American Evangelicalism is beyond a crossroads. American Evangelicalism, more than a century ago, came to a fork in the road. Instead of moving down the narrow road of faithfulness, integrity, godliness, love for others, and power American Evangelicalism wantonly opted to take the road most traveled–the road of faithlessness, compromise, godlessness, self-love, and inadequacy. In this article, I will look to the wisdom of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones for help in making the case that if there is any hope for the throngs of professing Christians in America (many of whom are likely unsaved) they must come to realize that it is their faith and not the gospel that is inadequate.
Wisdom from “The Doctor”
I am presently reading Dr. Lloyd-Jones’ Expository Sermons on 2 Peter. While I am only two sermons into the book, I highly recommend it. Truth be told, I would be hard-pressed to find anything Dr. Lloyd Jones preached/wrote that I would not recommend to others. If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, please take the time to read Iain Murray’s definitive biography on the greatest expositor of the 20th Century (Volume 1; Volume 2).
Like Charles Spurgeon who preceded him, and like John MacArthur who proceeded him, Dr. Lloyd-Jones, with a biblical worldview, had his fingers on the pulse of the evangelical world around him. Like his predecessor and like one of his many indirect disciples, Lloyd-Jones had a keen eye for the spiritual downgrade happening in the evangelical church. He watched and warned as the evangelical church in Great Britain and America continued its unrepentant slide in an ungodly pursuit of relevance. The gospel was inadequate in most churches to “get the job done,” to fill the seats, to keep the coffers full.
Oh, most churchmen, then and now, would not say such a thing. They wouldn’t dare use the words gospel and inadequate in the same sentence (although Andy Stanley might). They knew then, as spiritual CEOs sporting the latest in Ed Young, Jr. apparel know today, that to say the gospel was/is inadequate would be blasphemous. But there are times when actions do speak louder than words, and when it comes to the charge of finding and treating the gospel as inadequate this is such a time.
Before I provide some modern-day examples of the “gospel is inadequate” heresy, let’s hear from the good doctor. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote:
“But again, we can go on to add that there is only one faith, in the sense that the only faith is the faith of the apostles. You have obtained a ‘like precious faith with us,’ says Peter; and this is as true today as it was in the days when the Epistle was written. Here, perhaps, is the very essence of the modern heresy. We are so conscious of changes on the surface that we tend to believe that changing times and changed times demand a changed or different Gospel. One of the most difficult things for the natural man to believe is that a Gospel which was preached nearly two thousand years ago can possibly be adequate today. Yet I say that that is the very foundation of our whole position. ‘The faith’ today is still the faith of the apostles. The Christian church is built upon ‘the foundation of the apostles and prophets,’ and however much knowledge may have been garnered with respect to scientific matters, or indeed with respect to men’s hearts, and to the mind and its working, and all such matters, still we come back and see that there is no faith today apart from the apostolic faith. ‘Like precious faith with us.’ This is surely something remarkable and extraordinary. The passing of nearly two thousand years has not changed the position at all; indeed history itself bears very eloquent testimony to, and proof of, the soundness of that contention” (Expository Sermons on 2 Peter, p. 6).
The sermon from which the above passages was excerpted was preached in late 1946, 70 years ago. The world, and the Church with it, was coming out of the fog of the second World War. One would think that the visible church would have come out of this time of great global tragedy with a reignited zeal to herald the gospel. But instead, much of the visible church, as Lloyd-Jones observed, went from one war to another–from World War II to a war against the adequacy of the gospel.
Allow me to give you just a few examples of how American Evangelicalism, by its words and actions, leaves me believing this religious system believes the gospel is inadequate to save souls.
Ways American Evangelicalism Finds the Gospel Inadequate
Friendship Evangelism
I have written extensively against “Friendship Evangelism,” as it is most commonly practiced (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE).
I also humbly submit this sermon to you on the subject of “Friendship Evangelism”:
In an article written for the Christian Apologetic & Research Ministry (CARM), I provided the following definition of “Friendship Evangelism”:
“‘Friendship Evangelism,’ also known as ‘lifestyle evangelism,’ ‘servant evangelism,’ or ‘relational evangelism,’ is a form of evangelism commonly practiced in present-day American evangelicalism. The overarching principle in ‘friendship evangelism,’ regardless of the methods employed, is to befriend an unsaved person with the hope of one day having the opportunity to share the gospel with him or her.
