Pulpit Magazine

(Review by Nathan Williams)

Book Review: A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent

Many Christians know the importance of the gospel for everyday Christian living. Most of us have heard how we should be preaching the gospel to ourselves daily. We know this in theory, but find it hard to practice this discipline.

Hammered out over many years of experience, Milton Vincent offers us a useful tool to help in our understanding and application of the gospel to daily life. He expresses the purpose for this book by saying, “This book is offered as handy guide to help Christians experience the gospel more fully by preaching it to themselves every day” (p. 5). Believers need to know the effect the gospel can and should have on their daily lives.

God not only gave us the gospel story as a means to convert us, but also as the means to sanctify us. It is for this reason that we can never move away from the gospel and this book will prove an incredibly helpful guide in focusing our attention back on the gospel. Vincent speaks of the impact of the truths explained in this book in his own life; “Rehearsing these truths each day has become a pleasurable discipline by which I enjoy God’s love and maintain fresh contact with His provision and power for daily living” (p. 6).

A Gospel Primer divides into four sections, each of which has a unique way to focus our attention on the gospel. The first section is the most extensive and consists of thirty-one reasons to rehearse the gospel to ourselves daily. Some reasons are short, but each one is powerful and insightful.

Several of the reasons are focused on massive theological themes such as the way in which the gospel displays the glory of God and demonstrates the power of God. Some include more application-oriented thoughts such as the gospel’s ability to cure our distrust and strengthen our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Others are focused on the cultivation of faith in truths we know to be true such as our resting in the righteousness of Christ and our enslavement to Christ’s righteousness. Scripture references support each of the reasons given in this first section. As a particular statement of truth is made under each reason, the reader will find a footnote with an applicable passage of Scripture fully written out at the bottom of the page. This proves especially helpful to the reader as it immediately brings Scripture to bear on the contemplation of the gospel and keeps the reader from having to turn in his Bible to various passages.

The second section provides another useful tool in preaching the gospel to oneself daily. This section is rather short, but contains the gospel story written in prose. Vincent composed a series of short statements which explain the gospel and placed them under four headings; The Glory of God, My Sin Against God, God’s Work on My Behalf, and My Salvation. He wrote each statement in the first person to help the reader personally consider the truth expressed.

The third portion of A Gospel Primer is a lengthy poem which tells the gospel story from God’s creation of the world to the ongoing story of the Christian’s pursuit of holiness. Poetry fills Scripture and it is helpful to find a poem explaining the gospel for meditation. Poems normally state truths in ways we are not used to hearing them and thus stimulate thinking and meditation.

Finally, in the last section, Vincent seeks to help the reader understand the story behind this little book he has written. He tells an engaging story of his own growth in understanding of the gospel and its impact on his life. Many of us can probably relate to his story and it helps to put the book’s importance in his own life into perspective.

I believe A Gospel Primer will prove to be a book to keep close at hand. It should be read slowly and used often. There are many books out there today which explain the importance of preaching the gospel to oneself daily. However, not many books actually teach one how to properly practice this discipline of grace. A Gospel Primer both explains the importance of the gospel and guides one in how to use it for personal growth in godliness.

Here are a few quotes taken from the first section on reasons to rehearse the gospel daily.

“There is simply no other way to compete with the foreboding of my conscience, the condemnings of my heart, and the lies of the world and the devil than to overwhelm such things with daily rehearsings of the gospel.” (p. 14)

“When I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son’s life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me.” (p. 18)

“The more I exult in the reality of my justification in Christ, the more I position myself to experience the full force of its sanctifying power in my life.” (p. 22)

“His astonishing love for me renders self-absorption moot and frees me up to move on to causes and interests far greater than myself.” (p. 30)

“Indeed, as I perpetually feast on Christ and all of His blessings found in the gospel, I find that my hunger for sin diminishes and the lies of lust simply lost their appeal.” (p. 46)

* A Gospel Primer is available through Grace Books International and can be ordered by clicking here.

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