“What’s a Muddled Gospel anyway?”

Recently the Lord led me to read an internet blog post entitled: “Do Unbelievers Really Just Not Understand the Gospel?” Lynda O, the post writer had been going through a devotional when she came upon a reading which stated that “many of the lost fail to embrace the gospel because no one has presented it clearly to them.” The devotional’s point was that many Christians communicate a “muddled gospel” which emphasizes lots of secondary issues, thanks to their leaders’ digressing from the “genuine message.” The devotional stated, “A sure way for Satan to weaken the gospel is simply to prevent its clear and accurate presentation.”

But Lynda O had also been reading S. Lewis Johnson’s Gospel of John series, in which he expressed a contradictory opinion that “people don’t have a problem with understanding the gospel.” He stated that Jesus perfectly communicated the saving message, and they understood it so well that they crucified Him. Based on Johnson’s own personal experience, he concluded that the problem is not with the Gospel presenter, even though they often get sidetracked into “secondary issues,” and the unbeliever hears a “muddled gospel,” the real problem is that unbelievers don’t want to hear the Gospel, so they throw up objections.

Ironically, whether it’s the fault of the presenter or the hearer, the results are the same—the lost are not being saved because the focus on CHRIST AND THE CROSS which is necessary to produce saving faith is being interrupted and diverted by DISTRACTIONS. And what’s even more ironic is that while there is only one message that saves, there are countless millions of “rabbit trails” and distractions, if allowed, that have the power to dilute, interrupt and even sideline the true salvation message.

“Bo”—The First to Comment on Lynda O’s Post

Because this is a blog, others felt obliged to state their opinions, but not necessarily to help Lynda O find an answer to her question, but to take advantage of this, or any other open forum, to unleash their personal agendas, often religious and political in nature.

True to form, Bo comes loaded with his religious agenda, anxious to share his personal theology with Lynda O and all her readers. Bo begins with a credibility attack, pointing out possible theological error as he recalls Lewis Johnson saying he was confused because his mentor did not believe that salvation was 100% of the Lord (an Armenian view). Armenians believe man has a completely free will which enables a “conditional election” which allows both man and God to take part in the salvation process.

Calvinists, on the other hand, which Bo is revealing himself to be, believe that since the fall, man lost his free will and is in total bondage to sin. Therefore, man is unable to initiate a response to God, nor does he want to; therefore, in eternity past (before we were born) God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional, and God gives “irresistible grace” to them (since they have no free will of their own) to respond in faith to the Gospel and remain eternally saved (“eternal security”) regardless of their present or future beliefs or lifestyle.

Next, Bo employs an old sales technic which begins by stating something everyone can (or should) agree with, before introducing what you are really selling. Bo says, “Both synergists [believe God works together with us in effecting salvation] and monergists [believe God alone effects our salvation] confess that Jesus is the Christ and believe “the promise that he made to us—eternal life.” “Receive eternal life” is another way of saying “raised on the last day.” Then, as expected, Bo quotes Jesus from John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Calvinists believe this verse proves the existence of “irresistible grace.” To emphasize his uncompromising belief in his doctrine, Bo adds the following indictment of those who might disagree: “If a professing Christian says he knows—and loves—the truth, and yet believes that once he is born again, he can still be lost, this can only mean that he does not believe in the Jesus Christ of the Bible. He believes—as he does about his salvation—in a Jesus ultimately of his own making. The question is: “Is he (Louis Johnson) confused about, or does he refuse, the words beaming up at him from the page.”

Understanding the process of “Hardening the Heart"

Then, Bo adds this to his post: “Here’s a related question, which a synergist would struggle with: Why does God refuse to open blind eyes and deaf ears, as He says so clearly In John 12:40 (and Isaiah 6:9) about the Jews: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes,nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” The answer lies in another difficult-for-synergists verse: “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden” (Rom. 9:18).

Doubtless, it’s the Father who draws us to Christ with His Spirit (Jn. 6:44). I believe when He draws us with His love, and we yield to His love, our hearts become softer, but when we resist, our hearts become more hardened. There is a natural principle that says,” The sun (son) both melts wax and hardens clay.”

Because of His love, I believe He is very careful to draw us when He perceives (He is omniscient) that we are in the condition of heart to receive His advances. I believe this helps explain why some of us took years before we truly heard and then responded to the Gospel. Pharaoh is an example where God takes personal responsibility for hardening his heart, but then there are times when the text says Pharaoh hardened his own heart, so how are we to understand this? First, “hardening” also means the “strengthening” of his heart or will. Under Bo’s theology, as a sinner, Pharaoh had no free will anyway, so if God made Pharaoh resist Him, it wasn’t fair to punish the ruler and Egypt for that or any other sin! But God did not change Pharaoh’s natural tendency, nor did God force Pharaoh to act against his will. In Exodus 9:13–18, the Lord sent His Word to Pharaoh that even though He could easily put him down with pestilence, He came instead to raise him up (strengthen his heart and will) for the purpose of showing him His power and declaring His Name in all the earth. Remember, God’s name declares His character which includes righteousness/justice and holiness. Even though God loved Pharaoh and the Egyptian people, His love and His name required that the sin and injustice Egypt had perpetrated against Israel, God’s Firstborn Son, had to be punished and it climaxed on that day when Pharaoh and his army were swallowed up by the waters of the Red Sea (Is. 59:19). To this day, God’s righteous name is exalted!

Theology has its place, but…

I believe religious theology (the study of God) has its place, but can also attract certain people, who like the Israelites, were afraid to hear God for themselves, so they told Moses, “Tell us what He said, and we will do it (Deut. 5:27).” And, theology can also become: “Tell us what to believe and we will believe it.”

But the absolute biggest danger of theology is: when we substitute the ministry of the Holy Spirit with human logic and intellect. Jesus never said any BOOK, not even the Bible, would lead us into all truth; but there is one PERSON who will—the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:13). Otherwise, our purpose for Bible study shifts from knowing and acquiring a deeper love relationship with the Lord to merely compiling information about Him.

No Muddled Gospel Here—Paul PROCLAIMED the TRUE GOSPEL MESSAGE!

1 Corinthians 2:1–2 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (NKJV)

Romans 1:16–17 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (NKJV)

1 Corinthians 1:22–24 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (NKJV)