sermonindex
Oct 12, 2010
The Real Gospel - Malcolm Smith
Now there is someone who knows what he is talking about!
Thank God for the Gospel and for those who can communicate it clearly.
Something at first didn't sit right with me about this one. And then my mind started to ponder on what he said.
"If we're going to really tell the Gospel we should get it strait"
Ok. Agreed.
"The Gospel they presented was, that if this person would repent and if they would believe, then they could get forgiven and saved.... that's not the Gospel. That's telling you to do something." (note the last part)
Wait. Hold up a second.
"Have you heard the news? That God so loved you, He joined you, He took you into Himself, HE HAS FORGIVEN YOU, HE HAS RECONCILED YOU, HE HAS DELIVERED YOU. Have you heard the news? That you are welcome, into the dance of God."
He's done nothing of the sort for the unrepentant. He has made every one of those things a possibility, but none of them a reality until repentance.
"Faith is not some work that I do.... I respond to the news"
Ok. Fair enough. But how is repenting different than responding (I don't mean in a literal sense), in relation to one being something that one does, and the other being somehow different? According to him, repentance is changing ones mind. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't responding also be something one does? By the same standard I mean?
The reason why I think this stuff just didn't add up so well, is because I remembered that I didn't see the Gospel preached this way by Christ, or the disciples.
Jesus preached repentance. Mark 1:14-15
John preached repentance. Mathew 3:2
Peter preached repentance. Acts 2:38
Paul preached repentance. Acts 17:30
Malcom Smith says we're already forgiven, accepted, and delivered.
4 to 1.
Now, before I get the retractors who will say, "He talked all about repentance right after that!" Yes. He did. That it means changing your mind about Jesus. Ok. So now I've changed my mind about Christ. He'd God. Most of America believes that he's God. So what?
I don't really care where he went after this, or how solid he was on some of the other points. The initial foundation lain is so unstable that the truth will be too heavy to be supported by it.
The death and propitiation of Christ (i.e. the Gospel) not mentioned as part of "The Real Gospel" as presented in this video.
Something just won't sit right with me referring to this message as "The Real Gospel". Which is sad, because I was honestly looking forward to some real Gospel preaching.
Hey Tuc,
Thank you for posting this link. I had never heard of Malcolm Smith before, but now I think I will be eternally grateful for hearing this man.
I do have one complaint though...the other day, while doing some plumbing in my bathroom, I became so engrossed in his talk on the mystery of the Gospel, that I was not able to finish the job. :)
He understands the Gospel and he understands how to live out of the Gospel.
Thanks again,
Michael
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