What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert is a needed book in our time. It is a small book that seeks to address one question: What is the Gospel? Most people, inside and outside the Church, would find this question odd. But, in honesty, this question must be asked. We live in a time when the Gospel by and large is assumed. It is assumed that people know what the Gospel is. Because of this, there has been a lack of clarity on what exactly the Gospel is. Some would say the Gospel is “Jesus is Lord”, as the proponents of New Perspective of Paul and others teach. Some would say the Gospel is social justice and living like Jesus, as the theological liberals teach. Some would say the Gospel is simply God restoring his creation to shalom and seeing cultural transformation, as the Emergent Church teaches. But are these really the Gospel?
Gilbert in eight chapters lays out what the Gospel is. From the beginning, it is clear where he is going. He lays out a very common formula: God, Man, Jesus, and Response. He then spends a chapter on each spending detail as to what each of those mean. He does an excellent job at centering in on the Gospel on the King Jesus, his death and resurrection as a substitute for sinners, and justification by faith alone. One of the best chapters in the book is his chapter on the Kingdom of God. He articulates what the Kingdom of God is and how we should think about it. It can clear up a lot of things. Finally, he debunks some definitions of the Gospel, while at the end seeking to stir your heart for the grace of God in it all. Gilbert desires for us to find our joy in the Gospel. He is cross-focused, Christ-centered, and God-glorifying. Most of all, he is clear in what the Gospel is. This book stirred my heart for the Gospel again. This book was designed to do that. In a day like ours, we need more books on the Gospel. We must preach it much more clearly. As a Church, we set out to do just that to a culture that is ignorant of the Gospel. We all need a clearly picture and focus on the Gospel. I would commend this book to you, and echo the words of C. J. Mahaney: “How I wish I could place this book in the hands of every pastor and church member.”
