Ye Olde Gospel!
In 1901, a drink was invented that changed the Scottish way of life. If you have ever been to Scotland, then you will no doubt have been exposed to the wonder that is Irn-Bru. I personally really enjoy this non-alcoholic drink, so the other day when I noticed the 120th-anniversary bottle at the shops, I was drawn to it. As I held the glass bottle in my hands, I was struck by the marketing strategy the makers had employed. Printed in bold letters on the bottle were the words, “Old and Unimproved.”
Those marketing this drink wanted everyone to know that their recipe hasn’t changed; that the drink that became so popular back in 1901 is still going strong in 2021. In our day and age, we see change and development constantly. Everything is improving, everything is changing, but here is Irn-Bru standing strong as an unchanged drink of champions (can you tell I really like Irn-Bru?).
Yet, as I thought about the slogan, I began to wonder if Christians today could make the same bold claims about the gospel? The good news which was first promised to us in Genesis 3:15 is still the good news we have today. It is “Old and Unimproved”, yet sadly many today seek to change the gospel; they want to modify the recipe to make it a little bit more friendly for today’s consumers.
I once saw an advert for a church that used the cheesy line, “this is not your grandmother’s church.” The advertisement then went on to say that as a church they want to focus on the positives, and not preach any damnation and judgement which was common years ago. They were trying to improve the gospel, but in doing so they created a new message.
The gospel doesn’t need improvement; it doesn’t need us modifying it or adding to it. Rather, what we need to do with the gospel is take it and proclaim it just as it is. We have an old gospel that speaks to modern times; the good news hasn’t changed. It is “Old and Unimproved.”
Yet today, the old gospel is not acceptable. It isn’t polite in our culture to talk about sin being an offence to the Holy God. It isn’t right to say to people in our day and age that they are totally depraved sinners who only deserve the judgement of God. It would be completely abhorrent to people in the 21st century to proclaim a message that says, without the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross, they will go to Hell. It would be scandalous to say that Jesus through His death and resurrection is the only way to be saved, and that all people must repent and believe in Him.
In response to this message which has been deemed unacceptable by the culture, many well-meaning Christians have attempted to soften the gospel blow. Instead of talking about sin, they minister to felt needs. Instead of talking about Hell, they speak instead of ‘separation from God’. As for the blood of Christ, well now we have a blood-less religion; blood is something we don’t want to talk about since that is too confronting for our postmodern society. Instead, we need to talk about Jesus dying as an example, but certainly not as our substitute.
The problem is by modifying the gospel recipe, we are left with something that isn’t the gospel! Think back to Irn-Bru, which is a uniquely Scottish drink, it is the original and the best. However, due to its popularity, other companies have tried to market their own version under names such as “Iron Brew,” the problem is they are nothing like the original. They are poor imitations. Likewise, when we try to modify the gospel to make it more palatable for today’s culture, all we do is come up with another gospel (Galatians 1:6-8) which is a poor imitation.
As Christians, we are not called to modify the gospel; we are not called to make it enjoyable to our culture, rather, we are called to preach the old gospel as God gave it. Growing up, I often heard preachers quote Jeremiah 6:16,
Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.”
I can almost hear the pulpit being thumped as the preacher bellows out those words. We need to return to the old paths; we need to return to the biblical gospel because the biblical gospel is the only place where we will find rest for our souls.
Even though I am a Reformed Baptist (I just lost some readers), I still have much Fundamentalist in me (I just lost a few more). As such, I want to champion the old paths; I want to see the Church hold fast to the original gospel, and not modify it with all the junk that we see today. Tampering with the gospel is dangerous as it harms people, and it damns souls. We must proclaim the old gospel. We must proclaim the truth that says we are all sinners in need of the Saviour. We must warn people that if they reject Christ, then they will go to a literal Hell. We must lift high the wonder of Calvary and declare that Jesus was crucified for sinners and then rose again. We must make known that it is only through the shedding of Christ’s blood that we can be forgiven; and that all people must repent and believe.
The gospel is “Old and Unimproved.” Let’s not meddle with God’s gospel, instead let us make much of Jesus by proclaiming His message in His way.