The church in our generation has reduced all of saving
faith and Christian discipleship to a thoughtless (but more politically
correct) cliché: “a personal relationship with Jesus.” The ambiguity of the
phrase reflects the destructive vagueness with which evangelicals have been
handling (and mishandling) the gospel for the past several decades. As if
Christ could be someone’s intimate friend without being that person’s Lord……
Listen to the typical gospel presentation nowadays. You
will hear sinners entreated with words like, “accept Jesus Christ as personal
Savior”; “ask Jesus into your heart”; “invite Christ into your life”; or “make
a decision for Christ.” You may be so accustomed to hearing those phrases that
it will surprise you to learn that none of them is based on biblical
terminology. They are the products of a diluted gospel. It is not the gospel
according to Jesus.
The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship,
a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a
decision or pray a prayer. Jesus’ message liberated people from the bondage
of their sin while it confronted and condemned hypocrisy. It was an offer of
eternal life and forgiveness for repentant sinners, but at the same time it was
a rebuke to outwardly religious people whose lives were devoid of true
righteousness. It put sinners on notice that they must turn from sin and
embrace God’s righteousness. It was in every sense good news, yet it was
anything but easy-believism.
Our Lord’s words about eternal life were invariably
accompanied by warnings to those who might be tempted to take salvation
lightly. He taught that the cost of following Him is high, that the way is
narrow and few find it. He said many who call Him Lord will be forbidden from
entering the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 7:13 – 23).
--- John F. MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus:
What Is Authentic Faith?. 2009
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