Say you were sent back in time 24 hours before the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. Imagine you were given the opportunity to preach the Gospel to all those who would die the following day.
With the knowledge that all these people are going to die indescribably horrible deaths, how would you present the Gospel to them? Specifically, how would you start your message?
This example comes from Ray Comfort’s (2010) book, God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life: The Myth of the Modern Message. In it, he notes how many Gospel presentations from our churches and evangelists today are themed around positive, feel-good messages such as “God wants to solve your problems,” “God will give you happiness,” and “God has a wonderful plan for your life” (which is true, but can be improperly applied to promise a comfortable, rich, and/or successful life on this earth).
Why would framing the Gospel in this manner be harmful or counterintuitive, especially in light of the example concerning 9/11?
Consider Demas, a person who once worked alongside the Apostle Paul in the ministry. As seen in Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 1:24, Paul referred to him as a fellow worker in the Gospel alongside faithful believers such as Luke and Mark. However, when Paul mentions him one last time in 2 Timothy 4:10, a very different report is given.
Framing the Gospel around our happiness, earthly blessings, or our problems being solved presents multiple issues. However, the biggest problem is that it has tremendous potential to make unregenerate people who call Christ their Lord, affix the label “Christian” to themselves, and even go to church and work in ministry, but are not genuine believers. In other words, such messaging is far less likely to create new believers, instead leaving them lost and in grave danger of God’s eternal judgment.
This was most likely the case with Demas, of whom Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:10, “For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” Even though he had even worked in ministry alongside Paul, Demas walked away from it and the faith for his own selfish benefit. Furthermore, he did so when Paul was in prison and needed Demas most.
Judas Iscariot also exemplifies this phenomenon. Despite having spent 3 years following Jesus and even working in ministry alongside the other disciples, Judas did not understand who Jesus truly was (Comfort, 2010). Although he saw the same miracles and heard the same teachings from Christ that the other disciples did, Judas’ heart did not respond with a regenerated, transformed life in Christ. Furthermore, although he presumably went out with the 12 and the 72 in evangelism, Judas’ outward appearance hid a selfish, unsaved heart that led him to steal from the disciples’ collection bag and betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Matthew 7:21-23 explicitly warn of the fate false “believers” will face, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
While it is crucial to note that a person’s conversion ultimately rests on whether they choose by their free will to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, Ray Comfort (2010) addresses how the improper framing of the Gospel has significantly contributed to the alarming number of false conversions:
Imagine that someone invented a parachute that was 100 percent trustworthy; the chute opened every time, without exception, and got the wearer safely to the ground. The key was to diligently follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Now imagine that the packers began to ignore the instructions and use a new “fast-and-easy” method of folding that greatly increased production. Everyone rejoiced that so much time and effort could now be saved.
As time passed, however, it became evident that something was radically wrong. They discovered that nine out of every ten people who jumped with the “fast-folded” parachutes fell to their deaths! (pp. 21-22)
This exemplifies a catastrophic issue with much preaching and evangelism today, especially in America. Warnings of a holy and righteous God who must send unrepentant sinners to hell have been significantly downplayed or even entirely replaced with positive, kinder, and softer statements that emphasize happiness and comfort in this life.
Such messaging fails to emphasize the need for repentance, which can lead people to claim Christ and to pray for salvation without a change of heart via repenting from their sins. Furthermore, it omits how we as believers “are not [our] own, for [we] were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20), which can lead people to treat Jesus as only a traveling buddy or a plus to their lives. Sadly, this kind of messaging is popular today because it draws larger crowds and money, coming at the cost of giving people a false sense of security or reinforcing lies that harden their hearts to the Gospel.
Based on what we learned, how do we properly evangelize and preach the Gospel?
First, the Law (the Ten Commandments, especially) should prepare the way to the Gospel in our preaching and be its backbone (Comfort, 2010). Galatians 3:24 notes this is the Law’s purpose, “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” As Ray Comfort (2010) notes, the Law prepares the hearts of unbelievers to receive God’s grace. This is why Psalm 19:7 (KJV) says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”
This preparation is necessary, for 1 Corinthians 1:18 states, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing.” Ray Comfort (2010) explains this with an analogy of a person receiving news that someone has paid the fine for a $25,000 speeding ticket on his behalf. This news alone would confuse and offend the person receiving it because he would be left unaware of his guilt. However, by first explaining how the person broke the law, then sharing the news of the fine being paid, it causes the news to make more sense. As Ray Comfort (2010) explains, “once you understand that you have broken the law, then the good news that your penalty has been paid will become good news indeed” (p. 53).
Second, our inability to keep the Law should be followed by the good news of Jesus Christ’s salvation. As John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Because breaking God's Law through our sin nature makes us stand guilty before Him, we deserve His eternal judgment. However, because of His immense love for us, He sent His Son to fulfill the Law by living the perfect life we could not, taking upon Himself God’s righteous wrath for our sins, and paying the penalty for our sins through the spilling of His sinless blood. Furthermore, He defeated not only sin but also death by raising from the dead through His resurrection.
Third, we must emphasize how salvation requires not just faith, but also repentance. Acts 2:38 states, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The revelation of our sinfulness due to the Law requires an acknowledgement of guilt before God, sorrow from it, and a willful choice to turn away from it to receive Christ’s salvation. With this change of heart, one can then receive Christ’s salvation by obeying Romans 10:9-10, “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Finally, it should be noted that God does have a wonderful plan for our lives. However, this does not guarantee comfort, success, riches, or other worldly benefits. Nevertheless, those who obey Christ are guaranteed the privileges of intimately knowing His perfect love, receiving His power to overcome sin, and being given opportunities to serve Him. Furthermore, we are promised a perfect eternity with Him where all pain, tears, and suffering are forever ceased. Finally, the persecution we suffer in obedience to Him will be richly rewarded in heaven. If we mention God having a wonderful plan for our lives when preaching the Gospel, we should share these truths over promises of an easy and prosperous life on Earth.
Reference:
Comfort, R. (2010). God has a wonderful plan for your life: The myth of the modern message. Living Waters Publications.