The Problem with Our Gospel #3: “Getting in”

The Gospel as a Ticket

I remember going to Disneyland for the first time, standing in line at the entrance waiting for my turn to go in. Talk about an exciting time. A whole new world lay on the other side of that gate. A world that I had yet to explore.  All I needed to do to enter this new and exciting world was give my ticket to the teenager standing at the gate. So simple.

And, once I passed through the gate, once I arrived in this new world, what did I do with my ticket? Put it in my pocket, of course. You see, I needed the ticket to get into Disneyland, but once inside I didn’t need it any longer. Once you get into the park, all of the rides and attractions are “free” (that is, you paid for them already). The ticket gets you in, after that you can put it in your pocket. I suppose I could have thrown it away, but you don’t do that with your ticket. You hold on to it “just in case.” At least, that’s what my parents told me.

The way that we present the Gospel often makes people think of the Gospel in much the same way. We tell people that the Gospel is what they need to believe to be saved. It’s the ticket that will get them into the amusement park.

And there is actually a lot to appreciate about this analogy. We could do worse than to think of the Christian life as an amazing new world that we can explore like small children delighting in how wonderfully creative God is.

But, there’s a problem. According to this story, the Gospel tells you how to get into the park, but it has nothing to do with what comes next. Once you’re in, you can just put the Gospel in your pocket. We’ll hold on to it, of course, because we know it’s important and we might need to tell someone else about it someday. Otherwise, the Gospel just sits in our pocket. That’s what tickets do.

Is that really the best way to view the Gospel?

The Gospel as a Key

I also remember the day that I got my driver’s license. I was very excited when I passed the test and received that little card representing the very essence of teenage freedom. But, my excitement was also tinged with disappointment. My parents had explained earlier that day that even if I passed the test, I was still too young and inexperienced to take the car out by myself. Imagine my surprise, then, when I got home and my dad tossed me the keys to his car, telling me that I could take it out for the evening. I’m pretty sure my mom was not at all pleased at this sudden change of plans, but I didn’t wait around to find out what might happen next. Instead, I grabbed the keys and headed out the door. I’m not even sure I knew where I was going, but that hardly mattered. I had the keys!

Of course, the first thing that I did with the keys was unlock the car door. Keys are good for that. Without the keys, you can’t actually get into the car and do anything. But, how strange would it have been if I had unlocked the door, gotten into the car, and then put the keys in my pocket? What good does that do? Sure it’s exciting to be in the car with a new driver’s license, but there’s much more.

I wanted to drive the car, roll down the windows (it was summer), turn up the radio, and enjoy my newfound freedom. But, to do that I needed to use the keys. Because, of course, the keys make the whole thing work. I could have sat in the car and played with the knobs and buttons. (My youngest daughter seems to think that this is a terribly fun thing to do, much to my surprise when I turn the car on later!) But, for the car to do what it was designed to do, you can’t leave the keys in your pocket.

Unfortunately, many Christians view the Gospel as though it were more like a ticket than a key. Both a ticket and a key will get you in, and both of them are worth holding on to after you get in. The difference, though, is that once you’re in, you don’t really need the ticket anymore. The key to a car, on the other hand, makes everything work.

That’s the Gospel. The Gospel is not simply what we believe to get into the Christian life. The Gospel is what makes the Christian life work the way it’s supposed to. Whether we realize it or not, every aspect of the Christian life—worship, ministry, work, family, theology, and more—is shaped by how we understand the Gospel. It’s the key that makes everything work.

Sharing a Bigger Vision

If we want people to understand this, we have to start with how we share the story to begin with. We can’t stop with what the Gospel has to say about becoming a Christian. We should also say something about what the Gospel has to do with the rest of our lives – indeed, the rest of eternity. We can’t exclude the power of the resurrection, the transformative indwelling of the Spirit, and the joy of worshiping and serving as a part of God’s Kingdom to manifest his glory int the world.

We need to help people see that the Gospel is about more than just “getting in.”