The Sufficiency of the Gospel

The church has a tendency to shortchange the gospel, as unintentional as that shortchanging may be. We relegate the gospel to being almost nothing beyond a simple list of introductory facts that one must agree with in order to be a Christian. We view the gospel as a sort of first step on our Christian journey, after which we can progress to deeper, more meaningful truths. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, when applied properly, the gospel will radically change the way we think about ourselves, God, evangelism, Christian community, and just about everything else.

If we look at Paul’s letters to the various churches, we can easily see that Paul did not consider the gospel to be merely elementary knowledge that is only useful to sinners trying to escape hell. On the contrary, in Paul’s words we can see his desire that the gospel be viewed as something much more beautiful, powerful, and all encompassing. The work of the gospel is not complete after the Holy Spirit regenerates us. In fact, it’s just getting started. Consider the words of Paul in Colossians 1:

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

Notice the beauty of the language. The gospel takes on an almost organic quality, much like a tree. Paul alludes to the fact that the gospel is “bearing fruit and growing” among them. The gospel is implanted in us so that it can bear fruit as we continue to understand its deep implications and practical applications.

We can see different attributes of the gospel in this passage. On one hand, the gospel is a profound theological doctrine. It is theological truth that is centered on the grace of God. On the other hand, it is a living power that will expand its influence on our lives as we continue to unpack its rich, deep applications, much like a tree would grow and flourish as its roots penetrate and expand deeper into the soil.

Paul is telling us that we never get past the gospel. We never graduate to something bigger and better. One problem many of us face is that we fail to apply the gospel to our hearts and lives in a substantive way. As Luther said, “The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine….Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.”

The gospel—the glorious, gracious gospel—must remain at the very center of who we are and what we do. It should amaze us, humble us, enlarge our view of God, motivate us to evangelize, create in us a longing for Christian community, enable us to love the lost, and deepen our love and desire for Christ.

By Matt Monge