Book Review: What is the Gospel?

Title:  What is the Gospel?

Author:  Greg Gilbert

Publisher:  Crossway, 2010; 128 pp. $12.95

Recommendation (4-star scale): 

Not all commendable books are long.

Not all worthwhile books are complex.

Not all valuable books are ground-breaking.

Such is the case with Greg Gilbert’s first published work.  It is not long (only 128 pages; it can be read comfortably in 2-3 hours); it’s argument is simple and clear; and its truths are well-rehearsed for the growing believer in Christ.

But this is still an important work.

It is important because so many seem to be so confused about the nature of the gospel (he provides some particularly telling examples in the introduction).

So the goal of this book is to identify accurately (i.e., Biblically) and clearly the gospel:

When “evangelicals” hold highly disparate opinions about what the “evangel” is (that is, the “gospel,” for that is what “evangel” means), then one must conclude either that evangelicalism as a movement is a diverse phenomenon with no agreed gospel and no sense of responsibility “to contend for the faith” that the Lord has “once for all entrusted” to us, his people (Jude 3 NIV), or that many people call themselves “evangelicals” who do not have any legitimate right to do so because they have left the “evangel,” the gospel, behind.

This task takes up the first half of the book, as Gilbert articulates the truth about 1) God as the Righteous Creator, 2) Man the Sinner, 3) Jesus Christ the Savior, and 4) the Response of Faith and Repentance.  It would seem that these truths would be broadly understood — at least by believers — but such is not the case.  And Gilbert is faithful to explain key terms and passages so that the heart of the gospel is truthfully articulated.  For instance, of sin he says,

Sins don’t shock us much. We know they are there, we see them in ourselves and others every day, and we’ve gotten pretty used to them. What is shocking to us is when God shows us the sin that runs to the very depths of our hearts, the deep-running deposits of filth and corruption that we never knew existed in us and that we ourselves could never expunge. That’s how the Bible talks about the depth and darkness of our sin—it is in us and of us, not just on us.

The latter portion of the book deals with topics related to the gospel — the kingdom, keeping the cross at the center of our lives, and remembering the power of the gospel.  This final chapter is in large part an encouragement to explain the gospel to others (though it contains other themes as well):

If we truly understand the grace God has shown us, our hearts will burn to see that same grace shown to others.…

If you are a Christian, realize that you hold in your hands the only true message of salvation the world will ever hear.  There will never be another gospel, and there is no other way for people to be saved from their sins.  If your friends, family, and coworkers are ever to be saved from their sins, it will be because someone speaks the gospel of Jesus Christ to them.  That’s why Jesus commissions us to go into all the world, preaching and teaching this good news to the nations.

The book deserves a heart recommendation.  With one exception.  The chapter on the kingdom is neither particularly helpful nor Biblically accurate.  For instance, Gilbert makes the statement,

Kingdom is a geographical word for most of us. That’s not the case in the Bible, though. Biblically speaking, the kingdom of God is best understood as more a kingship than a kingdom as we usually use that word.

That’s simply not accurate.  Most of the Bible looks toward a literal kingdom with a literal king reigning over God’s redeemed literal nation of Israel.  That’s simply how the words “king,” “kingdom,” and “Israel” are used.  Gilbert denies this, asserting that the kingdom is now already present, though not in a final or complete form.  This is unfortunate, because the heart of what Gilbert is attempting to say — that there is still something future to look forward to as a result of the gospel — is true for New Testament believers, without having to assert that the kingdom is now present in believers and that Israel has been supplanted.

Overall, however, the book is very helpful and clear about articulating the essence of the gospel and offering encouragement and help in articulating that gospel.