Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
"It is easy to talk about God today. God, purpose, fulfillment, service, meaning. None of those terms will evoke much of a negative reaction from the world. It's Jesus Christ who is the stumbling block. It is the exclusivity of the Gospel message, that is what the world hates. So if I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition that God made us and has a plan for us, but avoid that single point that God made us holy but that we sinned and are in rebellion to God in our natural state, we are not confessing Christ, however boldly we may claim to profess Christ.
I have heard repeated claims that some of evangelicalism's biggest superstars are propagating the "Gospel". It is important to understand that there is little understanding today as to what the Gospel actually is. It is not about "opening your life to God" or "accepting his purposes for your life." It is to acknowledge that we have sinned and that we deserve the wrath and curse of God, to turn from our sin and to look to Christ alone and believe that He took that wrath of God on Himself to satisfy the just demands of God the Father on our behalf. There is no Gospel outside of an articulation of God's holy hatred for sin. There is no good news without the bad news first. The true amazing meaning of God's sovereign grace will never be understood until our true state before him outside of His grace is grasped." ---Ingrid Schlueter
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