“It is both a common and accepted practice among proponents of ‘friendship evangelism’ to spend an undetermined period of time (days, weeks, months, even years) in an effort to develop a relationship with an unsaved person. Proponents of ‘friendship evangelism’ often see the presentation of the gospel as a privilege given by the unbeliever, or a right earned by the believer, which is made possible through the investment of time and service in a relationship.”
For the sake of brevity, I will simply say this: there is not a single verse of Scripture that supports the notion of establishing relationships with people as a prerequisite for communicating the gospel with people. Not. One. Verse.
For a Christian to seek a man-given right to proclaim the gospel when He has already received a God-given command to do so (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8) is traitorous and blasphemous.
The Christian’s personality, the Christian’s ability to make friends, the Christian’s popularity adds nothing to the gospel’s power. The Christian adds nothing to the gospel’s ability to save souls.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
To make anything man-derived, including relationships, a prerequisite to proclaiming the gospel is to, in effect, declare the gospel inadequate. To make building relationships a prerequisite to proclaiming the gospel is tantamount to saying God needs your help to save people.
Service
“No one cares what you know until they know you care.” You’ve probably heard this pithy statement. It’s the kind of pronouncement that make people at Christian conferences nod their heads, rub their chins, and reflect on how much (in their humble opinions) they’ve already done for the world and for Christ. Of course, like many things that make evangelicals oo-and-ah, there’s no biblical support for the sentiment.
Your relief efforts in the aftermath of a natural disaster will not make a single lost person desire Christ. They might desire the benefits of your Christian kindness. They may even desire to be like you and help others, once their lives are back in order. But bringing relief to the demoralized and displaced will not make people feeling the weight of such heavy circumstances desire to repent and believe the gospel.
The same can and should be said about working a soup kitchen, building a Habitat For Humanity home in Mexico, or teaching African villagers how to irrigate their crops and purify their drinking water. None of these efforts make the gospel palatable to the hater of God–to the rebellious heart that is at enmity with God. None of these efforts make the gospel more beautiful, more meaningful, or more powerful.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
Relevance
Relevance. It’s all the rage in American Evangelicalism. “We’ve got to reach people where they are.” This is one of the battle cries of those who tout relevance as if it is both a virtue and a spiritual discipline.
In a geographic sense, I agree that we, as Christians, must reach people where they are. We should go into all the world and make disciples of every nation (Matthew 28:18-20). For many Christians, going into all the world might mean venturing outside their zip codes. There’s nothing wrong with that–nothing at all.
That being said, while “If you build it they will come” was a great line in one of my favorite movies, theologically speaking, it’s the sandy foundation for much of what is called evangelism and/or outreach today. The prevailing wisdom in American Evangelicalism is if we build bigger churches, if we have bigger bounce houses, if we host bigger VBS events, if we give away bigger turkeys and better clothing in our parking lots unsaved people will flock to our churches and we will reach more people in our community with the gospel. The Bible knows nothing of this methodology. This is not to say that such methodologies are, by default, sinful. It simply means they are extra-biblical at best, with the potential of being man-centered. And these methodologies often cost churches a boatload of money.
When many churches, as well as individual Christians, speak of “reaching people where they are,” they are not thinking geographically. They are thinking behaviorally. What does that mean? It means that Christians have been taught that if you want to reach people with tattoos, then you have to permanently ink your body. If you want to reach people who vape, then you have to vape (I feel old just using that word in a sentence). If you want to reach young men who build micro-breweries in mommy and daddy’s basement, well, then…..
Name the activity, name the vice, and many Christians are finding ways to justify participating in worldly activities under the auspices of wanting to reach people in various secular arenas with the gospel. As a result, some Christians conveniently mask sinful desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16) with more noble-sounding pursuits like “contextualization,” “immersion,” and “relevance.” In the end, for some, a genuine self-examination of the heart would reveal:
“I want to smoke, so I’m going to hangout at vape and smoke shops and call it outreach.”
“I want to drink, so I’m going to build a still in my basement and hang out at bars and call it outreach.”
“Everyone else is getting tattoos. It’s the ‘in’ thing to do. I want tattoos, so I’m going to get some ink and call it outreach.”
