A Half Gospel Equals No Gospel

Years ago a Christ-rejecting gospel mocker asked me, “If your Jesus and His gospel are all that you claim them to be, why aren’t more people interested?” My response, “My Jesus and His gospel require a person to turn from their evil ways and turn to God. Most of them are like you, they won’t do that.” I realize now that I short-changed him with that answer. I should have added, “If more preachers in pulpits would listen to the Holy Spirit instead of the devil, the reality of Jesus Christ would be more evident.” So who are those listening to the devil? One answer today: those embracing the “seeker-friendly” lie that says one must meet the needs of “the un-churched” if they want their church to be relevant.

It seems “seeker-friendly” was the way to go in the 1920’s too, even if that terminology was not used. “The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness.” AW Pink. That’s a sad statement but I’ve found it to be true. Nobody wants to go to hell; nobody wants to end up in the lake of fire Revelation 21:8, and almost nobody wants to let go of their carnality and wickedness.

There’s much mention on church websites of commitment to mission and evangelism but it’s difficult to find one that lines up with this statement made nearly sixty years ago: “Evangelism must start with the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the demands of the law, and the eternal consequences of evil.” D. Martin Lloyd-Jones. Most evangelism doesn’t even end with those things let alone start with them! ‘Jesus loves you’ ‘Jesus died for you’ ‘Jesus wants you to be at peace’ ‘Jesus forgives you’ ‘Jesus has a plan for you’ ‘Jesus seeks your friendship’ … and on it goes. That’s not the whole gospel, that’s a half gospel and I have settled in my heart that a half gospel equals no gospel! A half gospel will send you to hell just as quickly as no gospel. Why?

Answer: You come to Jesus according to your terms. You view your sin according to your terms. You seek forgiveness according to your terms. You pray according to your terms. You read the Bible according to your terms. You attend “church” according to your terms. You “serve” God according to your terms. Everything you do is according to your terms. That’s the major result the “seeker-friendly” lie produces; that’s not biblical mission and evangelism, it makes a mockery of everything the Lord lived, died and rose again for. For me there’s nothing sadder than to witness a devil-listener standing on his platform proclaiming, “Congratulations, you’ve joined the family of God.” When the half-gospel recipient is congratulated, that’s what he does – he congratulates himself from thereon.

So why does the seeker-friendly preacher preach a half gospel? There could be all sorts of reasons, but here’s one grand reason why: “Any time the gospel is preached clearly and boldly, it will produce conflict and people don’t like conflict.” Martin Luther. Do you get it? It produces conflict! He doesn’t like conflict; neither do his listeners. Besides, he can’t afford conflict; he wants to build, grow and maintain his empire. He needs money for that and he knows he’ll get plenty of it, but only on the proviso that he tells people what they want to hear. There’s not a devil-listening preacher anywhere in the world that doesn’t operate that way whether he’s built a church of one hundred people or ten thousand people.

Many Christians are fond of slogans. Some quote slogans more readily than they do the Scriptures – especially this one: Christians are not perfect, just forgiven. It’s a lie, but it fits perfectly with seeker-friendly theology. It doesn’t fit Jesus’ theology; He told us the opposite Matthew 5:48. To be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect is not a slogan, it’s a command. Half-gospel recipients don’t respond to commands, they’re offended by them; they respond to invitations! Invitations are appealing, commands are repelling. That’s why God’s Ten Commandments are never a serious part of today’s “evangelistic” messages. ‘Idolater’ ‘rebel’ ‘blasphemer’ ‘pervert’ ‘God-hater’ ‘devil-worshiper’ ‘wretched’ ‘liar’ ‘thief’ – you won’t hear that kind of language being used.

But unless we come to terms with the reality that this is what each of us is in God’s eyes without repentance, we will never come to revere the holiness and righteousness of God, nor will we be motivated to seek it for ourselves. Yes, we will talk about God’s love, His mercy, His peace, but for the most part that’s all it is – talk. Even Christ-rejecting gospel mockers pick up on that! To be ever seeking the holiness and righteousness of God is the only way for a Christian to come to terms with his or her carnality and wickedness, see it for what it is and desire to get rid of it. Seeker-friendly preachers are always telling half-gospel recipients that, He shall give you the desires of your heart Psalm 37:4, but never in the context of desiring holiness and righteousness.

