Category Archives: Gospel

Acts: a gospel without love?

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How many times have you heard a fellow Christian say that evangelism is telling people that ‘God loves them’, or that it is ‘sharing the love of Jesus’ with them?

And what’s wrong with such an approach?  Does not the Bible itself declare that ‘God is love?’  Isn’t John’s Gospel rightly described as ‘The Gospel of Love’?  And are not the words and works of Jesus himself overflowing with love?

But here’s an obstinate fact: the Book of Acts, which documents the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria and onwards the boundaries of the then-known world, doesn’t mention ‘love’ from beginning to end. …

Can I know God? (2)

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It has been said that this is the ‘one thing in the world really worth pursuing’ (Robert H. Benson).

A.W. Tozer called it ‘the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world.’

What am I talking about?  Knowing God.  The Bible itself teaches us that:-

(a) it is what God himself desires,

Hos 6:6.  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

(b) it is the gift that Jesus brings,

Jn 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

…

Can I know God? (1)

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Christianity: boring, untrue, irrelevant?

“I was brought up in a Christian home….” I wonder how many times I’ve heard those words from people who have some kind of Christian background, some awareness of Jesus, yet for whom, perhaps for many years, Christianity seemed a dull and lifeless thing. If you’re admitted to hospital, it seems you’re expected to be able to state your religion, and ‘C of E‘ will do as well as any other.…

Does Proverbs teach a ‘prosperity gospel’?

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According to Britannica, the prosperity gospel is the teaching

‘that faith—expressed through positive thoughts, positive declarations, and donations to the church—draws health, wealth, and happiness into believers’ lives. It is also referred to as the “health and wealth gospel” or “name it and claim it.” Central to this teaching are the beliefs that salvation through Jesus Christ includes liberation from not only death and eternal damnation but also poverty, sickness, and other ills. Adherents believe that God wants believers to be richly blessed in this life and that physical well-being and material riches are always God’s will for the faithful.

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The gospel of ‘expressive individualism’

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Vaughan Roberts, in ‘Together in Faith and Love?‘:-

The difference between the moral instincts of contemporary society and the traditional teaching of the Church flows from two different worldviews, both of which could be called gospels, because each claims to present good news which offers an alternative path to freedom and fulfilment. The gospel of ‘expressive individualism’, to use the sociologist Charles Taylor’s term, prizes authenticity as its core value. Jonathan Grant has expressed it well:

‘Modern authenticity encourages us to create our own beliefs and morality, the only rule being that they must resonate with who we feel we really are.

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Christians need the gospel too

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Some seem to think that the gospel is relevant only at the point that a person becomes a follower of Christ.  After that, the work of Christ in saving sinners can be safely left behind, and we can move on to other matters.

Not so, argues Derek Thomas.

Consider:

In Rom 1:15, Paul expresses his eagerness to preach the gospel to those who are already believers.

In Rom 16:25 the apostle asserts that the gospel is able to strengthen those same believers.…

What the gospel is, and is not

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Michael Horton:

‘There is nothing wrong with law, but law isn’t gospel. The gospel isn’t “Follow Jesus’ example” or “Transform your life” or “How to raise good children.” The gospel is: Jesus Christ came to save sinners—even bad parents, even lousy followers of Jesus, which we all are on our best days. All of the emphasis falls on “What would Jesus do?” rather than “What has Jesus done?”‘

Christianity Today, November 19th, 2009…

A ‘fully clothed’ gospel

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It is tragically possible for God’s people to limit their understanding and preaching of the gospel to its essential components, while neglecting all-important implications.

Write J.I. Packer and Gary Parrett:

‘Sadly, even tragically, evangelicals have sometimes been guilty of preaching and teaching a Gospel that is not, shall we say, “fully dressed.” They may have focused properly on the central features of God’s atoning work at the cross, faithfully preached Christ crucified for sinners, celebrated the resurrection as proof that Christ’s self-offering for our sins has been accepted, and urged hearers to be reconciled to God.

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Biblical summaries of the gospel

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As J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett remark:

The glorious Gospel is immeasurable in its depths and implications, yet it can be quite simply summarized. Here are just a few of the many examples of biblical summaries of the Gospel:

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

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Christ has dealt with the guilt, power, and presence of sin

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1. The guilt of sin. This is justification, ‘the very hinge and pillar of Christianity’, (Thomas Watson).

John Stott has said, ‘Nobody understands Christianity who does not understand…the word “justified”.’

Spurgeon tells the story of a man who was so constantly in debt and continually being arrested by the police, that once, when going by a fence, having caught his sleeve on one of the rails, he turned around and said, “I don’t owe you anything sir.”…