7 Things We Commonly Misunderstand about the Gospel

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The gospel is not just about salvation; it is about our eternal lives. And that eternal life begins right here, right now. The gospel is also about how we live our lives in this here and now. It means changing who and what we are. It means growing in our faith and in our relationship with Him. When we truly give our hearts to Christ, it means the Holy Spirit takes up residence there. It means we are now a child of the Most High God. 

Christians are called to change how we feel, how we think, how we act, and how we speak. We are to get rid of bad character traits and continually put on the right character traits – all through the Holy Spirit.

Yet, we see so many who identify as Christian, but their lives and behavior don’t seem to change. Living the gospel in your life means being a citizen of heaven and living worthy of the gospel of Christ. This involves striving together for the faith of the gospel and not being afraid to let others see that we are different from the rest of the world.  

Let me ask you this – do you put as much effort into being a disciple of Christ as you do other aspects of your life? We cannot simply give Jesus a part of our lives – equal with our careers, our families or our entertainment. He is to be everything to us. 

Jesus told us clearly, we must be willing to lose our life for Him, to truly gain it. 

“Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).

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“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Luke 18:11-13).

The gospel is not a new set of rules to follow. 

Biblically speaking, fundamentalism was originally built on the essentials of the Christian faith. Over time however, Christian fundamentalists have seemingly added to that list of essentials. They began to add requirements: Jesus plus something else. Seemingly, as the morals of society deteriorated, the list of “something else” grew larger.

Fundamentalism today too often resembles a return to a rules-based religion versus grace-based faith. Fundamentalists apply behavioral standards required of those who have already been saved by grace through faith, and then often expect non-believers to behave accordingly.

Rules, rites, rituals, and laws save no one. Not a single heart is changed by following legalistic rules or by legislation changing the law, no matter how well intended. 

Throughout his epistles, Paul goes to great lengths to differentiate being saved by grace from the Law. The Law saved no one then and saves no one now. The Law leads only to death – even the Law written on stone tablets (2 Corinthians 3:7). James, the brother of Jesus, explains further that our faith is what leads us to a change in our behavior – to “good works” (James 2:17-20). We are called to emulate the life of Jesus. Truth – but truth in grace and love, so others can come to a relationship with Christ.

There must be a balance between truth and grace. Too much grace leads to progressive fundamentalism. Too much truth leads to legalism.

In other words, as a result of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are saved for eternity through faith in Him. There is nothing more we need or can do to “earn” eternal life.

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"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside” (1 Corinthians 5:10).

How often today do we hear of Christians yelling at non-believers – judging their behavior or their morals? This is especially true as our society continues to divide itself along what many consider moral values. Yet, the very things we believe, the moral standards we believe in – what we are taught in Scripture and the behaviors we are supposed to learn – are all intended for those who believe in Jesus Christ, and that He rose from the dead.

We cannot expect others to behave or believe as we do if they are of this world. In other words, if someone is not a disciple of Christ, we cannot expect them to behave as if they were. We cannot share the love and grace and mercy and forgiveness of Jesus while pointing a finger of blame and exclaiming “you’re wrong!”

We cannot expect a non-believer to have the same morals and beliefs as a believer. Changes in behavior and in morals come after faith in Christ. Good works and good behavior come as the result of our faith. Faith does not come as the result of good behavior.

More importantly perhaps, simply changing someone’s behavior will do nothing to help them achieve eternal salvation. Only a relationship with Jesus can do that.

Today, we too often see Christians holding the secular world in contempt and condemnation, while overlooking our own sin.

“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world” (1 Corinth. 5:9-10).

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“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Forgiveness often seems incredibly difficult. Forgiveness of our enemies seems so contrary to our human nature. After all, the Bible says “…an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” (Leviticus 24:17-22). That’s what I believe in! You hurt me, I’m going to hurt you back! Or at least hold a grudge against you forever. It often seems like the thought of forgiving someone who has hurt us deeply seems completely unrealistic. We have no desire to forgive our own personal Judas.

And yet…

Who are we really punishing when we hold resentment? When we hold onto a grudge like it was a prized possession? Who are we hurting except for ourselves, and perhaps those around us? Can you really live in peace with hatred in your heart? When we forgive, it is not our enemy we are releasing from a prison of hate – it is for our own good.

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In other words, while we were still enemies of God, He still loved us so much that He was willing to die for us. Isn’t forgiving our enemies the least we could do in return?

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15).

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“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all’” (Mark 9:35).

It is so easy today to put other stuff at the forefront of our lives. Oh, let’s face it, we may talk a good game, but when it comes right down to it, we are living for us. For our homes. Our families. Our careers. 

Yet Jesus taught precisely the opposite in so many ways.

• We are to put others above ourselves (Mark 9:35).
• It is better to serve than to be served (Mark 10:44-45).
• Treat others as we want to be treated (Luke 6:31).
• Give freely to others (Matthew 5:42).
• Lay down our life for others – as Jesus did for us (John 15:13).

It is so easy in our own comfort to fail to see the struggles going on around us. I don’t mean only those who are homeless – which is indeed a national crisis – but rather those who are destitute and have nowhere else to turn, or who are simply struggling and need help. 

Yet, serving others does not have to be a radical act; we can start with baby steps.

• Give. Give of your time, your talents and treasures. Dontate clothing or furniture or whatever you have to charity.
• Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their yardwork or shoveling snow off their driveway.
• Let someone else go first at the supermarket, or even at an intersection while driving.
• Want to do more? Get involved in a local organization that helps out in your community.

We never know how a small step from us might have a huge impact on others – letting then see the love of Christ in you.

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” (Matthew 25:40).

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“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

We as the Church seemingly take a great deal of care in bringing people to the Lord, as we should. This is critical in living out our faith and living out the gospel. But we cannot stop there, for there is so much more to be done. Jesus’ last message to us, known as the Great Commission, is not just about creating converts who say “I’m giving my life to the Lord.” We must be willing to take it a step further and help them move from young Christian convert to disciple of Christ.

Let us remember Jesus’ Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. The message of the gospel is sown – yet can be snatched away by the evil one. Other seeds fall on rocky soil – referring to someone who hears the word and receives it with joy – but it lasts only a short time, since they have no root. Other seed falls among the thorns – they hear the word but worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word out, rendering it unfruitful. 

No. It is our duty to help the seed cast on good soil. We are to be a guide to those hear and understand the word – not just to accept it, but to help “…produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 18:23b).

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“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:22-23).

We must remain diligent that we are living our lives as disciples of Christ. We must be doers of the word and not just hearers. 

We know the lessons of the gospel. It is ours to live them out. To live them so that we can be “blessed in all we do.”

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it - they will be blessed in what they do” (James 1:23-24).

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