The Gospel and Evangelism - Part One

Over the next few days we will be considering some of the implications of a Gospel-centered approach to evangelism (you would think that all evangelism within evangelicalism would be Gospel-centered!) from Thomas F. Torrance's The Mediation of Christ. Although you may not agree with all of his conclusions, I think his thoughts concerning the Gospel and evangelism will help to deepen your understanding of the Gospel itself. So enjoy!

"The Gospel is to be proclaimed in such a way that full place is given to the man Jesus in his Person and Work as the Mediator between God and man, otherwise it is not being proclaimed in a way that corresponds with its actual message of unconditional grace and reconciling exchange. The pattern had already been c learly set by our Lord when he proclaimed that all who wished to be his disciples must renounce themselves, or give up all right to themselves, take up the cross and follow him, and when he laid it down as a basic principle that those who want to save their lives will lose them. Face to face with Christ all would-be followers find themselves called into radical question, together with their preconceptions, self-centered desires and self-will, for to have him as Lord and Savior means that he takes their place in order to give them his place. The preaching of the Gospel in that radical form is not easy, for when we call upon people to repent and believe in Jesus Christ that they may be saved, we have great difficulty in doing that in such a way that we do not throw people back upon themselves in autonomous acts of personal repentance and decision, or encourage them to come to Christ for their own sake rather than for Christ's sake, in direct conflict with the very principle about motives laid down by Jesus" (pp. 92-93).