Just what is the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” Biblically speaking? Incredulous as it is, many within Christianity hold the common idea that the “G” of forgiveness of sin thru Christ’s death is just not BIG enough! It is too simple they assert… it doesn’t address big and small problems that plague the world.
One thing that we all need to hold to is keeping the “Cross at the Center.” But cross-less churches are growing in number. Empirical teachings, i.e. teachings based on observations, subject to verification or experiment, like those in natural sciences, should show us something. We can apply this principle in the spiritual; verify scripturally is the “Gospel” (“G”) is merely “Jesus is Lord” or not.
Let’s Get Started
Paul writes in Romans 10:9 this: “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Verse 10 continues with “…confession is made unto salvation.” Is Paul guilty of leaving out the cross? Of course the “C” is implied; no death on the “C,” no “God raised Him from the dead.”
“Jesus is Lord” is, IS absolutely true! His Lordship is essential to the gospel. Paul writes “… no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). What’s the problem here? No problem. The N.T. lays out for us what the “G” is, but one has to read all Scriptures relating to the “G.” Singling out one or two texts in order to portray them as the whole sum and substance is not going to work.
Acts 2:36 says, “… let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified (on the cross), both Lord and Christ.” One needs to read the whole of chapter 2, before/after v.36 to get a full explanation of what Jesus’ Lordship meant. It meant that He had been crucified, buried, and resurrected – and that the FORGIVENESS of sins! But this is not totally complete: repentance is necessary – no repentance, no forgiveness. Period! Peter brings this up in v.38: “… Repent!”
So, just to claim “Jesus is Lord” is not the “G.” The “Good News” is “Bad News” is Hell against satan’s kingdom. In preaching the “G” we must proclaim that Jesus has been crucified, risen from the dead in order to secure our eternal salvation (John 3:16). By repentance we receive forgiveness and brought into the Kingdom of God.
Pt. 2“ Cultural Transformation”
The “Global Climate change” or “Global Warming” debate has become a “gospel” in itself.
The beautiful picture of Jesus standing outside a door knocking has been reproduced millions of times. That picture represents a personal invitation to salvation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelations 3:20).
But the “Gospel” call of today is transmogrifying; it has captured the minds of a whole new generation of “Christians” who are more “politically correct” then “Biblically correct,” hence, another gospel!
This is not to say that being informed about the planet and being aware of the evils of society is not important, but this is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Feeding and housing the homeless has its place in true Christianity (see Galatians 6:10; Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 5:16 etc.). But this is NOT the whole sum and substance of the “Good News.” One socialist “Christian” minister went so far as to say that Jesus came to “save the planet.” Others, more in numbers, say that He came to “redeem the culture.”
Sure, if most sinners in any given culture receive eternal life – thru REPENTANCE and forgiveness of sins, yes, a culture can be redeemed. But this C.T. paradigm has flaws. One minister pointed out that C.T. is individual, not changing the world thru saving the earth. Man in his/her best state needs salvation. If they are merely concerned about the earth and not about the FALLEN state of humanity, they miss the whole point of WHY Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to open the door for eternal salvation.
If we were to do a picture of Jesus today, we would have to do a caricature of Him hugging a tree.
After all, my dear “religious ones,” it is the FORGIVEN/REDEEMED people of the Lord whom He would use to accomplish the transformation, and forgiveness and redemption take place ONLY thru the CROSS. No amount of caring/doing, without Him, in the end, will count.
Yes, we need to cry out against all that destroys the planet/humans, but not at the cost of zipping-the-lip of who and what causes these things. Sinful man! Cultural redemption has subtly become the PROMISE and POINT of the “G” – this is FAKE GOOD NEWS!!
The cry should be “Get saved and get to work” or “Heart to God and hands to work.”
Pt.3 “Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation”
So far we’ve examined the “Jesus is Lord” and the “Cultural Transformation” gospels. Today lets look at the C.F.R.C gospel (acronym). If one wants to summarize the sum and whole of the Bible, C.F.R.C does it. The Holy Scriptures tell us about the creation of the world – man – animals, man’s fall, his redemption (thru Jesus’ death-resurrection-glorification) and final consummation of all things… His everlasting kingdom established for the redeemed. But this is not the entire N.T. Gospel.
Why the above is problematic is, although it is true, remaking the world (New Heaven/New Earth) is “good news” but remaking the world is not “good news” UNLESS you and I can be included in that.
The crucial point, dear reader is the “redemption;” To believe and proclaim “redemption” without telling why and how He is doing it leaves one wondering. Unless we include REPENTANCE – FORGIVENESS, we’re not presenting the Gospel (see Romans 1-4 for the best explanation of the “G”). Romans 1-4 presents a systematic, step-by-step layout.
Paul begins Romans 1 with, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (v.16). Paul tells his readers, 1:1-7, WHO is accountable and that God’s “…wrath is revealed from heaven” (v.10). He tells his readers that, “We have already changed that all, both the Jews and Greeks (i.e. Gentiles), are under sin” (3:9). He goes on to say that ALL will be held fully accountable, verse 19.
Paul also tells us that the solution to the sin pollution was taken care of by and through the sacrificial death/resurrection of Jesus Christ; sinful man, thru repentance, can get justified by grace.
Both John the Baptist and Jesus taught repentance (see Matthew 3:1,2; Mark 1:15).
Peter’s sermon in Acts 3 is worthy of repeating as I close:
“But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer (Isaiah 52-53). REPENT, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out…” (v.18,19). (See also Acts 10:39-43; 13:38, 39).
Any way we cut it, the CROSS MUST BE AT THE CENTER. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:23, “We preach Christ crucified” (see also 2:2).