Failure of the Magic Gospel #1--The Words Bring Salvation?

Why the “just say the sin-and-hell script” approach misunderstands Scripture—and Jesus

“If words alone had power to save, the crowds following Jesus would have been instant churches.”

Recently, I was in another conversation where a Christian insisted that our job is simply to say the words of the gospel—specifically the sin and hell script—because “the message itself has power.”

In their view, the formula is simple:

Say the right words → the person hears → the words trigger conviction → they repent and believe.

Almost like divine cause-and-effect. Almost like magic.

And consequently, they insist we are obligated to preach the sin-forward message—because “that’s what activates salvation.”

But is that actually what Scripture teaches? More importantly, is that what Jesus did?

The Assumption: Words Themselves Have Saving Power

The line of thinking goes like this:

· Romans 1:16 says the gospel is “the power of God for salvation.”

· 1 Corinthians says “the word of the cross… is the power of God.”

· Isaiah 55 says God’s word “will not return void.”

· Romans 10:17 says “faith comes by hearing.”

These verses, they argue, mean that if we tell a person the gospel message, it activates an impetus toward salvation—even if the hearer is offended by it.

But a close reading of those very texts undermines that claim:

· Romans 1:16 ends with “to everyone who believes.” The words don’t save; faith does.

· 1 Corinthians says it is power to those who are being saved. To others, the same words are “foolishness.”

· Romans 10 describes many who hear and still do not believe.

In every case, Scripture consistently teaches this: hearing gives the opportunity to believe—it does not create belief automatically.

The power is not in syllables. The power is in trusting Christ. Faith saves.

And this explains what we see in the Bible: Jesus preached his good news and performed miracles to tens of thousands—people flocked to him. But most of them did not find saving faith.

If the message itself had automatic activating power, the crowds would have been transformed into instant churches. They didn’t.

Why Some Christians Still Insist on the Sin-Forward Script

This is where the pressure comes in.

If someone believes salvation is triggered by hearing “the gospel,” and they define “the gospel” as human sin → hell → judgment, then they feel morally obligated to tell unbelievers:

“You’re a sinner. You’re going to hell. You need to repent of your sins.”

This becomes a duty, not because Jesus modeled it, but because of a theological assumption:

They believe the words themselves activate salvation.

So if those words are not spoken they fear the person cannot believe.

This is why many reject Jesus’ Faith Forward approach, despite all the scriptural proof. They have an assumption stuck in the back of their minds: the sin and hell story has to be preached in order for someone to have a chance at being saved.

But this entire objection collapses when we remove the superstition that the words themselves carry power. Faith alone carries power.

Jesus never treated the gospel like a formula. He treated faith as the activating ingredient. Jesus led with the faith story, not the sin story.

If We’re Commanded to Follow Jesus, Why Don’t We Share the Good News the Way He Did?

Here is the astonishing thing:

Jesus never treated the message like a mechanical trigger. He treated faith as the activating ingredient—not fear, not shame, not sin accounting.

He did not say, “You must hear the sin-and-hell script.” He said, “Believe in me.”

He invited trust, relationship, discovery. He gave good news before hard news. He gave light before warnings. He awakened curiosity, not terror.

Every time.

And, as Faith Forward Gospel explains, Jesus didn’t tell unbelievers they were going to hell for personal sin. He did not weaponize fear. He pursued people with healing, mercy, and revelation—inviting them into faith first.

Which means: If Jesus Himself did not use the sin-forward script with unbelievers then we are not obligated to either.

Worse yet, using it means we are going outside of His model of speaking to unbelievers, violating His command to follow Him.

Why This Matters for Our Evangelism Today

When Christians assume the message itself has magic power, we end up:

· reducing evangelism to formula,

· rushing people into a sin-and-hell script,

· forcing fear-based conversations,

· damaging trust,

· misrepresenting Jesus,

· pushing unbelievers into a corner, further from faith.

But when we follow Jesus’ faith-forward, relational, invitational approach:

· conversations open,

· defenses lower,

· curiosity awakens,

· the Spirit has room to work,

· people discover God’s goodness,

· faith becomes possible.

The difference is massive.

Jesus knew something we’ve missed—without faith, being sorry for our sins is useless—we will still die in our sins.

This Is Why I Wrote Faith Forward Gospel

Because millions of Christians are doing evangelism with a method Jesus never used—one based on pressure, obligation, and fear rather than the beauty of God’s goodness.

Faith Forward Gospel shows the biblical pattern Jesus actually used—and the results are entirely different.

Faith Forward Gospel is on Amazon as #1 New Release in Christian Evangelism. And the e-book is half-price on my website. Click here to explore the book and see how a faith-forward approach transforms evangelism.