MSPG 3 - Defining the Gospel
I don't pretend to be a missions expert, but the church has to start somewhere. The Lord has been teaching me more and more about missions since 2015, and I've spent a lot of time in the last two years exploring this topic.
Since Elynne and I are planning to migrate soon to study at TMS, I don't have much time to share what I've been learning with others. So in the next five months, January to May, I'm holding a weekly "Missions Study & Prayer Group" (MSPG) to equip them to help in the church's developing missions program.
Introduction
WHY ARE DEFINITIONS IMPORTANT?
Our fast-paced society is geared more toward action than reflection. When it comes to ideas, ‘new, innovative, and practical’ are more appealing that ‘deep, clear, and precise’. The only “definition” people are interested in is high definition TV!Similarly, it seems to me that many Christians are less interested in defining missions than ‘doing’ missions. There is a vague notion that we need to stop talking about missions and start acting! Of course, action is important, but effective action depends on clear definitions! We can’t assume that everybody is on the same page.
THE POWER OF CLARITY
(DeYoung-Gilbert) “as we grasp key concepts… we will be better able to articulate a careful, biblically faithful understanding of the mission of the church. And just as important, we’ll be able to pursue obedience to Christ in a way that is more realistic, freeing, and, in the long run, fruitful.”
(Johnson, 19) “Imagine a local church where the congregation’s mission to the nations is clear and agreed upon. Elders guide the congregation toward strategic missions. Missions is held up as a concern for all Christians, not just the niche “missions club.” The tyranny of new trends and demands for immediate, visible results holds no sway. Members see missions as the work of the church together rather than the personal, private activity of the individual. In this church, members see missions as a core ministry of the church, not an occasional short-term project. Relationships with missionaries are deep, serious, and lasting. Joyful giving to missions is a basic part of the church’s budget, not merely the fruit of occasional and desperate appeals. And members actually value missions enough that some want to uproot their lives and be sent out long-term by the church.”Obviously, this is something we’d like to see in our church, but it will only be possible if we all have the same understanding on key concepts.
Now, central to the discussion of mission is the question, “What is the gospel?” If mission is all about bringing the gospel to the nations, then we have to be absolutely clear as to what that gospel is.
The Gospel
Because the issue is so foundational, discussions about it are very sensitive. Precision is needed for two reasons. First, we can’t compromise the gospel.Galatians 1:8 – “8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.”Getting the gospel right is more than a life or death issue. It will determine whether we spend eternity in heaven or in hell.
There’s a second why we need to be precise about defining the gospel. We shouldn’t be too quick to accuse others of compromising or diluting the gospel.
Many Christians associate the gospel with a certain language, a way of talking about the gospel. But when you’re in missions, you will interact with other Christians from other traditions, and they might talk about the gospel in a slightly different way. It could be that they’re compromising the gospel, or it could be that they’re talking about the same thing, but they just use different words or they’re less precise. But being less precise isn’t the same as denying the gospel.
Or maybe there really are differences. How then to we respond? Do we negotiate? Do we overlook? Or do we part ways? To respond rightly, we need to know know which hills we are willing to die on and which hills we’re willing to share.
Today, I want to focus particularly on two “levels” or two ways of talking about the gospel.
TWO LEVELS
One of the issues that has been under debate is whether or not the traditional definition of the gospel as “the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ” (which we will henceforward refer to as “the gospel of the cross”) is too limiting. Take this excerpt from the TGC blog:(Amy Sherman, “Is Your Gospel Too Small?”, TGC Website) “in many of our churches, our gospel is too small. While it is rightly centered on the vital atoning work of Jesus on the cross, many churches preach an individual gospel limited to “having a personal relationship with Jesus.” … But this gospel isn’t complete. The glorious truths celebrated in this too-narrow gospel do not, in themselves, capture the full, grand, amazing scope of Jesus’s redemptive work. For Jesus came preaching not just this gospel of personal justification but the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus’s work is not exclusively about our individual salvation, but about the cosmic redemption and renewal of all things. It is not just about our reconciliation to a holy God—though that is the beautiful center of it. It is also about our reconciliation with one another and with the creation itself.”Sherman’s argument is worth considering. Note:
- The gospel of the cross is not denied as being the gospel, rather it is said to be incomplete in the sense that it does not embrace the entire scope of Christ’s work.
- Personal reconciliation with God is acknowledged as “the beautiful center” of the gospel. By implication, any faithful representation of the gospel will focus on reconciliation with God. On the other hand, the Bible tells us that the gospel is about much more.
Is this assertion biblical? I believe it is. Scripture talks about “the gospel” on two different levels: the broad and the narrow.
(DeYoung-Gilbert, 94) “It’s true that when someone asked in the New Testament “What must I do to be saved?” the answer was to repent of sin and believe in the crucified and risen Christ. It’s also true, though, that the Bible sometimes (even often!) talks about the gospel with a wide-angle lens. It includes in the whole good news of Christianity not only forgiveness of sin, but also all the other blessings that come to those who are in Christ. … In fact, the Bible asks both the question “What must a person believe in order to be saved?” and the question, “What is the whole good news of Christianity?”—and it answers both in terms of the word gospel.”This broad conception of the gospel may be called the “gospel of the kingdom”, in distinction to the “gospel of the cross”.
