Understanding the Gospel

I have been really blessed lately by this book by William Webster called "The Gospel of the Reformation". It looks at the true biblical teaching of the Gospel of our salvation, and explains how far off the truth the Roman church had strayed, in the 16th century. I love reading Christian history, but what really hits me with this book is how relavent this is to todays society and the Christian church in particular. Webster starts off in the first chapter explaining that, in order to have a correct understanding of the gospel we must have a proper view of the biblical meaning of salvation. He says that much of the church today has an understanding of salvation that is limited to 'justification and deliverance from hell'. These are wonderful truths but they are only a part of the overall work of salvation.
When Paul states that the gospel is 'the power of God for salvation'(Rom.1:16), he is refering not only to deliverance from the guilt of sin and its eternal consequences, but also from its power and dominion Rom. 3-8). It is in these chapters that the apostle explains that when believers came into the experience of salvation they were not only justified but also sanctified. The way scripture explains salvation encompasses all that God does to deliver a man from the guilt, power and consequences of sin and to restore him into a relationship with Himself that he might know, love, worship, obey, serve and glorify God in time and eternity.
This is not the teaching we hear in most evangelical churches today. What we hear is a partial gospel that says God saves us, forgives and delivers us from eternal damnation but not much more than that. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that this is not a very important part of the truth, but is is only part of the truth. If the whole counsel of God's gospel is not taught and explained it leads the church into error, and that is were we find ourselves today.
Again listen to Webster: "The prime object of God in instituting salvation for us in Christ Jesus is not simply that we might be forgiven. This is how Paul puts it in his letter to the Ephesians, 'We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus', What for? '...unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them' (2:10). Or again in his Epistle to Titus: 'Who gave Himself for us'. Why did He do it? '...that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous for good works' (2:14). You can not stop at forgiveness. Christ died to do all this; and all this must be stated in our evangelism. It must also become apparent at once in the life of the believer. Indeed everything about the Gospel inevitably leads to this end.