The Gospel Quiz

More than anything else the Protestant Reformation was a rediscovery of the gospel.

After centuries of darkness, God used Martin Luther to turn on the light in Germany and throughout Europe. But how well do we know the treasure that Luther rediscovered?

The 5 slogans of the Reformation all begin with the Latin word sola, which means “alone.” Each of them touches on the gospel directly or indirectly. We are saved by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone in Christ Alone. We recognize this by the authority of the Scriptures Alone, and salvation is all to the Glory of God Alone.

The gospel is very important in the Bible. Romans 1:1 calls it “the gospel of God.” This message starts with and belongs to God himself. In Galatians 1:6-9, Paul declares that if he, anyone else, or even an angel from God proclaims any other gospel different than the one that the Galatians had already heard they were to be cursed to hell!

The gospel is so important. But the gospel is so often misunderstood.

If I wanted to hide a priceless pearl in a bathtub it could be hard to do. You could walk in and look down, and there the pearl would be rolling around all by itself. But what if I added 3,000 clear marbles to the tub? Now it becomes almost impossible to find the single true pearl.

There are so many ideas about the gospel in the world today. Which is right? Where is the one true pearl in the tub full of traditions, adaptations, and religions?

Theologian and pastor, R. C. Sproul, was once stopped in an elevator by a man who challenged, “Are you saved?” Caught off guard, and always one to be a bit provocative, Sproul replied, “Saved from what?” The man stammered out something like, “You know, saved.”

Sproul went on to commend the man’s evangelistic zeal as well as to assure him that he was indeed a Christian in the sense that the man had meant. But the encounter reveals an all too common problem among professing Christians—repeating words and phrases about the gospel without actually understanding them.

As a pastor I enjoy the privilege of hearing testimonies, or stories about people becoming Christians. It seems that these stories are like snowflakes—no two are exactly alike. As someone said, there is only one way to God, but there are many ways to Jesus.

In hearing so many stories, however, some are less clear than others. Because people come from a variety of backgrounds and have encountered all kinds of biblical teaching, some express the gospel better than others. It is my joy to offer biblical help to clarify their understanding and expression of the precious pearl of the gospel.

Young children can be particularly challenging cases when it comes to grasping and expressing the gospel. While it is absolutely true that the Lord can save a child, it can be difficult for parents and pastors to know the spiritual condition of small children. Children sometimes repeat phrases and prayers without really appreciating their meanings. While recent surveys seem to reveal sad statistics about Christian kids losing their religion in college, I wonder how many of them ever had it to begin with.

The saddest truth is that far too many adults that claim to be Christians are not too far ahead of the kids in expressing a solid understanding of the gospel. Let me challenge you with a Gospel Pop Quiz. You don’t have to sign it or turn it in, but because the Lord says that this is such an important matter, please take it seriously.

1. What is the gospel?

2. What are you saved from?

3. Where does the Bible talk about asking Jesus into one’s heart?

4. What does that mean?

5. What is The Sinner’s Prayer?

6. Where in the Bible do you find people becoming Christians using a Sinner’s Prayer?

7. How do good works relate to the gospel?

8. Is the gospel for Christians or non-Christians?

Sadly, a majority of people fail this quiz after the first question! I added seven more questions to solidify where a person may be missing the point of number one.

While I can’t give you all of the answers to the quiz in this article, I’ll be a friendly teacher and give you a few hints in the mean time. The first two questions could be changed from “what?” to “who?” Both deal primarily with person’s of the godhead.

Even though questions 3-6 relate to common ways of talking in church circles, you will have a hard time finding much about any of them in the Bible. When you do find some supporting verses, ask yourself if those verses are saying the same thing as when people talk about those concepts today.

Question 7 can be figured out by a careful reading of Ephesians 2:8, 9 followed by Ephesians 2:10. Good works are very important, but they must be kept in their proper place.

My last hint is that question 8 is a trick question. Can you figure out how the gospel is for both groups?

The gospel is very important. While I don’t think our part of the country looks as dark as pre-Reformation Europe, I do think it is filled with lots of shiny substitutes for the one true gospel pearl. How much is riding on your understanding of the gospel? Do you understand it? Can you express your understanding of it to others? Have you responded to the gospel pearl in repentance and faith?

If you’d like a booklet with the answers to all of the questions, write us and we’ll send you one: Faith Bible Church, 4907 E. Hwy 34, Sharpsburg, GA 30277.