You Need A Better Gospel

Too often, the church hasn't done justice to its own gospel because it has neglected how much the New Testament message is about deep involvement in life with God. Senior New Testament scholar Klyne Snodgrass offers a corrective, explaining that the church will never be what it is supposed to be without a recovery of the gospel. This brief, accessibly written, and timely book shows that the biblical message is about attachment to Christ, participation in his death and resurrection, and engagement in his purposes. Snodgrass demonstrates that understanding and appropriating the gospel of participation conforms with what the church's great thinkers have emphasized throughout history and enables the church to recover its true identity. This book brings the notion of participation in the gospel to a wider church audience. While other studies on this topic focus mostly on Paul's writings, You Need a Better Gospel shows that participation is the emphasis of the entire Bible, including the Old Testament. The real gospel, which offers participation in life with God, is astounding in its beauty and its power for life.

Thomas Chalmers, in his classic sermon entited, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection,” correctly ascribes subjective power to subjective affections, for love does have an expulsive power, whether one loves God to the despising of self, or loves self to the despising of God. But he incorrectly sides with objective justification, full pardon and gracious acceptance as the power that creates love and the engine that empowers sanctification. He is right to suggest that a new affection has expulsive power, but wrong to suggest that the source and power of a new affection is primarily in the indicative benefits. Jonathan Edwards, on the other hand, sided with regeneration for the obvious reason that without a new nature, the natural man can only be constrained by outside considerations (the indicatives) to superficially walk in newness of life (the imperatives). Such considerations mght produce change that rises as high as the outward performance of the Legalist, but it is still only the superficial height that self-love alone can achieve. The Spirit’s work of illuminating the higher glory and beauty of Christ to the soul is the only source of an affection that can be called new. If the expulsive power of a new affection does not dethrone self as one’s primary concern in life and theology, then what exactly is being expulsed by the power of the gospel? If one’s religion does not surpass one’s primary concern for what’s in it for oneself, then one’s self-love may have an expulsive power, but it will be the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus that is expulsed by the power of self-love. The irony of the cross was that Christ was crucified by those who already had a knowledge of God’s steadfast love and rejoiced in spiritual priviledges. The proper force and source behind the believer’s love for God is not found in the objective benefits as they reflect upon the believer’s high privileges, but God’s power alone as it is exerted in the soul by the Spirit imparting a new heart, new affections and a new principle of action that did not exist prior. Good fruit is produced only by a good tree, and however constrained by outside forces, a bad tree cannot be manipulated to produce fruit contrary to its nature.

Is faith in Jesus enough for salvation? Perhaps, says Matthew Bates, but we're missing pieces of the gospel. The biblical gospel can never change. Yet our understanding of the gospel must change. The church needs an allegiance shift. Popular pastoral resources on the gospel are causing widespread confusion. Bates shows that the biblical gospel is different, fuller, and more beautiful than we have been led to believe. He explains that saving faith doesn't come through trust in Jesus's death on the cross alone but through allegiance to Christ the king. There is only one true gospel and one required response: allegiance. Bates ignited conversation with his successful and influential book Salvation by Allegiance Alone. Here he goes deeper while making his acclaimed teaching on salvation more accessible and experiential for believers who want to better understand and share the gospel. Gospel Allegiance includes a guide for further conversation, making it ideal for church groups, pastors, leaders, and students.

