I read the quote in the book Making Sense of the New Testament by Craig Blomberg:

“Simply professing to follow Jesus is inadequate, especially if one does so merely for personal gain. The path of true discipleship is the road to the cross– death to self, deinal of the ‘triumphalism’ that perverts the Gospel into a formula for worldly success and prestige, and the willingness to lay down one’s life for Christ should that prove necessary, even if it means an ignominousand agonizing death.”

Does this mean that if you profess Christ just because you don’t like the idea of going to hell that you have missed the point of the Gospel? Is escaping Hell a reason of mere personal gain and not one that acknowledges He is worthy of our service and worship regardless of what we get in return?

If we preach a Gospel that says, “Believe in Jesus so you won’t go to Hell,” are we selling the Gosepl short? Why do we seek the forgiveness and love of the Savior? Is it because we want something from Him, or is it because we recognize His holiness and our total inability to survive apart from Him?

I will chew on this observation for several days as I re-evaluate how I share the Gospel and how I frame God’s good gift of salvation– How do you explain the gift of salvation God has provided for us without making it about us?