God is the Gospel. . .

I've been enjoying this short read by Desiring God on the Gospel and children. Here is an excerpt I have appreciated:

"Imagine a family going for a boat ride on a beautiful summer day on Lake Superior. Being the careful parents that they are, each child is wearing a new life jacket, the best that money can buy. The kids love the jackets because they have neat child-friendly designs and colors. The children are now safe in the unlikely event that the boat should sink or be overwhelmed by waves. But there is something that the parents and children have not taken into account. Lake Superior is very cold. Even in the summer, the water temperature hovers around 55 F. So as wonderful as those life jackets may seem, and as much as the parents and children feel safe in the event of the boat being overwhelmed, the real danger remains unforeseen and unplanned for - hypothermia. In the event that the family is tossed into the water and is left to float, eventually the frigid temperature of the water will kill them.

Unfortunately, the "gospel" that we often present to children is like those life jackets. It is a gospel that we think will protect and save our children, but it is not the safety assurance that we envision it to be. And it may be that while our children think they are safely bound for eternal life in heaven, in reality they continue their slow but dangerous "float" in the deadly waters of hell. Why is this so? Because it is not the Gospel of Scripture.

How have we changed the true life-saving Gospel into child-friendly and colorful but ineffective life jacket? Here are a few characteristics of this changed gospel and why it is so deadly: This changed gospel puts man at the center instead of God. It presents a plan instead of a Person. It seeks to comfort but not convict. It is a message that calls for acceptance of Christ but not repentance. It simply encourages acknowledging true facts rather than embracing and submitting to the One who is both Savior and Lord. It enslaves men to works instead of freeing them to do good works.

But that's not all this "gospel" states. It claims to save by man's decisive choice instead of God's sovereign grace. It promises affirmation instead of radical transformation. It exalts man and the desire to be loved instead of exalting God's love displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who alone brings us near to God so that we might experience the immeasurable joy of making much of Him."

To make much of Him! God must be the Gospel!