A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God's Love

Milton Vincent’s A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love offers a concise yet deeply impactful resource for believers eager to root their everyday lives in the life-changing truth of the gospel. Reflecting on his personal shift from a faith weighed down by performance, Vincent presents 31 brief meditations—each grounded in Scripture—that urge readers to daily proclaim the gospel to themselves, tackling challenges like guilt, pride, and spiritual exhaustion with insight and compassion. The book’s thoughtful design, weaving together a poetic retelling of the gospel and Vincent’s own story, fosters a reflective, unhurried experience that redirects the heart toward Christ’s all-sufficient grace, proving itself a vital guide for Christians at any point in their journey. Standing apart from often predictable devotional literature, this primer shines with its genuine vulnerability and unwavering emphasis on the gospel as the wellspring of both growth and delight, underscoring that God’s love is not merely a foundation but a constant, sustaining force.

I re-read this book regularly. Tremendous encouragement on living the Christian life. A great reminder that the Gospel applies to our daily life.

Every Christian needs to read this little book. How did we somehow leave the cross behind when we should be going to it every day? You won't be disappointed by ordering this book.

I am not one to write in depth reviews because I am not sure if anyone will actually read it but here is mine for anyone searching… Do you feel like the gospel got you isn’t the kingdom of God but then it stayed there and you’ve been running on exhaustion since you were born again? Like you started there but then moved onto spiritual disciplines/discipleship and completely forgot what the gospel was & what was so glorious about it? Do you desire to pursue holiness & a godly life but find it extremely oppressive & burdensome? Have you come to the end of yourself and fight despair everyday even as a believer? Do you obey God out of fear of punishment or to avoid guilty feelings? Here Milton re-directs us back to the basics of the gospel & preaching it out loud verbally to ourselves & lists 31 reasons why we should, he also has a “prose” & “poetic” version of the gospel for us to recite both or the other to ourselves & at the end of it is His “why” he wrote the gospel primer & it is for that in itself why I am so thankful for it because he has gone through the exact same exhaustion/trying to please the God who saved us, cycle …it is only 97 pages long but my goodness it is so meaty & chain-breaking glorious gems of the gospel, that I read the whole book in under an hour. If you are desperate to stop relating to God based on how well you are performing for Him, please do not hesitate. I also recommend ALL, yes ALL, of Jerry Bridges’ books & C.J. Mahaney “cross centered life”…now reading any self help book will not help you apart from prayer, pray continually through it all! I have only had it for three days now & I delight to re-read the poem one hopefully to memorize it better. Please get it beloved, the gospel is the Glory & power of God & I’m so thankful to have such spirit-led books to help.

I was apprehensive to read a book about the gospel as a Christian of nearly forty years. I wish I read it sooner! It is a great reminder of the need for the gospel, not only for the lost but also for believers alike. The principles are clear and supported heavily with scripture which prompts even more study of God and His Word. I'm an "underliner" when I come across impactful statements. I quickly found myself underlining sentences in nearly every paragraph. The book has been a great help and I have since bought several more copies to give to others to encourage them in their walk with God.

Exactly described.

In my experience, the phrase “gospel centered” has become so common that it often seems to have lost any valuable meaning. It is often used in ways that emphasize what we are to do or have done more so than what God has done and continues to do in our individual lives and through his church. Milton Vincent reminds us of core gospel truths presenting a “mere gospel centeredness” for our own heart and mind to sustain us through the joys, sorrows, and many challenges of life in a broken world. Although this book is written pastorally and with scholarly reflection, he does not write as one who has it all together all the time, but as a fellow pilgrim who at times loses his way. A Gospel Primer is actually the fruit of that experience through which he came to realize he sufficiency of Christ for a life of joy and flourishing. I would encourage reading the final chapter “Surprised by the Gospel” in which he briefly shares his own story. In doing so you may, like me, find reading this book more as a conversation with a friend helpfully sharing his heart and experience rather than simply lessons to be learned. We all need these simple truths, hence the emphasis on daily reminding or “preaching” to oneself; however, if your are experiencing deep struggles and feel separation from God this book is an extraordinarily helpful read to remind us of the magnificent love and grace found in Christ.

This little book was born out of the authors own struggles with a performance driven Christian life, which I can relate with. It is first of all needful in helping you that the Gospel is not just a stepping stone to better things but the framework that keeps everything else together. It is also a helpful book because it teaches you, through the authors own experience, how to apply the gospel to everyday life struggles. I will return often to this little gem and highly recommend it to every Christian wanting to go deeper with the Gospel than just “Jesus died for my sins”.