And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle – I am telling the truth, I am not lying – and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. (1 Timothy 2:7)

Christianity teaches that there is one God and one mediator between God and men. When these two ideas are expanded and their implications made explicit, we see that they sum up an elaborate system of thought that defines itself with very specific doctrines that cannot be confused or reconciled with non-Christian religions and philosophies. The Christian God, the only God, is defined as a Trinity that is in turn defined as the union of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The mediator, the only one that can bring peace between deity and humanity, is Jesus Christ, who is an incarnation of God the Son. The way in which he accomplished the work of reconciliation is also specifically defined. Paul writes that Christ gave himself as a ransom. By his death, he paid the penalty for the sins of those who would believe, so that they may obtain forgiveness. And as Paul adds elsewhere, by his resurrection, he also secured their justification. After that, he ascended to the right hand of God, and has obtained for his people all spiritual blessings.

There is a necessary connection between salvation and the knowledge of the truth, and the acknowledgement of the truth. Some commentators assert that Paul avoids an emphasis on knowledge and the intellect in order to distinguish Christian doctrines with Gnostic heresies. But if Paul has Gnostic or pre-Gnostic ideas in mind at all, it is obvious that he takes the opposite strategy, in that his emphasis on knowledge and the intellect is pervasive in all his writings, so that it is only with the utmost prejudice that these commentators can assert their interpretation. Paul not only uses the word “knowledge” (in its various forms) over and over again with positive connotations, and makes it a foundation for Christian ministry and living, but he even makes it necessary for salvation. The point is further reinforced when we take into account that this emphasis is often made without the use of the word “knowledge.” Within the space of only several verses, Paul characterizes Christianity as a thoroughly intellectual religion with the use of the word “knowledge,” the use of the word “truth,” in his precise statement of Christian doctrine, and in his self-identification as a herald and a teacher.

The difference between Christianity and Gnosticism is not that the former relegates intellectualism to a secondary position while the latter exalts knowledge. In fact, Christianity stresses the intellect much more than Gnosticism could ever dream of doing. Rather, the difference is that Christian knowledge is public, simple, sober, and rational. It is accessible to all kinds of people. There are no secret keys and levels, no hidden codes and mantras. There are no speculative ideas and mystical fairytales, and no logical paradoxes.

But at least for the purpose of this discussion, the most important factor that distinguishes Christianity, not only from Gnosticism but from all non-Christian belief systems, is that the Christian faith is truth. Paul associates salvation with the knowledge and the acknowledgment of the truth. Here he does not refer to a knowledge of a person, but a knowledge of truth – that is, of thoughts and propositions. Of course, these may be thoughts and propositions about a person, but as it is, the stress falls on the intellectual nature of this knowledge. It is the intellect that understands and acknowledges truth. Then, the content of this truth is defined as the Christian teachings about the one God, the Trinity, and the one mediator, Jesus Christ.

The Christian faith understands the difference between truth and fantasy. To be a Christian is to acknowledge that the teachings of the Bible are true – that there is one God, the Trinity, that there is one mediator, Jesus Christ, that this mediator gave himself as a ransom for all kinds of men, and if God is gracious to grant faith, then he was a ransom to this particular man who now affirms the truth.

In addition to defining how we must come to Christ, the fact that it is Christianity that insists on the distinction between truth and fantasy also dictates how we must confront the world with the gospel. Truth belongs to the Christian religion, and thinking in terms of truth versus fantasy is our way of thinking. Thus rather than backing away from the intellectual arena, we challenge the non-Christians as to whether they know the difference between truth and fantasy. While we are always prepared to provide an explanation of our faith, we challenge the non-Christians to give an account of their beliefs. We refuse to accept their beliefs as the standard by which we must be judged, and we demand that they justify their principles and lifestyles.

Because Christianity deals with truth, it deals with the intellect. And because it deals with the intellect, the methods of its propagation are also intellectual. Paul states the Christian doctrine – that there is one God and one mediator, Jesus Christ – and then he calls himself a herald and a teacher of this doctrine. That is, he uses intelligent communication in the forms of spoken and written words to spread this doctrine. This must be a controlling consideration in our philosophy of ministry or preaching, since any method that does not focus on a verbal communication of biblical doctrines fails to correspond to the nature of the gospel and the Christian faith. In their panic to make their message relevant to the culture, many preachers have made their message irrelevant to Christianity. Whatever they are doing, they are not doing Christian ministry, and thus they have made themselves irrelevant.

The real problem, and the real reason why they felt the need to change, is because they were never preaching the actual gospel to begin with. Accommodating themselves to the world’s sinful palate, whether we are talking about the content of the message or the way the content is presented, may make them relevant to non-Christians, but useless to Christ. Of course non-Christians would consider an unbiblical message presented in an unbiblical manner interesting and relevant, but such a ministry has nothing to do with the gospel.

We may make superficial adjustments to remove unnecessary hindrances and misunderstandings, but the message and the method must remain the same. The gospel is repulsive to those whom God has chosen to damn, but to those whom he has chosen to save, it is precious and glorious, and the very power and wisdom of God. Those who direct their energy toward removing the stigma of the gospel before the world are misguided and unfaithful men. Rather, we must make every effort to increase the clarity and force with which we confront the world with the victory of Christ and the salvation that he brings to those who believe.

Now, the Bible insists that Jesus is the mediator not only for one kind of men. He did not die for people of only one race, one gender, one class, but for all kinds of people. Thus we can say to any kind of person, “Yes, this is for you too. Yes, you can have it too. If God is gracious to you and cause you to believe in Christ and place your hope in him alone, then you will be saved from this wicked generation and from everlasting hellfire.” When it comes to salvation, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile, male and female, rich and poor, but a distinction is made in those who have faith in God and who are a new creation in Jesus Christ. This also means that the gospel is able to penetrate the boundaries of men. Jews can preach the gospel to Gentiles with good effect, and Gentiles can preach to Jews. And the rich can minister to the poor, just as the poor can tell the rich about the true treasures of heaven. If sin can transcend culture with very little adjustment or translation, then so can the gospel. The main need of the hour is not greater sensitivity to cultures or better missionary strategies, but a stronger confidence in the gospel, and to believe that it is truly the power of God to save.