There's a lot of focus on becoming better preachers. The real need is to preach a better gospel.
These thoughts were prompted by a Spurgeon comment as quoted by CJ Mahaney at T4G 2008:
"Whitefield and Wesley might preach the gospel better but they cannot preach a better gospel."
Spurgeon's point is that the power is in the gospel, not the preacher. Amen. But if the gospel preached aint the gospel, then we need a better one.
'Better gospel?' you ask - how can you improve on the good news?
Well you can't improve on the biblical gospel. But you can darned well improve on the gospel preached by some. Here's a false one I hear around the traps (there are others, but this is the devil I know best):
'God is power. We must submit. Since we don't, God has a plan B. It's a wonderfully clever mechanism called penal substitutionary atonement. For those who profess faith in penal substitutionary atonement (and submit the whole of their lives and pass on this 'gospel' and persevere to the bitter end), then... well... they will avoid hell. Probably.'
Lord save us from well illustrated and applied, passionate, persuasive and prayerful preaching of this 'gospel'. Remember that the evangelism of the Pharisees made converts twice as much sons of hell as they were. (Matt 23:15)
What a thought! The perversion of your false gospel is multiplied in your converts. Preachers - don't work on your preaching, work on your gospel.
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I'm continuing this conversation on my blog. I really enjoyed it - thank you. I love any blog that makes me think and yours OFTEN does.
I hadn't heard your example preached in my area, but that doesn't mean it's not and I've just been fortunate to miss it.
Sorry Glen, I'm having a stupid day (or week or...). I can't see the problem. Would you please explain a bit further what you mean here?
Thanks.
I'm sure I've heard that sermon far more often than I would like to have. Great stuff.
Hey flyaway - yes maybe it's more a uk/australian conservative evangelical e.g. Glad it's made you think though.
Jocelyn, I'm just having a moan about preachers who have a horrible gospel and yet they focus on how to preach their horrible gospel better rather than to address the awfulness of the content of their preaching. If we have the true, life giving, surprising, Christ-filled gospel of Scripture then the preaching will be good.
Paul - yes this confirms my suspicion it's an australian/uk conservative evangelical foible. hmmm
The thing is that the same people who preach like that are convinced that they're very solid and rigorous on the gospel. They believe in Penal Substitutionary Atonement after all...
Maybe I recognise it better because I use to believe something not too different from that.
Granted, this is all true, but how about better listeners?
You might find the following blogs of interest about C.J. Mahaney and the group he leads:
http://www.sgmsurvivors.com
http://www.sgmrefuge.com
They tell another side.
Hope this helps.
I agree, Glen.
There certainly is a famine of the Word (the gospel) within and outside the church.
Preachers ought to hand Christ over free of charge, no strings attached, otherwise it is a different gospel.
Theologien, good point!
theoldadam - thought you'd say something like that! I'm liking it :)
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"It is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." Rom. 2:13
The law was changed by adding to it after Jesus' crucifixion. This is the gospel of God.
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