Adding 'Personal Savior' to the Gospel

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presidente

Senior Member
#61
May 29, 2013
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#61
There are also all those people who say stuff like, "Christianity is all about a personal relationship with God. That is all that matters." This is clearly Biblically false. Jesus said if your brother has aught against you, leave your gift on the altar and be reconciled to your brother. He, quoting the Old Testament, said to love your neighbor as yourself. So much of the New Testament is about loving our brother. Christianity is not all about each individual having his or her own personal relationship with God without having fellowship with one another. I John says if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with on another and the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins. The parts of the body are to be joined together and we are to minister to one another like we see in Ephesians 4 and I Corinthians 12 and other passages.

There are people who hear this 'personal' preaching who respond those those who would share their faith that they do not want to talk about religion because "it's personal." The turn the words of the preachers back at us-- the traditional adornments we have put on the gospel in this case, which aren't part of the presentation we see in scripture.
 
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UnderGrace

Guest
#62
#62
presidente said:
Usually, when I hear it, I hear stuff like, "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior." The unchurched person who has never heard a sermon on 'personal relationship with God' or even one who has, may not know what 'personal' is supposed to men. Probably a lot of churched people couldn't tell you what that word is stuck in there fore.

The other question is, is this whole 'personal' emphasis something the way the apostles presented the Gospel. Paul said that God is calling all men to repent. But we don't see any of the apostles appealing to crowds about having a personal relationship with God. Most Christians probably do not usually wake up in the morning and have a visionary experience of being caught up to heaven and having a conversation with Jesus. I wonder what crowds of unbelievers think a 'personal relationship with God' is supposed to mean?

If the apostles could preach the gospel and get people saved (as far as we know from scripture) without preaching sermons on the importance of having a 'personal relationship', then why is that the modern evangelical Gospel? Our being reconciled with God and having the fellowship of the Holy Spirit are results of the salvation that we receive through faith. We don't get saved from hearing about personal relationship.

So often, I hear altar calls, or the similar challenge where they ask people to stay at their seat and raise a hand or repeat a prayer, that are made without even telling the audience that Christ died from the dead. Sometimes neither the sermon before, the altar call, or the prayer after mentions that Jesus died for our sins. But 'personal relationship with God' or 'not a religion but a relationship' is preached.

Why omit the stuff that the Bible calls 'gospel' and add the stuff that isn't in the Bible... the emphasis on 'personal.'

Continued next post.
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I am not much in tune with modern day evangelism and perhaps you are right they are missing the mark in how they present the Gospel,

However, the full gospel should always be preached and part of the message is indeed personal to each and every human heart and mind.
 
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