Journal: Journal of Dispensational Theology
Volume: JODT 14:42 (Aug 2010)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

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JODT 14:42 (August 2010) p. 81

Book Reviews

What Is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2010. 128 pp., paper, $12.99.

Gilbert’s well-written book was first encountered by the recommendation of a fellow church pastor, who lamented that such a book even needed to be written. Almost two thousand years following His death on the cross, the church is still debating why Jesus came. Of course, this should not be surprising given the vast importance of the Gospel and the fierce enemy of the church who does all in his power to keep mankind in spiritual darkness. Therefore, it is with thankfulness that this reviewer welcomes Gilbert’s clear presentation of the Gospel as found in Scripture.

What Is the Gospel? is part of the 9Marks series of books which has two basic premises: the local church is far more important to the Christian life than many Christians realize and local churches grow in life and vitality as they organize their ministries around God’s Word (p. 11). To this end, 9Marks addresses nine practices that are often overlooked today, including a solid biblical understanding of the Gospel (pp. 11-12). Gilbert has written this little volume to address this latter neglected issue.

In the opening chapter, the author addressed the heart of the matter by presenting the New Testament’s teaching with regard to the Good News. According to Gilbert, the Gospel can be enveloped around four words: God, man, Christ, response. In other words, man is accountable to God; his real problem is rejection and rebellion against God; God’s solution is found in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and, humanity is responsibility to respond to this message in repentance and faith (pp. 28-31). Said another way, Gilbert believes the Gospel answers four crucial questions: who made man, what is the problem of humanity, what is God’s solution, and what makes all of this Good News (p. 31)?

Each of the next four chapters developed one of the previously mentioned points. In chapter two, Gilbert affirmed that if one misses the answer to the first question everything else that follows would be wrong as well. Chapter three not only discussed the fundamental problem with sin, but also it pointed to four misunderstandings: confusing sin with its effects, reducing sin to a broken relationship, confusing sin with negative thinking, and confusing sin with sins. Chapter four maintained the importance of the substitutionary death of Christ. In chapter five, Gilbert stated the response to the Gospel message as the act of faith alone as understood through the inseparable acts of repentance and belief. He wrote, “A Christian is one who turns away from sin and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ—and nothing

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