Whenever seeker-friendly churches give opportunity for their people to, “come to the front for prayer and ministry” it can be guaranteed half-gospel recipients will go forward. And when asked what it is they want prayer for, it will usually be for the thing they asked prayer for the last time and the time before that and the time before that! But the reality is such people are never going to change unless the whole gospel is preached to them and they fully embrace it. Jesus said, the truth shall make you free John 8:32, not half the truth. Just like a half gospel, a half truth is no truth! That is not to say we must be in possession of all the truth, for we are all at different stages in our walk with God. However, what we do possess must harmonize with the Holy Spirit, not disharmonize.

A young man came for ministry one time, “desperate to get rid of these demons!” Looking into his eyes, demons were there alright, but he went away with them too. He wanted release, but according to his terms. In talking with him it became clear he was one who had at some earlier time “made a decision for Jesus” but not a commitment to Jesus. In other words he had never repented and did not want to repent when he found out what that would truly mean for him – surrender of self – death to self; life in Christ – live for Christ. He loved his sin too much to trade it in for those. “Isn’t there anything you can do?” he asked. Seeker-friendly churches have many such people, every one of them believing they’re in possession of heaven, avoiding the lake of fire.

Jesus told the apostle Peter, Feed My lambs…….Tend My sheep…….Feed My sheep John 21:15-17. When a pastor or evangelist backs away from preaching, the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the demands of the law and the eternal consequences of evil in his evangelistic message, he’s less likely to be one Christ’s sheep and more likely to be one of Satan’s goats! For the most part, that’s all he can produce too – goats. The church was warned of something similar back in the days of Charles Spurgeon who said: “A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.” Whatever it became after his time, certainly that time is our time. The seeker-friendly crowd is infested with both.

There’s not a Christian anywhere who hasn’t heard the lie, “We all worship the same God.” In relation to the world’s different religions, it’s the catch-cry of Muslim-appeasing politicians and church leaders everywhere. But have we ever stopped to consider the same lie is perpetrated  in the church? The apostle Paul certainly did; that was his concern at the beginning when he spoke of another Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel 2 Corinthians 11:4. And he was not simply referring to religious cults and glaringly false churches. This is the Jesus, spirit and gospel multitudes of half-gospel recipients have responded to. Is it any wonder political correctness rules the day in those places? Is it any wonder a half gospel equals no gospel?

It is a grand thing to know that biblical Christianity does announce a Savior from hell; that cannot be doubted. But it is a grander thing to know that it announces a Savior from sin. What is sin? Sin is rebellion against God. A sinner is a rebel. Rebels go beyond the limits and boundaries God has set. Rebels do wrong before right. Rebels fail to come up to the standards set by God? What are the standards? They’re revealed throughout the Bible, but they’re summarized in the Ten Commandments. Rebels go their own way in life. Rebels are self-willed not God-willed. To not be God-willed is the greatest sin of all. Why? Firstly it deeply offends holy God, secondly your unholy life doesn’t work. That too offends God. Rebels say their life works, but deep down they know it doesn’t!

Rebels believe if they fully surrender their life to God He’ll take away all their freedom and liberty. The reality is you have no freedom and liberty until you do fully surrender your life to Him. That’s why it’s called the gospel, not a half gospel. The gospel shows us without God, we are helpless, hopeless and useless. That was never God’s plan for any human being; His plan was for us to be helpful, hopeful and useful. Sin fills us with the former but deprives us of the latter. That’s one reason why Jesus tells us, without Me you can do nothing John 15:5. “Cannot think a good thought, speak a good word, or do a good action; can neither begin one, nor, when it is begun, perfect it. Nothing is to be done without Christ, without his Spirit, grace, strength, and presence.” John Gill.

Jesus will not return unless the falling away comes first 2 Thessalonians 2:3. ‘Apostasy’ is the word for this – the falling from faith in the gospel and the purity of its doctrines, discipline and worship. Seeker-friendly pastors and evangelists are an apostate people. In these end times, they are one reason we have half-gospel recipients among us. I also believe they are one reason Jesus’ return can’t be too far off! What to do then?Renounce seeker-friendly theology. Embrace the full gospel. Give the Lord Jesus your rebellion, separate from devil-listeners, surround yourself with God-listeners and learn from them how to become one. A half gospel equals no gospel. “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God………he cannot enter the kingdom of God” John 3:3, 5.