God-Centered vs. Man-Centered Gospel

• evangelism & gospel

What is the difference between a man-centered gospel and the true gospel?

Answer

There are countless man-centered “gospels” on offer today. Such “gospels” say things like, “God wants to make you rich and prosperous in this life,” or “God wants to heal you of every physical and emotional ailment,” or “God wants to provide for whatever needs you feel you have.”

But how do these man-centered gospels differ from the true, biblical, God-centered gospel?

1. A man-centered gospel defines our lives in terms of what we “need” or want most. The biblical gospel rightly recognizes that none of us fundamentally live to ourselves, but to God (Rom. 14:7-9).
2. A man-centered gospel considers our needs and desires to be our most fundamental problems. The true gospel recognizes that to sin against God and face his wrath is the most fundamental problem imaginable.
3. A man-centered gospel is based on our desires, our wants, our needs. The biblical gospel looks to the Bible to define our problems and God’s solution: the sin-bearing death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4. The true gospel puts God at the center of the message—and the center of our lives, and the center of the entire universe—because that’s the truth. We live and die in a God-centered universe.