Reductions of the Gospel

To be a gospel-centered church, we must understand the gospel, experience the gospel, and live the gospel. Last Sunday we sought to deepen our understanding of the gospel by contrasting the full biblical gospel (saved and sent, by God and for His glory - 1 Peter 2:9) with two common reductions of the gospel (being saved and being sent). Each of these reduces the gospel to something less than it is; each is true, yet incomplete.The table below might help illuminate the differences more fully.

	SAVED	SENT	SAVED AND SENT
Nature of Sin	Internal/Personal	External/Social	Idolatry (Personal AND Cultural)
Salvation	Saved from Guilt	Saved from Selfishness	Saved from Self-Worship, to live for God's glory
Jesus	Gets me to heaven	Shows me how to live	Is the source of my life and the object of my worship
Mission	Get People Saved	Get People Active	Live for the glory of God