Use Words That Make Sense
Developing a Gospel Vocabulary
I recently spoke with the lead pastor at my church, Bob MacGregor, on his Thinking About It podcast. He asked some good questions, including:
How should we communicate the gospel?
How has society changed and how does that change how we speak?
Should a pastor preach to both the saved and the unsaved on Sundays?
You can listen on either Apple or Spotify. Only 15 minutes long! My audio is a bit quiet, sorry. I’ve also written some of my answers below (with some extra editing for clarity).
How should we communicate the gospel?
Well, the question assumes that we do. Before you share the gospel with others you must believe the gospel is good news for yourself. Then you’ll naturally - supernaturally - share what is already in you.
But how? We must adapt our vocabulary according to the environment that we’re in. In other words, we should contextualize.
Communication has two sides, the side of the speaker and the side of the receiver. It’s not enough to simply say, “I told them their sins will be forgiven if they repent and believe in Jesus.” What is sin? What is repent? What is believe? And most importantly, who is Jesus? How does the receiver understand?
This doesn’t mean we avoid new words. Doctors often use words that are new to their patients. They explain those words. And they will speak differently to an 80-year-old war veteran than to an 11-year-old sports enthusiast. Both might have the same life-threatening condition, but different words will be chosen, and different illustrations too, in order to ensure the condition & its implications are understood.
Contextualize. Speak to the person where they’re at. Explain your terms.
How has society changed and how does that change how we speak?
Society has changed. I agree. Some have called it a negative world and there’s evidence to support that. In the podcast, I described how we’ve moved from a society that practiced tolerance to now where there is intolerance toward any view that does not accord with the new moral norms.
But this doesn’t mean we give up. Instead, we need to continue to speak throughout the settings God has placed us.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. - Colossians 4:5
To orient us, I find James Davison Hunter’s model of Faithful Presence helpful. Faithful Presence is about being faithful to God, since God is always faithful to us, and being present in the world. In the world but not of the world. Giving to Ceasar what is Ceasars and to God what is God’s. We don’t avoid unbelievers and sinners because then we’d need to leave the world altogether (1 Cor. 5:10). Faithful presence.
Here are Hunter’s alternative options:
“Defensive Against” sees the sin of this world and battles against those sins. This can be seen in the New Fundamentalists who are characterized most readily by being anti-woke or anti-Trump, rather than pro-Jesus.
“Relevance to” sees the sin of this world and downplays it, ignores it, or outright agrees with it, only speaking about how Christians agree with the culture. This can be seen in the United Church of Canada which no longer has any hold of the exclusivity of Christ, the sanctity of life, or the inspiration of Scripture.
“Purity from” sees the sin of this world and avoids it, setting up their own Christian communities like the old Mennonites have done just outside of Kitchener-Waterloo.
None of these three options is a Biblical one. Rather, we must speak up for truth, persuasively, without getting caught up in needless debates that only produce quarrels (Titus 3:9, 2 Tim. 2:23) and without compromising the very truth that has set us free.
Should a Pastor Speak To The Saved and Unsaved on Sundays?
Yes. Of course! We should expect that, whether in the Greco-Roman world of the first century or in 21st-century post-Christendom Canada, unbelievers will be present in our gatherings. Our words should make sense to them.
That’s what the Bible says. Take a look:
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
This passage shows that:
unbelievers are not the primary audience on Sunday mornings, and yet,
the church gathering is open to unbelievers,
what is said needs to be intelligible to the unbeliever or inquirer, and
the goal is for the heart of an unbeliever to be “laid bare” so that they fall down and worship God.
To borrow a phrase from John Piper, evangelism exists because worship doesn’t. Some people aren’t worshipping and so, even in the gathering of Christians, our words should make sense so that some might come to faith.
Speak The Gospel, Use Words That Make Sense
One way to ensure unbelievers can be led to worship God is by doing what the verses just a little later in 1st Corinthians say: the gospel is what we stand in and what we are being saved in (see 1 Cor. 15:1-4).
The gospel is good news to Christians and non-Christians. We all need the gospel and to be reminded of its importance, and the gathering is a great time to do so.
But our message will not be heard if we are not present in the places where people are. Our message will be tainted if we are more caught up in political controversies than in the power of Christ. Our message will be meaningless if it is manipulated to suit the passions of our day. And our message will be dismissed if it is not intelligible to our audience.
Only God has the power to save. That’s his job. Our job is to share the gospel, be faithfully present, and use words that make sense.