5 Misconceptions About Sharing The GospelSample

Misconception #4: You have to make the gospel sound good

Have you ever felt embarrassed by the idea of sharing the gospel with someone? If it helps, I’ll be the one to raise my hand first, because I’m not perfect. This embarrassment can come from several places, but one of the main reasons for it is that we are afraid they won’t like what they hear. We’re afraid they may reject us because of our beliefs. The natural thing to do is to try to craft our words in such a way that the gospel sounds appealing, maybe not so harsh. 

This may be the most dangerous misconception of all, because when we change the main points of the gospel, we lose its power. Paul addresses this issue in Romans 1:16a. He makes the bold statement:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

I don’t want you to miss the key phrase in this verse. He calls the gospel “the power of God for salvation.” That means that, when we witness to someone, we aren’t just speaking words. We are literally becoming a conduit of God’s power—we’re presenting someone with a spiritual truth that has the ability to alter their eternity.

The flip side is this: when we present a version of the gospel that leaves out some of the truth of the gospel (even the parts of it we know people won’t like), we offer them something that cannot save.

Sometimes we attempt to make the gospel sound better simply because we so desperately want someone to get it. That’s not a bad motive, but it’s also not a responsibility we can take into our hands. Apart from the Spirit of God revealing the truth of the gospel to an individual, it’s impossible for them to receive it. The reason the watered-down gospel “works” is because it appeals to a person’s fleshly nature, not to their spirit. Sadly, if someone accepts the gospel because it sounds good to their flesh, then they really haven’t gotten it at all.

Saving people is God’s job. Our job is to be His witnesses. We will see the power of the gospel at work when we choose to believe it is powerful exactly the way God originally presented it. It may seem like foolishness to the world (it may seem like foolishness to our intellectual side at times), but it’s a fleshly foolishness and a spiritual wisdom that God can use to change peoples lives—to change people’s eternity.