The Law And The Gospel

"Men are not turning to Christ because they have no sense of sinning against the Lord. They are not convicted of sin because they don't know what sin is. They have no concept of sin because the law of God is not being preached. You cannot improvise a hasty sop, 'All men have sinned.' You must dwell on the subject at length. Exposit the ten commandments until men are slain thereby [Romans 7:11]. When you see that men have been wounded by the law, then it is time to pour in the balm of Gospel oil. It is the sharp needle of the law that makes way for the scarlet thread of the Gospel."
Walter Chantry, Today's Gospel Authentic or Synthetic

"Come, Follow Me"

"Jesus' invitation flies in the face of modern evangelism. More often than not, sermons imply that Jesus is a personal Savior to help people get out of trouble and danger. He is pictured as standing anxious and ready to assist all who will simply sign a permission slip for Him to be a Savior. But there is silence about His being a Master to be followed, a Lord to be obeyed. In Scripture the demand for following as a disciple is made plain at the outset. The narrow gate is at the beginning of the narrow way to everlasting life. It is not an after-thought added for more enthusiastic believers."
-Walter Chantry, Today's Gospel Authentic or Synthetic

Fleshly Procedures in Evangelism

(This may turn into Walter Chantry week due to the many great passages I highlighted recently while reading his book Today's Gospel)


"When Abraham attempted to hasten the arrival of an heir, he produced Ishmael, 'a wild man' [Genesis 16:12]. He used a fleshly procedure and secured a fleshly offspring. As God so plainly reminds us, 'They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God.' [Romans 9:8]. However much Abraham might declare to Ishmael that he was a beloved son, God would disown him. Modern evangelism is filling the church with Ishmael's. Because of fleshly haste, evangelists produce 'converts' whom they call sons. But God will not own them. He is looking for Isaacs. When children are born through God-appointed techniques, then God will Himself assure them that they are heirs to the promises."
-Walter Chantry, Today's Gospel Authentic or Synthetic

No Such Thing As A Carnal Christian

"In a panic over this phenomenon, the evangelicals have invented the idea of 'carnal Christians.' These are said to be folks who have taken the gift of eternal life without turning from sin. They have 'allowed' Jesus to be there Savior; but they have not yielded their life to the Lord. Trying to patch up faulty evangelism, the church has adopted a faulty follow-up. It defends the questionable experiences of men and women as conversion and holds out the added carrot of 'victorious life' to those who will take a second step. Well, the rich young ruler would gladly have been a 'carnal Christian'. Wouldn't he delight to be assured of eternal life while serving the devil on earth? Needless to say, the Bible know of no such grotesque creature as one who is saved but unrepentant. No illegitimate sons will enter God's kingdom. They must have faith as their mother. But they must also have repentance as their father."
-Walter Chantry, Today's Gospel Authentic or Synthetic

The Necessity of Preaching Repentance

"Our ears have grown accustomed to hearing men told to 'accept Jesus as your personal Saviour,' a form of words which is not found in Scripture. It has become an empty phrase. These may be precious words to the Christian-'personal Saviour.' But they are wholly inadequate to instruct a sinner in the way to eternal life. They wholly ignore an essential element of the Gospel, namely repentance. And that necessary ingredient of Gospel preaching is swiftly fading from evangelical pulpits, though the New Testament is filled with it....

Paul confronted the intellectuals of Mars' Hill by preaching, 'God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent' (Acts 17:30). This was no optional note on the apostolic trumpet. It was the melody, the theme of their instructions to sinners. Merely to talk about "'accepting a personal Saviour' eliminates this crucial imperative."
-Walter Chantry, Today's Gospel:Authentic or Synthetic