great reference for the Gospel vs not knowing the Gospel, or preaching some portion of it:
J. I. Packer’s Famous Essay on Christ’s Death
"The new gospel conspicuously fails to produce deep reverence, deep repentance, deep humility, a spirit of worship, a concern for the church.
Why? We would suggest that the reason lies in its own character and content. It fails to make men God-centered in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this isn’t primarily what it is trying to do.
"One way of stating the difference between it and the old gospel is to say that it is too exclusively concerned to be “helpful” to man—to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction—and too little concerned to glorify God.
"The old gospel was “helpful,” too—more so, indeed, than is the new—but (so to speak) incidentally, for its first concern was always to give glory to God.
"It was always and essentially a proclamation of Divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace.
"Its center of reference was unambiguously God.
"But in the new gospel, the center of reference is man.
"This is just to say that the old gospel was religious in a way that the new gospel is not.
"Whereas the chief aim of the old was to teach men to worship God, the concern of the new seems limited to making them feel better.
"The subject of the old gospel was God and his ways with men; the subject of the new is man and the help God gives him.
"There is a world of difference.
"The whole perspective and emphasis of gospel preaching has changed.
"The new gospel conspicuously fails to produce deep reverence, deep repentance, deep humility, a spirit of worship, a concern for the church.
"From this change of interest has sprung a change of content, for the new gospel has in effect reformulated the biblical message in the supposed interests of “helpfulness.”
"Accordingly, the themes of man’s natural inability to believe, of God’s free election being the ultimate cause of salvation, and of Christ dying specifically for his sheep, are not preached.
"These doctrines, it would be said, are not “helpful”; they would drive sinners to despair, by suggesting to them that it is not in their own power to be saved through Christ. (The possibility that such despair might be salutary is not considered; it is taken for granted that it cannot be, because it is so shattering to our self-esteem.)
"However this may be (and we shall say more about it later), the result of these omissions is that part of the biblical gospel is now preached as if it were the whole of that gospel; and a half-truth masquerading as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.
"Thus, we appeal to men as if they all had the ability to receive Christ at any time;
"we speak of his redeeming work as if he had done no more by dying than make it possible for us to save ourselves by believing;
"we speak of God’s love as if it were no more than a general willingness to receive any who will turn and trust;
"and we depict the Father and the Son, not as sovereignly active in drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting in quiet impotence “at the door of our hearts” for us to let them in.
"It is undeniable that this is how we preach; perhaps this is what we really believe.
"But it needs to be said with emphasis that this set of twisted half-truths is something other than the biblical gospel.
"The Bible is against us when we preach in this way;
"and the fact that such preaching has become almost standard practice among us only shows how urgent it is that we should review this matter.
"To recover the old, authentic, biblical gospel, and to bring our preaching and practice back into line with it, is perhaps our most pressing present need.
"And it is at this point that Owen’s treatise on redemption can give us help."
THE ATONEMENT
The atonement is the central theme of Christianity. Everything that precedes it looks forward to it, and everything that follows looks backward to it. Its importance may be see reviewing the following facts.
1.
THE ATONEMENT IS THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURE OF CHRISTIANITY.
Christianity is the only religion with an atonement.
It is related that some years ago, when there was held a Parliament of Religion at the World's Fair in Chicago, Joseph Cook, of Boston, the chosen spokesman for Christianity, arose, after other religions had been presented, and said:
"Here is Lady Macbeth's hands, stained with the foul murder of King Duncan. See her as she perambulates through the halls and corridors of her palatial home, stopping to cry, 'Out damned spot! Out, I say! Will these hands ne'er be clean?"
The representative of Christianity turned to the advocates of other religions and triumphantly challenged:
"Can any of you who are so anxious to propagate your religious systems offer any cleansing efficacy for the sin and guilt of Lady Macbeth's crime?" They were speechless; for none of them had an atonement to offer.
2.
THE ATONEMENT VINDICATES THE HOLINESS AND JUSTICE OF GOD
There could be no true holiness and justice in God if He allowed sin to go unpunished. Holiness forbids such an encouragement of sin. Justice demands retribution.
3.
THE ATONEMENT ESTABLISHES GOD'S LAW
Without the atonement the salvation of believers would leave the law void, a dead letter. See Rom. 3:31 and Heb. 2:2.
4.
THE ATONEMENT MANIFESTS THE GREATNESS OF HIS LOVE
In no other way could God have manifested greater love for His people than by giving His only begotten Son to die in their stead. See John 3:16; 15:3; Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:9.
5.
THE ATONEMENT PROVES THE DIVINE AUTHORITY OF OLD TESTAMENT SACRIFICES
We see in Christ's atonement the beautiful antitype of Old Testament sacrifices.
And we see in these sacrifices an effective method of pointing to the necessity of atonement and such a picture of real atonement as would lead the spiritually enlightened to press through the veil of shadow to the true light.
The divine authority of Old Testament sacrifices presents no difficulties to him who believes that Christ's death was substitutionary.
But those who wish to deny this latter fact deny also that God instituted the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament.
6.
THE ATONEMENT FURNISHES THE ACID TEST OF THE THEOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
By their attitude toward the atonement, theological systems classify themselves as pagan or Christian.