Book Review - “King Jesus” by Scot McKnight

What is the essence of the Gospel? This is a question that being asked in various circles throughout the church, and it’s the question McKnight seeks to tackle in his latest book “King Jesus”.

McKnight presents a compelling case that the church has unnecessarily shrunk the gospel message to be limited to justification by faith. This reduction, he argues, harms both the church and its impact in the world, because it removes the truth of justification from the broader story of the Bible. Doing so shrinks its message, to use a title from a popular Max Lucado book, to “Six Hours One Friday.” However, he argues, the Biblical gospel was always meant to be more.

In order to prove his case, McKnight defines four larger categories out of which the gospel story should flow: (1) The Story of Israel, (2) The Story of Jesus, (3) The Plan of Salvation, and (4) The Method of Persuasion. McKnight’s primary case is that the term the gospel, and hence, the message of the gospel, has been reduced to contain only the Plan of Salvation without reference and context in the larger story. He argues that the church, then, fails to be “Christian” in the true, biblical sense of the word, and rather becomes more “Soterian,” or those who are concerned solely with salvation. McKnight has no problem with doctrines like justification by faith, but simply argues that by making that doctrine alone the content of the gospel, we lose a large portion of the message of God.

As is typical for McKnight, his arguments are well grounded both in the history of the church and in the Scriptures themselves. His arguments are compelling, and his writing focused. He chooses not to weigh in on the specifics of many current debates such as the nature of justification or the proper theories of the atonement. Rather, he stays focused on this question—“What really is the biblical gospel?” Beginning with Paul, moving into church history, working through the gospels and ultimately to the message of Peter, he presents his case clearly and effectively.

In essence, his argument is pressing into the very common false dichotomy we hear about as we listen to the personal stories of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The statement usually goes something like this: “On so and so day in so and so year, I accepted Jesus as my Savior. However, it wasn’t until years later that I accepted Him as my Lord.” McKnight’s point is that (a) the two are and always have been inseparable, and (b) our way of defining and presenting the gospel has created this false dichotomy. He quotes Michael Bird in saying, “Nero did not throw Christians to the lions because they confessed that ‘Jesus is Lord of my heart.’ It was rather because they confessed that ‘Jesus is Lord of all’…”

McKnight’s points are not new ones. His exegesis and study is typically solid, and his points well presented. While some may not agree with every individual aspect of his conclusions and application, the primary point that he seeks to make he makes very effectively. However, I think his initial case may be a bit overstated. I certainly don’t have McKnight’s experience within the breadth of the Western church, nor his connections with college and seminary students, whose quotes fill up his sidebars in a clear representation that a reduced gospel is quite often what’s being heard. However, I don’t know that many gospel “purists” (thinking of John Piper, whom he quotes extensively, or the folks at 9 Marks, Sovereign Grace, and other such affiliations) would disagree with his primary argument. In the end, McKnight puts forth what feels like more of a refined presentation of the gospel rather than a revision (or revisitation, or even expansion) of the gospel itself. He urges pastors to present the “Plan of Salvation” within the context of the story of the whole Bible, beginning in Genesis 1, and as such, present Jesus as both Savior and Lord. McKnight longs for us, as Jesus did, to embrace the entirety of the Kingdom of God, not simply “personal salvation”. I’m not sure that there are many thinking pastors and churchmen (who are certainly the intended audience for this book) who would disagree.

“King Jesus” is a good addition to the current discussions on the definition of the gospel and the nature of the Kingdom of God. While it may not be groundbreaking, it’s biblically and theologically sound, well thought-out, and will give renewed perspective to those who read it.