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But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9).
The gospel is the person and work of Jesus Christ—His person (ontology) and His activity (function) are the most vital aspects of our lives. Who we are and what we do are connected (Luke 6:45). Thus, our state of being (ontology) must be like Jesus so our works can be like Jesus. If the church properly understands and practices the gospel—Christ—it positions itself to equip each other in our ongoing transformation into the Christ, which is what I mean by a presupposition to interpret all of life; we have gospelized glasses that provide discernment to pick and choose the most biblically precise way to live.
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice (Philippians 1:15-18).
For several years, I had the opportunity of being part of a local church’s pastoral team. One of my responsibilities was to follow up with our guests. In many cases, I was the first contact our guests heard from after their initial visit. Our local church had over 3000 first-time guests during the five years that I kept track. I fielded thousands of questions about our church. The one question never asked was our church’s view of the gospel. Never. Literally. No one was interested in how we thought about the gospel or how we sought to practicalize Him in the lives of our local body. Perhaps they assumed we were right on the gospel. Maybe they were unaware that we could not imitate Him properly without a clear understanding of Christ (Ephesians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 4:9). I don’t know, but what I do know is the things that were most important to them were almost always tertiary matters.
Questions like, “Tell me about children’s ministry,” “What kind of music do you all have,” and “What other ministries do you offer?” All of these queries are important, but they don’t rank that high on the list and most certainly do not come close to the importance of the gospel. Sometimes, our newcomers would inquire about the second most crucial question when looking for the church: its theology. The gospel and theology are like 1a and 1b. They are two inseparable parts of a whole that determine the kind of church you belong to. Christ is the elevated example you worship, the pattern your life imitates, and your theology brings Him into perfect view. With Christ lifted and our theology informing how we think about Him, we’re in the best place to practically live Him out in our communities.
To those who spend their lives helping Christians through personal, relational, and situational problems, it’s unsurprising to them that our fellow strugglers’ views of the gospel and theological positions are secondary matters at best. These folks tend toward pragmatism: What’s in it for me? How can you help me? There is a clear correlation between a person’s views about the gospel and theology and how they practically live their Christian lives. Without clarity about the person and work of Jesus Christ and sound theology, you cannot live a sound, practical Christian life. Theology implies the primary doctrines of the faith: Bibliology, Theology Proper, Christology, Pneumatology, Anthropology, Soteriology, Hamartiology, Ecclesiology, etc. Perhaps a few questions will help you evaluate where you stand regarding your theology.
Everyone is theological. Everyone has a view and practice of God in their lives. Satan has a theology: he adamantly rejects God. Your church reveals its theology about its mastery of God’s Word, the primary source material to build a theological framework. They shape your thoughts about theology and influence how you apply theology to your life and world. Outside your family, the local church is the most essential theological shaping influence in any Christian’s life. Perhaps this visual of our Theological Pyramid will assist in understanding the structure and process for living a gospel-centered life.
The questions about preferences that I asked earlier do matter. I have preferences about my local church’s music, children’s ministry, and other ministries because I care about our church’s values, practices, and how they will care for my family. You care, too. But in another sense, it does not amount to a hill of beans what kind of music a church plays or the comprehensiveness of its ministries if they have skewed views of the gospel and theology. There is a prioritization sequence that is vital: the gospel and theology come before and set the stage for everything that follows. If the church is not right on the gospel, it won’t be right in its theology, and whatever else it may provide, it will fall woefully short of God’s Word.
I have listened to Roman Catholic music that is hands down better than some of the music in Baptist churches I have attended. I’m not going to join a Roman Catholic church because I disagree with their theology. The Mormon church has some fabulous music, too. They also have a high view of the family, as their video resources impressively present. But their theology is abysmal. The Jehovah’s Witnesses can shame most Christians in their ministry zeal, particularly in the area of community outreach. But we know better. There is no sound theological argument for becoming a Jehovah’s Witness. A local church can provide the most amazing accouterments of religion but not give you a theologically sound and practically replicable Jesus.
Preferences are essential, but our preferences may be detrimental to our souls without a clear understanding of the gospel or sound theology. One of the most effective ways to determine your motive for being part of your church is by answering why you attend your church. If your primary motive concerns a preference rather than (1a) the gospel and (1b) sound theology, I appeal to you to reconsider why you belong to your church. Let me provide you with a list of secondary preferences that should never come before 1a and 1b: music genre, KJV v NKJ v ESV v NASB, etc., children’s ministries, a place to fulfill your burden, preaching style, programs, and outreach. You can do nearly all of those things in a secular organization or a church with awful theology and a zero understanding of the gospel. But what do you have? Without a high and lifted-up gospel, informed by sound theology, you’re in a local church that will not give you what you need.
The assumption is that gospel-sound and theologically precise churches are everywhere, especially in America. It’s not true, and worse in other countries where the gospel has never been or left centuries ago. In areas where there is a shortage of gospel exaltation and sound theology, the good news is that there are more options today than in the past. They are not as preferable, but God will not forsake you even if you cannot gather in a local church. In most places worldwide, internet access puts you seconds away from pastors and churches doing it the right way. Of course, the Internet creates an ease-of-access temptation for those with disappointing church experiences. I understand this temptation in the most painful of ways, as I was part of Sovereign Grace Ministries, an authoritarian, abusive, and corrupt organization that could have been the impetus for me to never set foot in a local church again.
It took me two years to recover from what happened during my tenure with Sovereign Grace. However, we had a church option in our community during that time, and we took it. I would appeal to anyone who has had a horrible church experience not to let what happened to you sour your view of God’s church. Be honest with yourself, and though the choice in your area might not be the most favorable, if they are right on the gospel and practice sound theology, become part of that gathering and make a difference. The response to bad experiences is not retreating, isolating, and walling yourself off from a primary means of grace that God’s Word puts forth to help us mature through the fallenness of our world, especially if the disappointment comes from the church.
Other folks have chosen house churches and smaller gatherings of like-minded believers who adhere to the exalted Christ and sound theology. These house churches are typical worldwide, though not as much in America. They are not out-of-line with the early church and could be an option for those hungering for God’s Word and koinonia. Of course, there is your family. If all you have are the folks in your household, do not neglect to gather for teaching, praying, singing, and administering the Word within your family. The Bible would assume that the authority figure in the home would do this regardless of church options, but sometimes, it’s the only option. As we saw during the pandemic, the suicide rate and psychological complications spiked because folks isolated from each other. Isolation is one of the worst forms of punishment, and no Christian should crave it over the community, no matter how small that community may be.
Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.
In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master’s University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).