What’s Vital but Not the Core
Let’s have a heart-to-heart about the gospel and some related truths that, while important, aren’t the central focus of our faith. You see, there’s a lot that goes into God’s work, and sometimes we can get a little tangled up in the details. But here’s the thing: not everything that’s connected to the gospel is the gospel itself. This might sound a bit tricky but stick with me—I’m here to break it down in a way that makes sense.
First up, let’s talk about the distinct work of God the Father. Now, the Bible makes it clear that God is one—there’s no division in His nature. But within that oneness, God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each with distinct roles. The Father is the one who elects, creates, and sends the Son into the world. It’s like He’s the one who sets everything in motion. For example, when we quote John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son”—we’re talking about the Father’s love and His action of sending Jesus.
But here’s the kicker: even though this is incredibly important, it’s not the gospel on its own. The gospel is specifically about who Jesus is and what He did for us.
So, while the Father’s work is vital, when we’re sharing the gospel with others, we need to make sure we’re focusing on the saving work of Jesus—the heart of the good news.
Next, we’ve got the distinct work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is amazing—He gives us faith, brings about new birth, and lives within us, helping us become more like Christ. All of these things are crucial to our walk with God, but again, they’re the fruits of the gospel, not the gospel itself. The gospel is about Jesus—His life, death, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit’s work flows out of that. So, when we’re talking to others about our faith, we need to be clear: the gospel is about what Jesus has done, and the Holy Spirit helps us respond to that truth in faith and repentance. The Spirit’s work is essential, but it’s a response to the gospel, not the core message.
Finally, let’s chat about what we do in response to the gospel—things like repentance and faith. These are super important, but they aren’t the gospel either. When we encourage someone to trust in Christ, we’re guiding them toward the gospel, but we’re not yet at the heart of it. The heart of the gospel is the historical person of Jesus and what He accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection. It’s this good news that we need to present clearly so that people can understand what they’re putting their faith in.
Our response, as important as it is, comes after we’ve grasped the gospel itself.
When we look at the New Testament, we see that the focus is on Jesus—He’s the one who brings all the promises and expectations of the Old Testament to their perfect fulfillment. This doesn’t mean the Old Testament is irrelevant; far from it! The Old Testament helps us understand the gospel by giving us the background and context for what Jesus did. But Jesus is the full and final revelation of God—He’s the one who makes sense of everything that came before. So, when we talk about the gospel, we’re starting with Jesus and His work, and then we move to how that shapes our Christian lives and our understanding of the Bible as a whole.
The big takeaway here is that we need to keep the main thing the main thing. The gospel is about Jesus—His life, His death, His resurrection—and how that opens the door for us to become friends of God. Everything else, while important, flows out of that central truth. So, as we live out our faith and share it with others, let’s make sure we’re keeping our focus on the gospel itself. Let’s start with Jesus and let everything else find its place in light of Him.
Challenge
So, here’s my challenge to you: as you think about your faith and how you share it with others, ask yourself if you’re keeping the gospel at the center. Are you focusing on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the heart of the message? It’s easy to get caught up in all the important but secondary things, like what we do in response to the gospel or the work of the Holy Spirit. But remember, those are the results of the gospel, not the gospel itself. Let’s make sure that when we talk about the good news, we’re talking about Jesus—who He is, what He’s done, and why that matters. Everything else will fall into place if we keep that focus.
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