Nothing could be further from the truth. The gospel that was proclaimed by the apostles and recovered by the Reformers was a objective truth completely outside, beyond, and above our experience. It was about God’s liberating act in Jesus Christ (see Rom. 3:24 NEB). While the whole world was lying in sin and rebellion, God did something for all men. In the person of His Son God satisfied the claims of the law for us, put away the sins of the world, satisfied justice, opened the floodgates of mercy, defeated Satan, destroyed death, and opened Paradise for the most guilty of Adam’s race. In the words of Martin Luther, “Christ has vanquished! This is the joyful news! And we are saved by His work, and not by our own.”

The Christian religion is the only religion that bases its message of salvation on objective historical events rather than on subjective experiences. Our salvation was secured by historical events outside the realm of our own experience – that is, by the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Acting in Jesus Christ, God did something for us two thousand years ago. “He has taken us into His favor in the person of His beloved Son. “ Eph.1:6 Knox. “In Christ our release is secured and our sins are forgiven.” Eph. 1:7, N.E.B. And there is an empty tomb to prove what God has done for us. Good news! Good news! Ring throughout the world!

It is unquestionably true that faith in this good news brings to us a new experience of joy, for we have become conscious of something already in existence. There is cause to be exceedingly glad, for our salvation does not rest on our experience, but upon Christ's experience for us. The prophet says, "By His knowledge [that is, by His experience of doing and dying] shall My righteous Servant justify many." Isa. 53:11.

Certainly the gospel is related to human experience. Its acceptance renews, transforms and sanctifies lives by the power of the Holy Ghost. But the gospel must never be confused with Christian experience. This is the essential error of Romanism, mysticism, and Pentecostalism.

All these things have their place and should be preached, but in themselves they do not constitute the gospel. For the gospel does not tell us to do something. It proclaims what God has done. The gospel does not tell us how to get to God. It tells how God gets to us. It is not man's way to God, but God's way to man. When sinners hear the gospel, the Spirit is present to draw them to Christ and to give them repentance, faith and a new birth. Yet the Spirit's activity in human lives is not the gospel and must never be substituted for the gospel.