The Powerless Gospel: When Good News Isn't Good Enough

Many pastors today may briefly mention sin and repentance, but these truths are often treated as a footnote rather than the foundation. The heart of the Gospel is not merely that God loves us or has a purpose for our lives—it is that Christ died for sinners. When sin is reduced to a passing comment and repentance is not called for plainly, the Gospel becomes distorted. The good news of Christ only makes sense in light of the bad news: that we are dead in sin, unable to save ourselves, and facing the wrath of God. The cross is not just a symbol of love—it is the place where Jesus bore the punishment we deserved.

Preaching a partial Gospel may sound gracious, but it leaves people in bondage. Without a clear diagnosis of our depravity, there can be no true healing. Without the warning of judgment, grace loses its meaning. A Gospel that doesn’t confront sin can’t free us from it. It may soothe the conscience for a time, but it never brings the transformation that comes through repentance, faith, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

The true Gospel is offensive—it wounds before it heals. But in doing so, it brings real freedom. It is not only the message that saves us at conversion, but the message that sustains us in sanctification and carries us to glorification. It is the power of God for salvation from beginning to end.

Pastors who sideline the hard truths might grow churches in numbers, but they won’t grow believers in maturity. A cross emptied of its judgment is a cross emptied of its power. Only the whole Gospel—sin, wrath, substitution, repentance, and grace—can truly save. To preach less is not compassion; it is cruelty. People don’t just need inspiration—they need liberation. And that only comes when Christ is preached fully, faithfully, and without compromise.

Nino Marques