The Heart of the Gospel by Robert E. Coleman

Author:Robert E. Coleman [Coleman, Robert E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Common Misconceptions

Circumventing Biblical Authority

Without the directives of Scripture, subjective human experience and reason determine what to believe. This danger, inherent in liberal theology, opens the door to almost any kind of aberration, and in its most extreme form, eliminates any need for salvation at all.

Even among neo-orthodox believers, some look on faith as a leap into the unknown, thereby obscuring the objectivity and finality of God’s saving Word in Christ. Such well-intentioned efforts result in undue emphasis on feelings and can lead to excessive emotionalism or radical mysticism.

Once the Bible is relegated to merely an advisory role in salvation, humans can set their own rules. The tendency is either to take away all boundaries or to add new ones that more narrowly define the playing field. Where it all ends is left to the discretion of the players, not the one who wrote the rulebook.

Presuming on Grace

Repentance and faith require an act of the will, yet not without divine assistance. Persons thinking from a humanistic perspective tend to rule out the enabling grace of God. To them repentance is basically a necessary correction from a bad situation. As to saving faith, if it may be thought of in a redemptive sense, it amounts to an exercise in realizing human potential.

Associated with the expressions of remorse and moral improvement may be an assortment of spiritual disciplines and religious rituals, sometimes involving mortification of the flesh—all intended to relieve a burden of guilt and bring a more satisfying life. With it, too, may come ministries of humanitarian compassion with gratifying benefits to society.

Sincere and commendable as these efforts may be, however, without coming to Christ in the humility of grace, they are still self-gratifying. Salvation is made a human achievement. We must not forget that true repentance makes us confess that we have no rights before Christ and true faith affirms that he alone is worthy of our lives.

Divorcing Faith from Life

Perhaps the most common misconception of saving faith comes in living out commitment. What we say may be perfectly correct, but our profession is not translated into daily practice. “Many believed” in the mighty works of Christ and acclaimed him as a great teacher, but their hearts were not in it—their acceptance was merely an assent to a historical fact—but “Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them” (John 2:23–24; cf. 6:65–66; 12:13–19).

This kind of faith seems prevalent in many churches and Christian schools. Doctrinal correctness is affirmed in their founding documents and official public statements, but all too often, the profession does not carry over into practice. How easy it is to separate intellectual orthodoxy from personal integrity!

Despite pronouncements to the contrary, this fabrication of faith becomes apparent in the absence of obedience to the Word of God, a failure especially obvious in the disregard for evangelism and discipleship. Mere lip service to the truth of the Gospel does not produce committed followers of Christ.

Needless to say, the problem is not limited to any theological position or church denomination, whether orthodox or liberal.

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