if we think people primarily need to learn how to live godly lives in order to connect them to God, then the message we share will sound more like good advice.
The gospel is good news about what Jesus did historically: living the only sinless life and then dying in our place so that we can be reconciled to God. Our part is to stand on this truth every moment (Colossians 1:23). By doing so, Jesus’ resurrected presence empowers and transforms our lives so we then demonstrate the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16). But with our mouths and words we will gladly proclaim this gospel as the sure God-given means of our access into His Kingdom and family!
How can we apply this truth to the way we live everyday? I can see two applications for myself:
First, I want to daily renew my thinking and life in the true gospel, so that I’m walking in its blessed reality. If I don’t, I know I’ll easily slip into a religiosity makes me think I’m more acceptable to God when I’m doing the good Christian things like evangelism, prayer or Bible-reading.
Second, we must know that proclaiming this wonderful news is always on our Father’s heart. In joyful obedience we should do two things:
- Faithful action based on trust in God’s involvement and empowerment.
- Seeking to develop in our effectiveness in how to communicate this news.
[*]I first heard this explanation about the difference between good news and good advice in this sermon by Pastor Tim Keller who was quoting Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones sharing the illustration of the king who had defeated the invader. The sermon can be found at The Gospel Coalition’s website. I highly recommend this site as an invaluable resource.
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