Recommended by Professors From: Ligonier Ministries, Westminster Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Reformed Theological Seminary. "Evangelicals love the evangel-- the gospel-- and they love to share it. Trouble is they don't always know the gospel, and they don't always proclaim the true gospel. This clear, comprehensive, and compelling book reminds us just how good the Good News is. It will help Christians, churches, and church leaders know, love, and proclaim the true life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. Read this book-- and then go tell it on a mountain." Stephen J. Nichols, Ph.D., President of Reformation Bible College, Chief Academic Officer of Ligonier Ministries "A clear and biblical guide to the doctrine of soteriology that's deeply theological and yet simple enough for laypersons in your church." Timothy Paul Jones, Ph.D., Professor of Apologetics and Family Ministry, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "In forceful and direct terms, Talley challenges readers to think about some of the most basic and important matters of the Christian life. What is the gospel, and how should we communicate the gospel to others? Talley helps readers of all levels to come to greater clarity in understanding the gospel we are called to believe and to share with the world." Guy Prentiss Waters, Ph.D., James M. Baird, Jr. Professor of New Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary "Pastor Trey Talley provides a robustly biblical articulation of the good news of God's grace to guilty sinners, through Jesus Christ. His exposition of the indispensable components of Paul's gospel from Romans shows the standard that our presentations of the gospel, whether in public preaching or in personal evangelism, must meet. Pastor Talley pulls no punches in his critique of defective and misleading approaches to evangelism; but his boldness is driven by the high stakes involved: eternal life and joy in communion with the living God, or eternal condemnation and anguish under God's just wrath. Words matter, and this book shows how crucial it is for us to choose our words well as we speak on behalf of the God of holiness and mercy, into the lives of people who desperately need to be reconciled to him, through the only mediator between God and humans, Christ Jesus, son of God and son of David." Dennis E. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Practical Theology, Westminster Seminary California Brief Overview: Would you like to know and understand the doctrine of salvation better? Do you desire to communicate the gospel clearly, correctly, and without confusion? Do you have questions about your salvation or the salvation of others? Would you like to be able to witness to your friends, co-workers, and family members with confidence that you are sharing your faith the right way? If so, then this handbook on evangelism is for you! The details of the gospel have become less known by professing Christians and have been replaced with gospel distortions which are powerless to save. Professing Christians have added, subtracted, softened, and twisted the gospel to the point that creative license with the gospel is now the norm. However, false gospels only produce false Christians who have a false assurance of salvation. What is the solution? We need Christians who know, believe, and share the true gospel of God. Stylistically similar to Dr. R. C. Sproul, Dr. Trey Talley, a church planter, elder, and doctoral graduate of Ligonier Academy, takes on this task with theological precision, yet with a teaching style that is simple and straight forward.

What Is God’s Grace—and What Does It Mean for You? Grace. It’s a word we’ve heard since the very first step in our faith journey—but do we really believe in God’s grace? Grace raises eyebrows. It begs questions. Grace turns everything upside down. The Grace Message invites you to discover the best flavor of Christianity and celebrate the good news of the Gospel to the fullest. Here, you’ll learn: • how to abandon rule-based living and stop trying to measure up • why your new identity in Jesus matters more than you can imagine • how you can now enjoy God’s New Covenant way of grace Bestselling author and radio host Andrew Farley’s no-nonsense straight talk will awaken you to a revolutionary perspective every healthy Christian should have. Life is too short to miss out on God’s best—and what you don’t know can hinder you from experiencing Jesus in every area of your life. So if you’ve been weighed down by ruthless religion, or you’ve been searching for that high-octane version of the Gospel that you know must be out there somewhere, here it is. This thought-provoking book will challenge you to dismiss the lies you’ve believed and to make up your own mind about how big God’s grace really is. “Andrew Farley shows why the good news is actually great news. This extraordinary, battle-tested message of hope and freedom has a proven track record of transforming lives. The Grace Message is bursting with truth. The love of God practically drips from its pages. Read it and see for yourself!” —Bart Millard, singer/songwriter for MercyMe

This is the fifth and final volume of the expository sermons on John's Gospel from the Grace Fellowship Church pulpit. This volume covers chapters 18-21. Featured in this volume are the sermons on the Lord's trial, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.

Modern-day archeologists, in search of the remains of Noah’s Ark and the Shroud of Turin, dig up a find that places the scriptures in a completely different light. They find The Gospel According to Clyde, an unpublished book, edited out of the original version of the New Testament. Often controversial, always witty, the lovable Clyde writes his memoirs of the events around AD 20. Too many critics have unfairly blasted Christians or become shameless apologists, but Clyde holds no agenda, telling things as he remembers them. A silly but tasteful look at the theological issues and the people who cause them.