Why Preach The Gospel?

Why preach the gospel? For those in the fellowship of the saints in a Bible-believing and Bible-preaching church, this question might seem overly simplistic or simply redundant. But even in Paul's day there were those who had already strayed from the basic task given to His churches of preaching the gospel. Paul wrote to the church at Galatia about this problem.

Our world is daily bombarded with a variety of gospels. Some preach a social gospel. A gospel that is focused upon the social ills of our culture. This gospel is based upon the false concept that life in the here and now is what really matters. After all, they contend, those who believe in hell, judgment and life beyond the grave, are just wistful dreamers looking for the panacea of pie in the sky by and by.

Others preach a revolutionary gospel. A gospel that advocates violent change at the end of a gun barrel. This is an egalitarian gospel. Strangely equating real happiness with the concept of everyone possessing an equal amount of material goods, no matter how little each might have. During the cold war era much of the budget of ungodly ecumenical groups was expended in support of revolutionary movements in Central and South America, Africa and Asia. Movements dedicated to the violent overthrow of governments to achieve change. The fall of the Berlin wall made it obvious that this gospel just doesn't work. Those who might be puzzled by the position of the present pope on social issues, need look no further than his nurturing in the revolutionary gospel prevalent in Latin America in his earlier days.

Some preach a gospel of humanism. This gospel begins with the false premise that man is innately good. That he has within him a tiny spark of divinity. A bit of judicious fanning will bring out the divine. The spark will then flame into a roaring collective fire that will ultimately bring about a materialistic utopia on the earth. It doesn't take an academic or scholar to observe the practical failure of such a theory in our world today.

There are those who are more Biblically based who preach a good works gospel. A gospel of working one's way to heaven through the keeping of God's laws, observing rituals and liturgies and ultimately establishing their self-righteousness . Some of the most popular preaching today is focused upon yet another gospel. One might term this the feel good gospel. This gospel presents the basic proposition involved in the power of the positive. This gospel emphasizes the value of an individual. It proposes that if people can be given a positive self-image, then all will be well with them and the world. It ignores many of God's eternal moral absolutes such as, sin, repentance and all negatives. The power of this gospel is in positive thinking and positive preaching.

Why is the true gospel of real repentance and absolute faith not often preached in the power and boldness of God today? Perhaps there is fear of scorn and ridicule or loss of popularity. Such neglect only emphasizes the urgency we should attach to the preaching of the true gospel.