“Nobody is ushered into the kingdom because we put on some nice social services for them. Nobody came to Christ because we were really nice to them without bothering to share the gospel with them. Any social work we might do is only of any value if we actually use it as a vehicle for sharing the gospel.”

I am all for ‘mercy ministries’ and doing good to our neighbours. I think sometimes Reformed Christians can become so focused on doctrinal purity – dealing with the first great commandment pretty well – that they suck at the second. Loving the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind is emphasised – though we do love to focus on the mind – but loving our neighbour as ourselves, not so much.

I was recently preparing a sermon on Acts 2:41-47. I voiced the following on twitter:

Always makes me laugh that people can’t look at Acts 2:44f without banging on about how it’s not Communist. It comes across as desperate not the share your stuff. Let’s be honest, becoming Commie isn’t a present danger reading it, is it?

— Stephen Kneale (@steve_kneale) April 20, 2018

My friend and I had this brief conversation:

I just think there is something utterly distasteful about blokes standing up in church and raving about how this isn’t about Communism. It just sounds like, I don’t want to share my stuff with you and here’s why I don’t have to.

— Stephen Kneale (@steve_kneale) April 20, 2018

Despite this tendency, and we do need to correct it, we still ought not to shift into a mere social gospel. The poor in deprived communities need much better. Here is why.

Social gospels aren’t the gospel

The gospel is that we are separated from God by our sin and by nature stand under his righteous condemnation. But Jesus Christ came into the world, obeyed the law in the way we couldn’t and died the death that we should die so that we might be forgiven by faith in him. He was raised as proof that God had accepted his sacrifice on our behalf. If we believe by faith in him, our sin is forgiven and we are granted eternal life in his name.

That, dear reader, is a far cry from ‘being nice is nice’.

Social gospels don’t save anyone

The main issue with the social gospel is that it doesn’t save anybody. Nobody is ushered into the kingdom because we put on some nice social services for them. Nobody came to Christ because we were really nice to them without bothering to share the gospel with them. Any social work we might do is only of any value if we actually use it as a vehicle for sharing the gospel.

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