Gospel Allegiance - by Matthew W Bates (Paperback)

About the Book

Challenging popular misconceptions about the biblical gospel, Matthew Bates shows that it is different, wider, and more beautiful than we have been led to believe.

Book Synopsis

Is faith in Jesus enough for salvation? Perhaps, says Matthew Bates, but we're missing pieces of the gospel. The biblical gospel can never change. Yet our understanding of the gospel must change. The church needs an allegiance shift.

Popular pastoral resources on the gospel are causing widespread confusion. Bates shows that the biblical gospel is different, fuller, and more beautiful than we have been led to believe. He explains that saving faith doesn't come through trust in Jesus's death on the cross alone but through allegiance to Christ the king. There is only one true gospel and one required response: allegiance.

Bates ignited conversation with his successful and influential book Salvation by Allegiance Alone. Here he goes deeper while making his acclaimed teaching on salvation more accessible and experiential for believers who want to better understand and share the gospel. Gospel Allegiance includes a guide for further conversation, making it ideal for church groups, pastors, leaders, and students.

From the Back Cover

"Zeroes in on the questions Christians are asking, or should be"

"We in the Protestant tradition believe the church is always reforming, but this reforming must retain a focused eye on Scripture. Gospel Allegiance reforms the gospel of evangelicalism by undertaking an adventurous journey through gospel texts in the New Testament. Bates challenges major pastor-theologians to give a more accurate gospel by adding his own strong voice. A must-read for the church."
--Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary; author of The King Jesus Gospel

"Dallas Willard's dictum articulated by discipleship expert Bill Hull should guide our thoughts about discipleship: 'The Jesus we preach and the gospel we uphold will determine the disciple we get.' Gospel Allegiance responds on point, showing us that the biblical gospel is a comprehensive gospel."
--Bobby Harrington, founder and lead servant of Renew.org and Discipleship.org

"A stimulating and challenging book that invites us to go back to the New Testament and listen to the gospel all over again. What does the word 'faith' mean to Jesus and the apostles, and does our contemporary language about 'belief' faithfully represent their concerns? Whether or not you agree with all of his conclusions, all readers will benefit from Bates's exploration of this all-important theme in the New Testament."
--Tim Mackie, cofounder of The Bible Project

"This book cuts straight to the point, and if I'm honest, it hurts. You will find yourself simultaneously stepping back in shock and leaning in with intrigue, but at the end of the day you will find yourself on your knees in surrender to the only One worthy of your allegiance."
--Kyle Idleman, teaching pastor, Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky; author of Not a Fan

"Arresting and provocative, with the aim of cultivating faithfulness, Bates's newest book zeroes in on the questions Christians are asking, or should be. I am eager to give my students and my parishioners this tool so that we can all engage with the glory of the gospel afresh."
--Amy Peeler, Wheaton College

"Gospel Allegiance offers a simple but profound argument. Bates shows that faith is not mere belief. Rather, biblical faith is allegiance. This singular observation disentangles a number of thorny theological ideas surrounding grace and works, salvation and faith. The church will be better for it."
--Mark E. Moore, teaching pastor, Christ's Church of the Valley, Phoenix; author of Core 52

About the Author

Matthew W. Bates (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is associate professor of theology at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. He is the author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone, named the Jesus Creed 2017 Book of the Year and one of the Best Books of 2017 by Englewood Review of Books. He has also written The Birth of the Trinity and The Hermeneutics of the Apostolic Proclamation. Bates is cofounder and cohost of the popular OnScript podcast.