What is the gospel? This simple question was fundamental to the Protestant Reformation and was at the heart of the sixteenth-century retrieval of the biblical doctrine of justification: sinners are declared righteous by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This glorious message of salvation has been under attack for 2,000 years and has frequently been surrounded by confusion and ambiguity. Tragically, the promise of eternal rest offered to those who come to Christ by faith has been undermined, challenged, and even utterly rejected throughout history—even by members of His visible church. Perhaps the most recent example of this has arrived on the heels of the 2020 Together For The Gospel conference (T4G). 

Together for The Gospel? 

On April 20, Dr. Matthew Bates, Associate Professor of Theology at Quincy University, penned a critical assessment of this year’s T4G conference in Christianity Today entitled “Good News? Are T4G/TGC Leaders Starting To Change Their Gospel?” In the article, Dr. Bates boldly claimed,

“what John MacArthur, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, Albert Mohler, and others [who are] associated with T4G and TGC [The Gospel Coalition] have been asserting to be the ‘heart of the gospel’ is not even part of the gospel in Scripture... [In fact], T4G/TGC leaders have been misidentifying the true center and framework of the gospel for years. They have put something that the Bible does not even say is part of the gospel at its center instead.”

These statements, among others in the article, call into question whether or not some of the most renowned theologians of the twentieth/twenty-first century have correctly articulated the gospel message in their writing, teaching, and preaching ministries. 

Dr. Bates shared quotes from Drs. Sproul, MacArthur, Piper, and Mohler in which each individual identified the doctrine of justification by faith alone with (1) “the essence of the gospel” (Sproul); (2) “the linchpin of Paul’s teaching on the gospel... the core and touchstone of the gospel according to Paul” (MacArthur); (3) “the heart of the gospel” (Piper); and (4) “not one way of merely describing the gospel, [but] the gospel [itself]” (Mohler). Upon citing each of these Christian leaders, Dr. Bates went on to say that “[although] justification by faith is indeed true, Scripture never describes the gospel itself in this way.” Instead, he states, “in Scripture, the gospel is the narrative of how Jesus came to be enthroned as the saving king.” 

Could those aforementioned men who have been heralded across the world as models of Christian faithfulness actually be so fundamentally wrong in their articulation of the simple gospel message? Or was Dr. Bates merely using his article to satisfy a personal vendetta, taking the opportunity to lash out at the conference that he feels “egregiously misrepresented my work”? Regardless, the question still remains: what is the gospel? 

There is no more important question for us to answer with acute precision, clarity, and conviction if we are to faithfully give an answer for the hope that is in us before a watching world. The manner in which one goes about answering such a question will inevitably reveal the theological tradition they identify with. As I identify with the theological confessions and convictions of the Reformed tradition, I believe it is important to discuss the law/gospel distinction that is so vital to defining the gospel. 

The Law/Gospel Distinction and Why It Matters

Distinguishing between the law and gospel in Scripture is a good and necessary consequence of covenant theology. Biblically speaking, a “covenant” is an oath-bound relationship between two or more parties. In a nutshell, covenant theology is a theological system that seeks to explain the unity of biblical revelation and the relationships between each of the major covenants ratified throughout redemptive history between God and man. The macrostructure of the covenantal framework championed by the Reformed tradition can be condensed into three categories that encompass the totality of God’s redemptive plan in Scripture: the covenant of redemption, the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace. 

The covenant of redemption refers to the eternal plan of redemption made between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in eternity past (Isa. 53:10-12; John 17:4, 6; Titus 1:1-3). In this covenant, every person whom Jesus Christ would redeem in time was chosen in Him before the universe was ever created (Eph. 1:3-14). 

The covenant of works refers to the bond God made with Adam in the Garden of Eden (Isa. 24:1-6; Hos. 6:7). Acting as mankind’s representative head, Adam was given a clear command from God: eat from the forbidden tree and die or abstain and live (Gen. 2:16-17). The basic principle embedded within the covenant of works continues to have direct application to us today: disobey God and die or obey Him perfectly and live (James 2:10; Matt. 5:48). 

Finally, the covenant of grace refers to the one plan of redemption that is manifested throughout the Bible: God saves sinners by His grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Gen. 3:15; 12:1-3; Ex. 34:28; Jer. 31:31-37; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). In the covenant of grace, the perfect righteousness of Christ (the second Adam) is credited to all who will ever be saved by virtue of His perfect life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection (Rom. 4:23-25). Christ perfectly fulfilled the stipulations of the covenant of works (perfect obedience to God) during His life and bore the penalty of the elect’s sin in His person on the cross. Therefore all those who belong to Him are reconciled to God and enter into eternal relationship with Him as sons (John 1:12; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 John 3:1-2). 

