A Gospel Primer (A Review)

A few months ago I won a book at Manskool (our church's men's ministry) called A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent. I wasn't really sure what to think of it except to start reading it. The premise of the book is that Christians need to hear the gospel after conversion as much as, if not more than they/we do before conversion. This book is designed to show you how you can preach the gospel to yourself every day and to "savor and enjoy the glories of God's love and experience the life-transforming power of the gospel in all areas of life."

The book is broken up into four parts. Part one is a series of smaller sections in paragraph form that give reasons to rehearse the gospel on a daily basis. Vincent shows that the gospel is for all areas of life and a seasons of life. I've read this portion of the book quasi-devotionally. Its how I would recommend reading this book. Its not a "sit down and read" kind of book, although I guess some people might find it beneficial to read it that way. The other sections of the book focus on different ways to see and read the gospel. He uses a prose version and a poetic version to describe the gospel narrative.

The book has been very helpful in helping me to better define the inworkings and outworkings of the gospel in my life. It has also been helpful to be reminded how much I need the gospel as much now as I did before I was saved. Here's an excerpt:

Perspective in Trials

More than anything else I could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. [Rom. 8:28-29; James 1:2-4; 2 Cor. 12:7-10] When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just once piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials [Rom. 5:1-5]. The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ.

Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace trials as friends and allow them to do God's good work in me.