“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” -St. Francis of Assisi
“For Christ did not send me (Paul) to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” -I Corinthians 1:17
I am currently reading Michael Horton’s book “Christless Christianity” and by no means is it an easy read. It is tough on a lot of the current trends across all denominations and beliefs. While reading I came to one place in chapter 4 that made me put the book down and do a little reflection. The quote from St. Francis seen above stood out on the page. Many are familiar with the quotation and it has been used seemingly in all evangelical circles. I do wonder with the popularity of the quote how it holds up in light of Scripture. I do no not deny the importance of living our lives to honor and glorify God as well as living in view of being a light to the world. I simply ask the question today what is the “gospel” and what does St. Francis as well as Scripture mean when referencing this same “gospel”.
In fairness to St. Francis, I do not suppose to fully know his intentions with this quote because I wasn’t around in the 13th century but I can make some reasonable observations in light of what I do know. It would seem he is advocating the gospel as proper living as an example to show others. While there is truth that believing the gospel in faith will necessarily lead to holy living isn’t there more truth than reducing the gospel to relational aspects of how people view me? In reality we are more than just isolated failures…we are sinners in need of a Savior. Even after professing salvation in Christ we will sin but we are nonetheless being conformed to the image of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. When people look at my life I want them to see the grace of God present in order to glorify God. However, no one except Christ is a perfect example to show others so “preaching the gospel” has to be more than just way the world sees me. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
In Michael Horton’s book he says, “I am a Christian not because I think that I can walk in Jesus’s footsteps but because he is the only one who can carry me. I am not the gospel; Jesus Christ alone is the gospel. His story saves me, not only by bringing me justification but by baptizing me into his resurrection life.” This is reminiscent of Paul’s view of the gospel in I Corinthians chapter 1. Paul makes the same emphasis in vs. 17 as St. Francis in the necessity of preaching the gospel. It does however seem to be slightly different in the way it is presented. In this day and age the gospel is seemed to be communicated through relevant means instead of the message of the cross. Paul refrained from relying on any human methods in sharing the gospel. He understood it was imperative to get the focus off of us and to put the focus back on the cross. Isn’t this where the gospel message is located…at the foot of the cross? The cross reminds us all of what we could never do for ourselves absorbed by the death of Jesus in our place. When we share the gospel it should be centered around the person of Christ. Trusting in other methods and putting man in the center “empties the cross of Christ of its power.” Michael Horton explains it as “good news” to preach Christ crucified. “That my life is not the gospel is good news both for me and for my neighbors. Because Christ is the Good news, Christians as well as non-Christians can be saved after all.
Most people who know me well know that John Piper is one of my favorite preachers so I will defer to him in presenting a very clear view of what the gospel is in the short video below.
