Call me cynical, but I am often surprised at those who are deemed to definitely be Christians in churches who cannot give any clear explanation of what the gospel is. I have lost count of the number of people who I have been assured are solid stalwarts of the church who couldn’t give me the most basic evidence that they have understood the gospel.

Some will argue at this point that there is other fruit. We are not saved by our ability to explain the gospel. We are saved by faith in Christ that is seen ultimately by the fruit of the gospel at work in the person. It isn’t fair to judge people by their explanation of the gospel.

To which I have two answers, the first of which is, how can one claim to believe the gospel if it becomes evident they don’t actually understand the gospel? If you cannot explain the gospel at all, in the most basic terms, then what evidence is there that you actually believe the gospel, even on the most basic of terms?

The second answer is that I am not expecting a degree-level treatise. I don’t expect people to tell me everything about penal substiatonary atonement and give me a full and frank understanding of the gospel implications of the doctrines of grace. What I am expecting is some basic understanding that sin is a problem, the solution to it is found in Christ alone by belief in him. I don’t care about the form of words, I don’t care about legnthy explanations, I just want to know this person has recognised they are guilty before a holy God, they have trusted in Jesus and, as result, reckon their sin has been dealt with so are now in right-standing and a familial relationship with the living God. This could be a lengthy explanation; it could just as easily be a simple sentence.

I am a firm believer that the fruit of repentance will ultimately tell over time. I am not suggesting someone explaining the gospel definitively means they are saved. By their fruits you will know them. Nevertheless, it is surely the case that if one cannot explain the gospel in even the simplest of terms, how can a person possibly have believed what they do not know? Doesn’t Paul say as much in Romans 10?

For this reason, I have found it to be prudent to ask two basic questions whenever assessing somebody for membership of the church. First, I want to know how you became a Christian. Essentially, tell me the story of what happened to you. Here, I am looking for a credible story. Not utterly indisputable, but one that is capable of being believed and makes some sense. Second, I want you to tell me the gospel you believe. Here, I want to know that you understand the basics of the gospel. I want to know that you have actually come to believe in the gospel as presented in the bible, not any old thing that somebody has called “gospel”.