THE GOSPEL OF THE CROSS
The “gospel of the cross” is the message of personal salvation by faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross.Old Testament
It is anticipated in many places in the Old Testament:“I will put enmity between you and the woman,Genesis 22:7-8 – Abraham is on his way up to Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac, and Isaac asks, “Where is the lamb for a burn offering?” Abraham responds, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” This anticipates the cross.
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel."
Exodus; Leviticus – The Passover lamb and the sacrificial system established at Sinai anticipate Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
Isaiah 53:5 –
“But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.”
New Testament
At the start of the New Testament, we see John the Baptist declaring that Jesus is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).The “gospel of the cross” is also seen in the evangelistic preaching of the early disciples:
- Peter (Ac 2:23, 36, 38; 3:18-19; 4:10-12; 1 Pe 1:19)
- Philip (Ac 8:32-35)
- Paul (Rom 6:6; 1 Cor 2:2; Gal 2:20)
Perhaps the most powerful statements on proclaiming a crucified Christ are found in Paul’s epistles.
Galatians 1:8; 2:21 – “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. … I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
1 Corinthians 2:2 – “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Romans 1:16-17 – “16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.””This is what we normally refer to as “the gospel”. It’s focused on individual salvation. The emphasis on sin is that it separates us from God and makes us deserving of His wrath. God’s grace is highlighted in the fact that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to become God incarnate, to die on the cross for our sins. Forgiveness comes by believing in Christ’s finished work. Everyone who believes receives the full range of salvation blessings: forgiveness, imputed righteousness, adoption, the indwelling Holy Spirit, sanctification, and more.
It is clear that this message is central to Christianity. It is the focus of the church’s ministry.
But the message of personal salvation through faith Christ’s atoning death on the cross isn’t the full extent of the gospel.
THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
Old Testament
There are many places in the Old Testament that foretell of a universal kingdom of God. This coming kingdom is presented as good news (“gospel”) to Israel.Genesis 49:10 – “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
Numbers 24:7 – “Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.”
Psalm 67:3-5 –
“3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Jeremiah 3:17 – “At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.”
Daniel 7:27 – “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
New Testament
There are a number of passages that apply the word euanggalion to the entire scope of God’s redemptive plan.Matthew 4:17, 23 – “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. … And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”
(DeYoung-Gilbert, 96-97) “the Israelites’ great hope was that one day, God would restore the fortunes of Israel and establish his perfect rule over the earth, vindicating his people and punishing their enemies, and he would do so through a divine King who would reign forever on David’s throne. When John the Baptist and Jesus begin to preach, therefore, that the kingdom of heaven is “at hand,” it is an electrifying message. It means that all the grand promises that God made to his people in the prophets are—they think—about to be fulfilled. The kingdom is about to be established (Isaiah 9), the new covenant is about to be cut (Jeremiah 33), the knowledge of the glory of the Lord is about to cover the earth (Hab. 2:14), the nations are about to stream to Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 61), and the Lord is about to create new heavens and a new earth (Isa. 65:17). Even Matthew’s quotation of Isaiah 9:1 tells us that more is in view here than the forgiveness of sins. Certainly it’s not less than that, but Isaiah 9:1 is the introduction to Isaiah’s prophecy that culminates with the Messiah sitting on David’s throne and ruling “with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.” What is in view here is a whole new world. That’s what Jesus calls “the gospel of the kingdom.””
Acts 13:32-33 – “32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’”Paul is preaching here in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch. He recounts Israel’s history to show that Jesus is the promised Davidic Messiah, and moreover, that He has been resurrected and is therefore the mediator of all God’s covenant blessings (13:16-41). This, Paul says, is the beginning of the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to the fathers, ie, the patriarchs.
(DeYoung-Gilbert, 100) “the promises God made to those fathers—to Abraham and his sons—were enormous in scope. Land, Offspring, name, and blessing all were promised to Abraham, and all will be ours in the life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:21–23).”The Bible itself makes clear that Christ’s redemptive work on the cross is at the heart of the “gospel of the kingdom”.
Ephesians 1:3-10 – “7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”This is most clearly seen in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 5:9-10 – “9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”Throughout the rest of the book, Christ is referred to as “the Lamb,” but He is depicted as a conquering King (Rev 5:6, 8, 23, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 8:1; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1, 3).
Wrong Understanding
There is a wrong understanding of this “gospel of the kingdom” that says part of the church’s mission is to partner with God in “remaking the world”. We’ll discuss this more in a later session.The point I want to emphasize now is that the Bible’s conception of the gospel extends beyond the message of personal reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ. But, it never excludes that message.
This, of course, has implications for our use of the term “gospel-centered” or “gospel-driven”, and all of the things we connect it with – preaching, ministry, counseling, spiritual disciplines, and of course, missions.
Prayer Items
- Shairene Bantolo (c/o Koji)
- Robbie & Deanna Nichols (Grow)
- Philippines UPG: Maguindanao