This previously-mentioned covenantal macrostructure of the Bible is imperative to an accurate definition of the gospel, as well as a thoughtful interaction with the criticisms levied by Dr. Bates against the founders of T4G. When speaking of the gospel, Reformed theologians necessarily distinguish between the covenant of works (law) and the covenant of grace (gospel). As alluded to above, the central principle governing the covenant of works is “do this and live.” In defending God’s free grace offered in the gospel against the Judaizers, the Apostle Paul observed from the Old Testament that the one who does not abide by all things written in the Law is under divine judgment (Gal. 3:10). Perfect love for God and obedience to His commandments have always been the divine standard for mankind. Jesus Himself reiterated this principle on multiple occasions throughout His earthly ministry, indicating the perpetual nature of the covenant of works for all human beings (Matt. 5:48; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 17:6-10). The thrice-holy God will not negotiate His perfect righteousness under any circumstances (Hab. 1:13; 1 John 1:5). Therefore, the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23a). 

But thankfully, the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:23b). 

This declaration from the pen of the Apostle Paul gets to the heart of defining the gospel. As has already been stated, the word “gospel” (Greek: euangelion) simply means “good news.” This precious term is used some 77 times throughout the New Testament record and was a very familiar concept during the first century. In the ancient Roman Empire, armies would often send runners to carry back home word of the outcome of battle, as residents eagerly anticipated these messengers with the hope of a “good message” (euangelion). Interestingly enough, it was the runners delivering  “good news” that were considered to be “evangelists,” as illustrated by Paul in Romans 10:15 (cf. Isa. 52:7), “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Joseph Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon helpfully observes that the term “gospel” specifically makes reference to “glad tidings of the Kingdom of God soon to be set up (foreshadowing the first advent of Jesus Christ), and subsequently of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom.” He continues, “After the death of Christ, the term [‘gospel’] comprises also the preaching of Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God... As the Messianic rank of Jesus was proved by His words, His deeds, and His death, the narrative of the sayings, deeds, and death of Jesus Christ came to be called the ‘gospel’ or ‘glad tidings’ (good news).” 

In summation, the gospel is the declaration of:  

1. Who Jesus Christ is: The second person of the triune God (Titus 2:13) who was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:18-25), took on flesh (Gal. 4:4-5) and lived a perfect life without sin (Heb. 4:15). 

2. What Jesus Christ has accomplished on behalf of His people: He died on a cross (Mark 15:37) and bore the wrath of God in the place of every sinner that would ever place their faith in Him, for the forgiveness of sins  (Rom. 5:16-21; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; 1 Pet. 3:18). After His death, Jesus was buried and raised from the dead three days later in order to perfectly fulfill the prophecies about Him recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures (Ps. 16:10-11; Acts 2:31; 1 Cor. 15:4). Some 40 days after His bodily resurrection and having appeared before more than 500 people (1 Cor. 15:6), Jesus ascended to the right hand of God in Heaven where He presently rules and reigns as the victorious King of kings and Lord of lords until He returns to Earth in order to judge the living and the dead (Acts 2:33-36). 

3. How the perfect merits of Jesus Christ are counted (imputed) to those who come to saving faith in Him: The glory of the gospel is that God accepts payment for our sin by a substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly takes on the debt for the sins of those who place their faith in Him as Lord and Savior (Rom. 3:21-28). The gospel promises that all who come to saving faith in Jesus Christ are declared righteous in the sight of God, who willingly and freely accepts the payment for the sin of all Christians through the perfect sacrifice of His Son made on their behalf at the cross (Rom. 5:6-11).

The gospel is not something that we do (law), rather, it is a declaration of something that’s already been done on behalf of those who repent and believe (Mark 1:15). This is the essence and importance of the law/gospel distinction: the law tells us what we must do in order to exemplify a lifestyle that is pleasing to God (i.e. perfect obedience), but does not provide sinful humanity with the power or ability to please Him in and of themselves. Although the law itself is holy and good, it leads to despair all those who seek to be justified by it. After being “tutored” by the holy law of God, sinners can ultimately receive rest for their souls in the gospel message (Gal. 3:23-29). The gospel discloses the reality that salvation is by faith alone and is the very power of God that brings about faith that saves. Indeed, even the faith that receives the benefits of the gospel message is a sovereign, gracious gift of the living God bestowed unto perishing sinners (Eph. 2:8-10). Whereas the law renders sinners hopeless in and of themselves, the gospel provides sinners with all that is needed to be right with God. Praise be to God that He freely gives in the gospel (covenant of grace) what He requires of sinners in the law (covenant of works).

