What is the Gospel? Fridays

     John Piper gives a brief, but passionately joyful description of how Reformed Christians view the gospel.  Whether we are told to "live the gospel," "make the world a better place through the gospel," "live the abundant life as the gospel," etc. etc. etc., what is often left out of the gospel conversation is, ironically, God!  It is His gospel and it is the gospel of His Son Jesus Christ.

What is the Gospel? Fridays

     Good post on the Reformation Theology site on what the gospel is and what it is not.  The church needs this kind of basic instruction more than ever it seems.  When our Christian testimonies and activities highlight more what we are doing than what Christ has accomplished, we need to return to the gospel of Christ which is the true power of God to all who believe!

What Is the Gospel? Fridays

The gospel of Christ in general is this: It is the good tidings that God has revealed concerning Christ. More largely it is this: As all mankind was lost in Adam and became the children of wrath, put under the sentence of death, God, though He left His fallen angels and has reserved them in the chains of eternal darkness, yet He has thought upon the children of men and has provided a way of atonement to reconcile them to Himself again...Namely, the second person of the Trinity takes man's nature upon Himself, and becomes the Head of a second covenant, standing charged with sin. He answers for it by suffering what the law and divine justice required, and by making satisfaction by keeping the law perfectly, which satisfaction and righteousness He tenders up to the Father as a sweet savor of rest for the souls that are given to Him...And now this mediation of Christ is, by the appointment of the Father, preached to the children of men, of whatever nation or rank, freely offering this atonement unto sinners for atonement, requiring them to believe in Him and, upon believing, promising not only a discharge of all their former sins, but that they shall not enter into condemnation, that none of their sins or unworthiness shall ever hinder the peace of God with them, but that they shall through Him be received into the number of those who shall have the image of God again to be renewed unto them, and they they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.--Jeremiah Burroughs on the Gospel from monergism.com

What is the Gospel? Fridays

     Here is a good presentation of the biblical gospel from Dr. Alan Cairns.

What is the Gospel? Fridays

     In J. I. Packer's classic book, Knowing God, he gives the most succinct description of the gospel that I have ever heard.  Packer said on p. 214,

Were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be adoption through propitiation.  (Emphasis mine)

     Can anyone do any better than this?  I suppose John Piper may do 2 words better with the title of his book, God is the Gospel!  "Jesus" or "Christ" as the gospel also trumps Packer in brevity, but Packer hits the heart of the gospel with the 2 words adoption and propitiation.  The 1689 London Baptist Confession (LBC) (12:1) says the following about adoption,

All those that are justified, God vouchsafed, in and for the sake of His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have His name put upon them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by Him as by a Father, yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation.  (Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:4-5; John 1:12; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 3:12; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:18; Psalms 103:13; Proverbs 14:26; 1 Peter 5:7; Hebrews 12:6; Isaiah 54:8-9; Lamentations 3:31; Ephesians 4:30; Hebrews 1:14; Hebrews 6:12).

     The immeasurable promises given to us in adoption are made possible only through the propitiation of God's holy and righteous wrath by our Lord Jesus Christ.  Packer explains on p. 185 through a John Murray (The Atonement p. 15), quote,

The doctrine of the propitiation is precisely this: that God loved the objects of His wrath so much that He gave His own Son to the end that He by His blood should make provision for the removal of His wrath.  It was Christ's so to deal with the wrath that the loved would no longer be the objects of wrath, and love would achieve its aim of making the children of wrath the children of God's good pleasure.

     Adoption and propitiation are at the heart of the gospel message!  These words are used scarcely in the NT (adoption 5x) and propitiation (4x), but these gospel doctrines are woven through God's Word with Christ being the focal point and the grace of God for sinners on display!  What a blessing it is to be God's son or daughter through the blood of Jesus our Lord!!

What is the Gospel? Fridays

     Here is an excellent article entitled The Bible's Answer to the Question:  What is a Christian? by pastor Wayne Mack on monergism. com.  Self-evaluation (i.e. am I trusting in Christ), church-evaluation (i.e. is my church teaching the gospel), and evangelism-evaluation (i.e. how am I presenting the gospel)) are encouraged as we read.  When we consider this most important of topics, are we seeing things according to the Scripture?
     There are many ways to miss the gospel, but in essence it comes down to whom we trust.  I love the section in this article about ultimately being before God (as we all will soon be) and giving an account of why He should allow us into His heavenly bliss for eternity.  In that day are we prepared to reason with Him about our own goodness, works, etc.?  Or are we going to throw ourselves wholly upon His mercy given in His Son?  The answer to this crucial question must occur on this side of the judgment.  Sadly, many will name their efforts before God's tribunal in that day as they are this day.  Let us habitually flee to Christ for mercy and grace in our time of need today and everyday.  This will prepare us for that day!

Pure Gospel in 5 Verses!

     This 22 minute audio message, Christianity in Five Verses, by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt is a must-hear!  In a day in which 'Christianity' means all kinds of things to all kinds of people, Dr. Rosenbladt brings the gospel home with power and simplicity.  This message is sure to remind us of the amazing commitment God has made to us through Christ, and will propel us into God-honoring evangelism as well.

Enjoy!!

