Book Review: Telling the Truth – The Whole Gospel for the Whole Person by Whole People Will Metzger

Will Metzger of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship begins his treatise by reminding us of the apostle Paul’s statement that “he did not shy away from telling you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27). As a new believer, he began to question the salesmanship approach to evangelism. Why would we borrow a format when God’s Word gives us everything we need to evangelize our friends, family, and others?

In his section on “The Entire Gospel,” Metzger discussed the terms “evangelism,”

“testimony” and “winner of souls”. He concludes by reminding his readers that “man’s chief end” is not to win souls, but to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” (Westminster Catechism). This is not said to speak lightly of “winning souls”, but rather to distinguish the two terms (winning souls, glorifying God). They are not alone. Luke 24: 44-48 recounts a time when Christ taught his disciples the Scriptures and his Work on the cross that led them to repentance and remission of sins. We must be witnesses of these things. In a court of law, a witness gives an account of the truth about the event in question.

Dr. Lloyd-Jones studied the Word of God, especially the Book of Acts, the Epistles, and the Life of Christ. Also, we can learn from the history of the Church, especially during those times of revival. From studying him, Lloyd-Jones came to the following conclusions:

1. The primary goal of evangelism is to glorify God, not save souls.
2. The work of the Holy Spirit, not our own strength, produces results.
3. Only through the Scriptures does the Spirit work.
4. These truths give us the true motivation for evangelism: a zeal for God and a love for others.
5. Beware, heresy is a constant danger.

Metzger contrasts man-centered and God-centered evangelism efforts in the areas of God’s view, humanity’s view, Christ’s view, and Christ’s response view. For example, the point of contact in the man-centered view of God is that God loves the individual. On the other hand, the God-centered view presents God as the creator of the individual with authority in his life. Will Metzger presents the dangers of truncating the gospel into a simple package and favoring method-centered evangelism over message-centered evangelism.

In the chapter, The Recovered Gospel, Metzger develops his earlier outline with more details and biblical passages. God presents himself as Creator and Redeemer; Man is presented as the Sinful Creature; Christ presents himself as the merciful redeemer; and finally, Our necessary response to join Christ.

In section two, “To the Whole Person: Conversion of the Whole Person,” Metzger quotes I Thessalonians 1:4-10, noting that the believers in Thessalonica had turned from idols to Christ and those around them could see the difference. In their lifes. Our author reminds us that when the whole gospel is not declared, many professors result, not possessors. To the mind, the whole gospel informs and humbles the mind instead of producing intellectualism. To the emotions, the whole gospel shows love and touches the heart, not producing mere emotion. At will, the whole gospel invites, persuades and demands fidelity to a new master, it does not appeal to natural desires

Finally, in the third section, “Offered by People of Integrity: Character and Communication in Witnessing,” the author discusses the typical Christian evangelist and how to communicate personally with others. Throughout the book, Metzger uses Scripture to drive his conclusions. He provides worksheets or study guides for different topics present in the book. Whether he agrees with everything Metzger writes, his book provides a good study guide for any Christian who wishes to obey Christ in this most important area of ​​life.