Will Metzger of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship begins his treatise by reminding us of the Apostle Paul’s statement that “he had not shied away from announcing to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27). As a new believer, he began to question the salesmanship approach to evangelism. Why borrow a format when God’s Word gives us everything we need to evangelize our friends, family, and others?

In his section on “The Whole Gospel”, Metzger discussed the terms “evangelism”,

“witness” and “win souls”. He concludes by reminding his readers that “Man’s main end” is not to be a soul winner, but to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” (Westminster Catechism). This is not said to speak lightly of “soul winning”, but rather to distinguish the two terms (soul winning; glorifying God). They are not synonymous. Luke 24: 44-48 recounts a time when Christ taught His disciples about the Scriptures and His work on the cross, leading to repentance and the remission of sins. We must witness these things. In a court of law, a witness gives an eyewitness account of the truth about the event in question.

Dr. Lloyd-Jones studied the Word of God, especially the Book of Acts, the Epistles, and the Life of Christ. In addition, we can learn from the history of the Church, especially during those times of revival. From his study, Lloyd-Jones reached the following conclusions:

1. The main goal of evangelism is to glorify God, not to save souls.
2. The work of the Holy Spirit, not our own strength, produces results.
3. Only through the Scriptures does the Spirit work.
4. These truths give us the true motivation for evangelism: zeal for God and love for others.
5. Beware, heresy is a constant danger.

Metzger contrasts man- and God-centered evangelism efforts in the areas of the vision of God, the vision of humanity, the vision of Christ, and the vision of the response to Christ. For example, the point of contact in the man-centered view of God is that God loves the individual. On the other hand, the God-centered view presents God as the creator of the authoritative individual in your life. Will Metzger presents the dangers of truncating the gospel into a simple package and favoring method-centered over message-centered evangelism.

In the chapter, The Recovered Gospel, Metzger embodies his earlier outline with more detail and Scripture. God presents himself as Creator and Redeemer; Man presents himself as the sinful creature; Christ presents himself as the merciful redeemer; and finally, Our necessary response to be united to Christ.

In section two, “For the Whole Person: Conversion of the Whole Person,” Metzger quotes I Thessalonians 1: 4-10, noting that the believers in Thessalonica had turned from idols to Christ and those around could see the difference in their lives. Our author reminds us that when the whole gospel is not declared, many teachers turn out, not possessors. For the mind, the whole gospel informs and humbles the mind instead of producing intellectualism. To the emotions, the whole gospel shows love and touches the heart, not producing mere emotionalism. At will, the entire gospel invites, persuades, and demands loyalty to a new teacher, it does not appeal to natural desires.

Finally, in the third section, “Offered by Whole Persons: Character and Communication in Witnessing,” the author discusses the normal Christian evangelist and how to communicate personally with others. Throughout the book, Metzger uses Scripture to draw his conclusions. Provide worksheets or study guides for different topics present in the book. Whether you agree with everything Metzger writes, his book provides a good study guide for any Christian who wishes to obey Christ in this important area of ​​life.