What is the "Gospel"?
by Keith Comparetto
Table of Contents
Part One: Preface & Introduction
Part Two: The Lessons of Church History
Part Three: A Closer Look at Scripture
Part Four: Seeing, but not Perceiving
Today, as some seek the cure for the sick, worldly, modern church, there is in some circles a small awakening to the “lordship” views of the old divines, but the old cannot simply be added to the new; the break with the new easy-believe theology must be clean, or it will be ineffective. A message is not judged acceptable by the mere presence of truth (for some truth can be found in churches of any stripe), but by the absence of error, and the damning error in the new theology must be recognized and exposed for what it is. Those who have weakened the most crucial warning passages in the Bible by teaching them as they have been taught to do (as I once did), whether knowingly or unknowingly, cannot simply throw in an occasional “examine yourself” message – it is like a liberal preacher now and then throwing in a sermon on hell, not realizing his parishioners no longer believe in it. Indeed, there is little difference between a modernist who says “This passage isn’t inspired,” and the typical evangelical of today who says or implies, “This warning doesn’t apply to you, it applies only to Tribulation Jews,” or “This warning [e.g., all of the Hebrews passages mentioned above] doesn’t mean you will go to hell, [even though it says, “whose end is to be burned…”]; it simply means God will be displeased with you” (see Heb. 6:4-8). How clever are the modern interpretations, and what masterful arguments the Deceiver uses! “God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
Certainly, when one puts all the preconceived notions and years of one-sided teaching aside, we must admit that God is a God of holiness, that He hates sin, He does not take it lightly, He will not pardon those who are flippant about it. And lest some would think that God has somehow changed His ways with the coming of the New Testament, we must not forget the sober warning of our Savior, in words that might be spoken to those who would be tempted to look at their church teeming with friendly, busy people, honoring God with their lips, and assume without scriptural evidence that most of them are saved: “Narrow is the way that leads to everlasting life, and few there be that find it. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). It may be uncomfortable to look at the millions of professing Christians around us, including “many” of our own friends and family, perhaps even ourselves, and consider the “many” who may not be saved; but it has been true in every period of Christendom since Christ, and I believe we are unwise to consider it otherwise today.
As serious as Scripture’s warnings to sinners are those to preachers who don’t speak out against sin as God does: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you…. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” (Jer. 23:16-17, 21-22). “That was Old Testament,” some are tempted to say, “and those false prophets were really bad people, and the people whose sins they were covering up were really bad people.” But when we too easily relegate such proclamations to another land and people, we, like the Pharisees, blind ourselves to the probability that God is indeed speaking that same message to many Gospel preachers in our own day.
There has in recent years been a small awakening to the truths presented in this book. But our churches, as they fellowship, entertain, and too often commend themselves, are in serious trouble. Those who preach must be honest with Scripture, with themselves, and with their people. The message of the modern church has deceived an entire generation, and it cannot be fixed with a band-aid approach. I, for one, confess that I have misread and taught God’s message of salvation wrongly for many years and to many people, and for that I am truly sorry. May God forgive me!
Proverbs, the book of God’s eternal wisdom for all ages, states as axiomatic an important truth: “He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him.” When we make continual appeals to worldly or spiritually careless people that say or imply, “You are saved, but you need to get right with God,” are we not committing this sin? Perhaps if those whose preaching such a message would be honest enough with God and with their people to repent and preach the hard truth, we could see genuine revival in our day. It is the duty of God’s people, and especially preachers of His Word, to be as discerning as is humanly possible regarding the condition of people’s souls, and may God give us the wisdom to do so.
“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” (Malachi 3:16-18).