“Body piercing. What’s the big deal. I want to pierce my tongue and eyebrows, so I’m going to do it and call it outreach.”
“I want a man-bun…..”
Again, only genuine self-examination will bring about this kind of honesty. Professing Christians who actually think this way will likely only verbally admit it after repentance.
If you think you need tobacco, tattoos, alcohol, video games, man-buns, body piercing or any other hobby or vice to make the gospel relevant to the lost, then you have, in effect, declared the gospel inadequate.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
The gospel of Jesus Christ is never inadequate. What may be inadequate is your faith.
Is Your Faith in the Gospel Inadequate?
The question I have for you, the reader, is this: is your faith inadequate? Does your approach to evangelism reveal a lack of faith in God’s ability to save sinners in the manner in which He said He would?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:14-17).
Are you a Christian open-air preacher (the distinction needs to be made, for there are many men and women preaching in the open-air who misrepresent Christ and are likely not saved) who believes the only legitimate form of evangelism is open-air preaching? Then you’re faith is inadequate. You are not taking God at His Word. You are living as if you believe the gospel must be augmented by your ability and desire to stand on a box and herald the gospel in the open-air. Please repent.
Are you a Christian who believes gospel proclamation without relationship development is an inadequate approach to evangelism? Then it is your faith that is inadequate. You are not taking God at His Word. You are living as if you believe the gospel must be augmented and/or undergirded by relationship development. Please repent.
Are you a Christian who believes gospel proclamation without service, without some kind of involvement in societal betterment, is an inadequate approach to evangelism? Then it is your faith that is inadequate. You are not taking God at His Word. You are living as if you believe the gospel must be undergirded by meeting people’s felt and/or physical needs. Please repent.
Are you a Christian who believes gospel proclamation without appeasing society’s demand for relevance, according to the world’s rules for acceptance, is an inadequate approach to evangelism? Then it is your faith that is inadequate. You are not taking God at His Word. Your are living as if you believe the gospel must be presented in a manner and at a time acceptable to a lost world that has always hated Christ and the gospel. Please repent.
Stop being ashamed of the gospel. Stop treating the gospel as if it needs excuses or apologies made for it. Stop treating the gospel as if no one will receive it without your charisma and help to introduce it like it was your party date. Stop treating the gospel as if it is only the power of God for salvation with your help.
The gospel need only be proclaimed to be effective. The gospel doesn’t need your help. It alone is the power of God for salvation.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
Raymond Redlich says
“Are you a Christian who believes gospel proclamation without service, without some kind of involvement in societal betterment, is an inadequate approach to evangelism? Then it is your faith that is inadequate. You are not taking God at His Word. You are living as if you believe the gospel must be undergirded by meeting people’s felt and/or physical needs. Please repent.”
I submit that “gospel proclamation without service” IS inadequate–not because of any inadequacy of the gospel itself, but because any preaching that stems from a life of DISOBEDIENCE is inadequate. The New and Old Testaments clearly and abundantly speak of our responsibility to help the poor, and those who choose only to PREACH without getting their hands dirty in caring for others are dishonoring God and thus bringing reproach on the gospel itself.
I agree with much of what you are saying. Yes, around the start of the 20th century there was a shift from a true biblical perspective on repentance and evangelism. But at the same time the Western Church also experienced a SPLIT (a schizophrenic split, in my opinion) between what came to be called the “social gospel” and the quest for a pure, fundamental religion. Those who simply wanted to PREACH abandoned their caring for the poor (which had always been a mark of Christianity through the ages) and left it to the government. Personally, I believe that was a dangerous move. And likewise, those today who wish to JUST PREACH–even though their message might be right–without backing up their lives with LOVE, KINDNESS and GOOD WORKS–are not pleasing God. THEY need to repent.
Raymond Redlich says
Dear Friends,
I entered a comment a few days ago, and I’m wondering what happened to it? Are these comments simply taken as feedback for your staff, or are they actually for public viewing? My comments were certainly not disrespectful or out of order–I don’t think–so I can’t figure out why they were removed–unless you just can’t stand the least bit of criticism or interaction over issues.
Raymond Redlich says
So sorry. I now see my earlier comment. Don’t know what happened a few minutes ago–why I couldn’t see it. Blessings to you.
–Ray Redlich