Dr. Bock,

Great post highlighting the reality that God is the end of the gospel not "avoidance" of a certain fate. This is certainly needed. However, in our historical situation I fear that wrath and hell are simply being put aside for the sake an easier message for people to hear. Personally, I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ for 8 years (came to faith through that organization, so I do cherish their work) and the evangelistic messages and tools were very slow to talk about wrath and hell. For instance "Law 2" - speaks of sin and separation, even cites Romans 6:23 - the wages of sin is death...with the very weak parenthetical "spiritual separation from God." What I found over the years is that college folk today will shrug and say "yeah, maybe I am separated from God, I'll maybe take a look at that in a decade or so, but now - I am going to the club tonight to hook up and get wasted." To be honest my evangelism became much more effective when I included the reality that sin has us under just condemnation and wrath, and we must escape from this to the grace of God in Christ.

If I could borrow from your post and then use an analogy. You wrote:
When we ask, "if you died today would you know for sure you will be in heaven," it sounds like the core of the gospel is avoiding hell.
I would be in complete agreement here. Following Piper I would shout "God is the gospel" - we need to be brought to God (1 Peter 3:18). Yet saying that this is the end, without saying there is a certain path one must go to reach it is perilous. What if, per say, their is an insurmountable barrier along the path which no one can cross in their own power. That we say "go to God" but we fail to say that the one, insurmountable, terrifying reality is that their is a barrier which must be removed and cannot be removed by our own strength. What is it that keeps us from the end of the journey which is the loving heart of the Father, reconciled to his people? It is his wrath against sin and the separation/condemnation of which must find remedy. The curse must be removed (Gal 3:10-13) - and then their is joy!

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Sharing the gospel without such is like saying - "Go down this road, and at the end you will find your hearts longing - the loving father and creator of all things" Yet not telling them there is a bottomless pit right in the center of the road. I once heard a guy preach Romans 8:1 to say there is no condemnation from God - I was so bummed out because he missed the beautiful, wonder, exultant nature of the gospel by doing so. For the text says, there is NOW no condemnation for those in Christ...meanning, namely, there was horrifying condemnation before. That is why Christians can sing songs like "Amazing love, how can it be, that thou my God should die for me." Be shocked, be appalled, their is God on a tree, for the sake of guilty people!!! Yet Jesus, endured the cross, scorned its shame, became obedient to death, even such an ignoble death, made a curse for us...why...to bring us to God - Amazing!

Today, many Americans think God ought to love them, if he is there, it is his duty, and he would never condemn a soul. So wrath/hell is minimized in sharing the gospel in order to tell this people, who just want to feel good about themselves and God, that they should feel good about themselves and God. When rather, they should feel GREAT about God, but only in Christ who is reconciling sinners, who were once under the severest just wrath and condemnation, bringing them back to the greatest treasure...namely God himself.

Without this reality - people are converted to their own feelings and not the God of holiness, justice, grace, and mercy...not to the God of the gospel. Believe me, I am currently serving in the Bible belt where I have met numerous people who are in church who have no grattitude to God for what he has done. They simply assume God should like them and welcome them and cater to their needs. And when "he doesn't" (for instance when we suffer) they shake the fist at the heavens as if he were in the dock - then they go to counseling. Something seems wrong to me - and at times I think the harsh edge of the gospel has been so muted, that the amazing part of grace is left unknown.

Thanks for reading,
Reid

PS - I found your work on the gnostic gospels very helpful as I addressed Da Vinci Code issues here at our church and in Latin America. My stuff is here - many, many thanks for your scholarly labors. I have the new book as well and look forwrad to the read.