What is the Gospel? Fridays

     In Jerry Bridges' book The Gospel for Real Life:  Turn to the Liberating Power of the Cross . . . Every Day, he describes a common way that our cultural, consumer mentality has caused many to miss the riches of the the gospel.  In many churches, the false gospel that is taught comes down to little more than seeing the gospel as something that can help us live a 'successful' life.  Does this type of church marketing resonate with anyone?  "Come to __________ Church and experience God's best for your life.  At ___________ Church, we make life happen for you":

• meet new friends and neighbors
• hear positive, uplifting, relevant, and practical messages
• learn how to feel good about yourself without guilt
• find Jesus' abundant life and personal happiness
• cast stress aside with Dr. ____________'s system 
• tips on how to handle your money without it handling you
• glean the the secrets to a happy and successful family
• how to win friends and influence people
• stay positive in a negative world

     Has anyone seen similar things as you drive by your neighborhood churches?  I literally saw a church board this week in our neighborhood that said, "Sunday message:  Cultivate a habit of winning" (yes, seriously).  Does anyone receive church marketing material like this through the mail?  Ever observed this type of message on 'Christian' television?  As a result of the largely sad state of evangelicalism  Bridges says on p. 17,

The reality of present-day Christendom is that most professing Christians actually know very little of the gospel. 

     It sounds unthinkable, but many Christians are simply not exposed to the gospel of Christ inside their churches!  This and other competing interests make many Christians live a life of quiet desperation instead of reveling in the riches of Christ Jesus.  Clarification on what the gospel is can only be found in Christ . . . who He is, what He has done, and why He has done what He has done in living, dying, and raising Himself from the dead.  In short, all of us are trusting in 1 of these 2 outlooks: human performance or divine accomplishment.  Bridges explains on p. 102-103,

There is nothing you will ever do that makes you acceptable to God.  You must be accepted for Christ's sake, not only when you believe, but for all your life.  Regardless of how much you grow in Christ, you will never arrive at a point when your Christian character or conduct will make you acceptable to God.  You will always be dependent on the perfect righteous of Christ.  God will accept nothing else.   

Bridges continues with 3 questions,

Do I have a right relationship with God based on the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ?  Am I trusting in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation, or am I to some degree relying on my own morality and religious duties?  If I know that I am justified through faith in Christ, do I enjoy the reality of it in my daily experience, or do I look to my own performance for my acceptance with God?

      The Galatian church was tempted by the false teaching Judaizers who taught adding aspects of the Mosaic law to faith in Christ was necessary for salvation (legalism).  Paul's first chronological epistle is a good read to remind us that the gospel of Christ's finished work must not be added to.  The gospel is faith alone in Christ alone . . . trust in His divine accomplishments that secure our salvation.  Christ performed every duty of the law for us in His sinless life, exhausted every penalty of the law for us in His sufferings, and was raised to the right hand of God for our justification.  Oh what a wonderful Savior!

How Can a Just God Justify the Ungodly?

     "Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are justified; and did, by the sacrifice of Himself in the blood of His cross, undergoing in their stead the penalty due unto them, make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice in their behalf; yet, inasmuch as He was given by the Father for them, and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both freely, not for anything in them, their justification is only of free grace, that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners."  Chapter 11:3 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession.
(Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:26; Ephesians 1:6-7; Ephesians 2:7)

    "A propitiation is a sacrifice to God meant to take away the enmity brought by sin between God and the worshiper.  Only Christ can be an effective propitiation." The Reformation Study Bible, note on 1 Jn. 2:2.  

     This video clip from a Paul Washer sermon speaks for itself!  I hope your churches are teaching these things about God's justice and Christ's satisfaction of it through propitiation.  If they aren't, I would ask why not?  We need to allow this unfathomable truth to sink in and meditate afresh on the depths of what Christ has done for us.  Our Lord bore the full weight of God's just wrath against our sin so that we could be His forever!  Rejoice brothers and sisters!  Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!!

Worthy is the Lamb, by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir:

What is the Gospel? Fridays

     There seems to be a ton of confusion in the visible church concerning the biblical gospel.  The basic questions that have been misunderstood are:  How is a person reconciled to God?  How as Christians do we convey the gospel to those outside of Christ?  Though the mistakes on what the gospel is are numerous, they seem to have one common theme.  The error is usually because the gospel is viewed as something that has more to do with what we do than what Christ has accomplished in history on our behalf.  For example, I just heard one evangelical pastor say the gospel constitutes "a full surrender to Jesus."  Many emergent pastors say, "Christians need to be the gospel to the world."  Even "America's pastor," Rick Warren of Saddleback Church fame, sees the gospel as "God giving us a 2nd chance or do-over" (Warren's illustration of the gospel is that of getting a 'mulligan' in golf!?).  Many pastors believe the gospel is carried out by getting people to come forward at an altar call to say "the sinner's prayer" (still looking for this tactic in the Word).  None of these descriptions constitutes the true "good news" of Christ, but all sound like pretty bad news!  Is a full surrender to Jesus the criteria for justification in the New Covenant?  Can we truly witness effectively for Christ if the gospel depends mainly on what we do? Is a do-over or 2nd chance at full obedience going to earn us a pardon by God?  Does the so called sinner's prayer really provide assurance of salvation?
     My plan here at Gospel Polemics is to lend us some assistance on what the gospel is each Friday.  Hopefully, it will help us in our own understanding of the gospel and in our communication of the good news to our unsaved neighbors!  This Friday, we have a helpful gospel quote from Dr. Richard Barcellos and short video from Dr. Michael Horton to get some clarification on the gospel started.