A Brief Evaluation of a False Dichotomy 

By way of conclusion, it is important to consider whether Dr. Bates’ harsh criticisms of T4G were merited. Dr. Bates says many things in his article that are consistent with the Reformed articulation of the good news, namely, “the gospel proper (itself) is what the king has done for us apart from whether you or I have responded.” Expounding upon the gospel, Dr. Bates rightly emphasizes who Jesus Christ is, what He has accomplished on behalf of His people, and how His perfect merits are received by all who come to saving faith in Him. For this, Dr. Bates should be applauded. Unfortunately, he appears to have simultaneously erected a false dichotomy between the gospel and the doctrine of justification by faith alone. 

It is true that the Bible nowhere describes the gospel itself, verbatim, as “our justification by faith as part of the gospel.” Nevertheless, the promise of sinners being justified by faith is clearly contained in the gospel message (Rom. 1:16-17). When engaging in a similar conversation with proponents of the New Perspective on Paul, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson thoughtfully elaborated on the interconnectedness of the gospel and the doctrine of justification by faith alone:  

“There is a false dichotomy suggested in the notion that the gospel is not justification by faith... This is falsely to abstract justification from Christ, the benefit (the implication of what Jesus did) from the Benefactor (the person of Jesus who has accomplished His work)... Justification cannot be abstracted from Christ as if it were a ‘thing’ apart from or added to Him. Christ Himself is our justification. We cannot have justification without Christ! Nor can we have Christ without justification!”

There’s an implicit biblicism in refusing to describe biblical realities in, or with, doctrinal categories. For example, where in the Bible do the words “God is triune” occur? They don’t. Despite this, orthodox Christians have affirmed the doctrine of the Trinity for nearly 2,000 years with terms and categories that are nowhere found in the Word of God. Nevertheless, they are true statements derived from “good and necessary consequences” of studying Scripture (Westminster Confession of Faith, 1.6). Could Believers imagine trying to speak intelligently of God if we could only use descriptive language found in the Bible itself? Our discourse would inevitably be reduced to absurdity! 

My final point of commentary on Dr. Bates’ article ought to demonstrate the importance of historic creeds, confessions, and language when discussing doctrines that are foundational to the Christian faith. Although not necessarily self-evident in this article, Dr. Bates has posited soteriological views elsewhere that are not consistent with Reformed theology. For instance, he rejects the individual election of Believers, opting instead for corporate election as a more consistent approach to understanding the Bible. Dr. Bates also rejects the Reformed doctrine of imputation and has been criticized by several prominent biblical scholars for his efforts to replace “justification by faith alone” with “justification by allegiance alone.” This quirk was seen briefly in Dr. Bates’ positive presentation of the gospel within his article, wherein he describes pistis (faith) as “allegiance (bodily loyalty inclusive of trust).” 

While it is true that genuine saving faith produces “holy obedience as the evidence of the truth of [one’s] faith and thankfulness to God,” the Reformers were intentional in narrowly defining “faith” as “trusting, resting in, and receiving Christ and His righteousness [on one’s behalf].” Whether he desires to do so or not, Dr. Bates seems to place too much emphasis upon the human effort in the Christian life by choosing to describe “pistis” as “allegiance” instead of “faith.” The implications of such an emphasis can effectively turn the covenant of grace (gospel) into a covenant of works (law). 

The testimony from church history poignantly demonstrates that there is great danger when engaging in theological revisionism for the sake of being novel, unique, or catchy. Dr. Bates is not the first gifted theologian to fall victim here and he certainly won’t be the last. In light of this debate surrounding the 2020 T4G conference, I pray that there would there be a sobriety maintained and intensified by those who have been entrusted with teaching the Word of God (James 3:1). Perhaps now more than ever, Christians need to be clear in their gospel presentation to the world at large. It is the sacred duty of the body of Christ to proclaim the unadulterated gospel, as declared in Scripture, to every corner of the earth (Acts 1:8). May God’s people be found faithful in this endeavor until Christ returns in glory to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1-2). 

Soli Deo Gloria!