The Gospel is Not a Self-Help Book

I say the gospel is not a self-help book as opposed to the Bible because “the gospel” has been thrown around so casually like, “Live out the gospel,” by “ loving the sinner but not the sin” or “living your best life now,” or, made popular by St. Francis of Asisi, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” That last one I have loved for many years, understanding that the heart behind it is to live in light of the gospel that others might see your good works and be moved to ask you of the hope that lies within you. In recent years, however, I have come to realize in studying the gospel more, and observing the doctrinal decline of what the gospel actually is, that it is very necessary to use words when communicating the message of good news. 

What is the gospel?

To begin with what it is not, the gospel is not [merely] a way to become a better person.

What is the gospel? To begin with what it is not, the gospel is not a way to become a better person. It is not a social justice mantra or the secret sauce to success. My go-to in answering this question is 1 Corinthians 3-4. Paul writes, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” The passage goes on recording to whom Jesus appeared post-resurrection, specific names of eyewitnesses that were still alive in the time of Paul’s writing. We have all heard that the gospel literally is translated as good news. It’s a message first before it is a way of life. But before we can get to good news, let’s talk about the bad news. 

Bad news. The fact is that by any standard–whether by God’s, your mom’s, your best friend’s, certainly your significant other’s, and even your own–we have all fallen short of perfection by any moral measure. Sure, most of us are “basically good people” in that the majority of us don’t murder, rape, or plunder like some rogue pirates from the Carribbean. Yet, in Matthew 5, Jesus calls us to an even higher standard–if we look at someone with lust, it’s the same level of sin as committing adultery (what shows have you been watching?). If we have hated in our heart then it’s on the same level of sin as murder (what are you politics like these days?). So, the bad news is that we really are not good people. Like, at all.

After all, my business is to make believe, but my ministry is to make believers.

I live and work in Hollywood, and I know the distraction factory that it is. Again, when I refer to Hollywood, I’m speaking more about “the entertainment industry” as a whole globally than a physical location (though I do live in Los Angeles). As Christians, we need to stay focused on the gospel message and not get distracted by the the glitz, glamor, and gluttony of our culture. In Romans 15:14-17, Paul urges the preaching of the gospel as “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” When I say Hollywood is a mission field, the mission isn’t to entertain, but to proclaim the gospel. The mission isn’t to market to non-believers, but profess Christ as Savior. The mission isn’t to attract the crowds with amusement, but to affirm the truth.

The pleasure factory loves to churn out pretty pictures and even prettier human beings to divert attention away from truth. After all, my business is to make believe, but my ministry is to make believers.  Paul tells us to not “rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5), and as he spoke to the Greek philosophers he didn’t attempt to win them with his own eloquence or acumen, but to preach only “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). When we’re out in the world, we can remember the Bible is full of fallen, broken, unimpressive human beings (just like ourselves) and God used them to demonstrate God’s power and sovereignty. The gospel is not a self-help book–there is no helping ourselves. We need Jesus, and him crucified, and most of all, him resurrected. This is the gospel, the power of God unto salvation–not the cleverness of men.