Just curious to know your thoughts. The thread is open.
10 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Tony- I've been thinking about your question since I read it earlier today. For a long time, I thought of the Gospel as propositional truth...statements of fact to be defended or argued...reduced to 4 Spiritual Laws or I Cor. 15. Now, I'm not so sure. Instead, I think more of the Gospel as "actualized" truth...being lived out in my life instead of merely being a recipe listing the ingredients of God's grace for my future benefit. It is His ongoing work. Jesus' atoning work on the cross satisfied God's legal demands for me, but His creative work is still going on through His Spirit in me. Good news isn't something to just accept or defend; it is a whole new way of thinking and living. It's the "wherein ye stand" part of I Cor. 15:1. It's the "transformed by the renewing of your mind" part of Romans 12:2. By reducing the Gospel to a set of facts, we are limiting it and obstructing the work of the Holy Spirit. Kat
God Only Saving People Eternally because He so Loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. And that's Good News! selahV
That is a great answer, and I would agree completely. Too often we try to boil the Gospel down to some "naked truth" and then sell it to others in prepackaged containers.
The Gospel is assuredly propositional truth, yet the truths must be actualized before they make any practical difference in our lives or the lives of others. Thank you for pondering and responding!
I always appreciate your comments here; you're so insightful.
Selah,
That is a nifty little acronym. That might preach!
Ron,
You made me laugh out loud with that comment. To me, the Gospel was similar, but it was a belt with my dad's name imprinted on it, which often the imprint became imprinted on my thighs and backside, backwards. Imagine my humiliation walking around with "EKIM" temporarily tattoed acrossy my hind quarters!
Hi, I'm new to this blog... just found it through Steve Sensenig's blog. What is the gospel?
I think that the gospel is primarily what Jesus preached. Jesus preached over and over "the kingdom of God is at hand," right within reach. Jesus didn't just preach salvation. I think the gospel is more than salvation. Salvation, redemption and transformation are a big part of it. And obviously, the doorway to the rest. But for me, the gospel has become more about this amazing covenant with this amazing God and everything in His kingdom that is available through this covenant with Him. It is good news that I am actually a tabernacle carrying the very glory and presence of the most magnanimous God in the universe who is full of power to touch and transform those I (and therefore, He) comes into contact with! Wow! That's good news! It is good news to me that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (my life was pretty lame and boring and quite uninteresting before Him). But now, I have access to the kingdom of God - it's within my reach! And I can grab ahold of it, and that affects the environment around me, wherever I happen to be. Wow! Exciting news! Good news!
Thank you for commenting on my blog, and welcome! I hope you find enough to frequent my spot here in the blogosphere.
I really like your answer. I was anticipating so much propositional truth in this thread, which is part of the Gospel and cannot be separated from it, but you are so right that it is so much about learning who God is and becoming like Him.
Access to the kingdom of God--from which once we were strangers, exiles, EXCLUDED! But now through the glorious new covenant, we can be part of His kingdom; friends, citizens, INCLUDED!
Hi, found your site through Steve's theological musings...just out of curiosity, on one of your slightly older posts you mentioned about lynchburg...is that where you pastor?
As far as your question on the gospel. I would have to say (without having had multiple hours to think and still being slightly asleep) that the gospel, basically put, is God's love for us giving us salvation and the way to heaven. Kat and Selah worded it well. :)
Welcome to my blog. I am always glad to "see" new faces. I hope you will stop back by again, that is if posting picks back up again!
No, I do not pastor in Lynchburg. I pastor in Halifax County, south of Lynchburg, about an hour away. The congregation I serve sees doctors, has surgeries, and the like in Lynchburg, given that Halifax is a bit rural.
And I agree, Kat and Selah worded their responses quite well.
Thanks for stopping by!
Steve,
Thanks for the traffic bro! I guess I ought to post something, huh?
10 comments:
Tony-
I've been thinking about your question since I read it earlier today. For a long time, I thought of the Gospel as propositional truth...statements of fact to be defended or argued...reduced to 4 Spiritual Laws or I Cor. 15.
Now, I'm not so sure. Instead, I think more of the Gospel as "actualized" truth...being lived out in my life instead of merely being a recipe listing the ingredients of God's grace for my future benefit. It is His ongoing work. Jesus' atoning work on the cross satisfied God's legal demands for me, but His creative work is still going on through His Spirit in me.
Good news isn't something to just accept or defend; it is a whole new way of thinking and living. It's the "wherein ye stand" part of I Cor. 15:1. It's the "transformed by the renewing of your mind" part of Romans 12:2.
By reducing the Gospel to a set of facts, we are limiting it and obstructing the work of the Holy Spirit.
Kat
God
Only
Saving
People
Eternally because He so
Loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. And that's Good News! selahV
Bro. Tony I will have to agree with Kat and Selahv .
But in my younger days I sort of thought the gospel was connected to a 5 ft wild peach tree switch that always convinced me of right and wrong ?
Blessings and wishing all a blessed weekend !
Ron.
Kat said it. Amen and amen.
Kat,
That is a great answer, and I would agree completely. Too often we try to boil the Gospel down to some "naked truth" and then sell it to others in prepackaged containers.
The Gospel is assuredly propositional truth, yet the truths must be actualized before they make any practical difference in our lives or the lives of others. Thank you for pondering and responding!
I always appreciate your comments here; you're so insightful.
Selah,
That is a nifty little acronym. That might preach!
Ron,
You made me laugh out loud with that comment. To me, the Gospel was similar, but it was a belt with my dad's name imprinted on it, which often the imprint became imprinted on my thighs and backside, backwards. Imagine my humiliation walking around with "EKIM" temporarily tattoed acrossy my hind quarters!
Steve,
Definitely, amen!
Hi, I'm new to this blog... just found it through Steve Sensenig's blog. What is the gospel?
I think that the gospel is primarily what Jesus preached. Jesus preached over and over "the kingdom of God is at hand," right within reach. Jesus didn't just preach salvation. I think the gospel is more than salvation. Salvation, redemption and transformation are a big part of it. And obviously, the doorway to the rest. But for me, the gospel has become more about this amazing covenant with this amazing God and everything in His kingdom that is available through this covenant with Him. It is good news that I am actually a tabernacle carrying the very glory and presence of the most magnanimous God in the universe who is full of power to touch and transform those I (and therefore, He) comes into contact with! Wow! That's good news! It is good news to me that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me (my life was pretty lame and boring and quite uninteresting before Him). But now, I have access to the kingdom of God - it's within my reach! And I can grab ahold of it, and that affects the environment around me, wherever I happen to be. Wow! Exciting news! Good news!
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for commenting on my blog, and welcome! I hope you find enough to frequent my spot here in the blogosphere.
I really like your answer. I was anticipating so much propositional truth in this thread, which is part of the Gospel and cannot be separated from it, but you are so right that it is so much about learning who God is and becoming like Him.
Access to the kingdom of God--from which once we were strangers, exiles, EXCLUDED! But now through the glorious new covenant, we can be part of His kingdom; friends, citizens, INCLUDED!
Praise our great God!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, found your site through Steve's theological musings...just out of curiosity, on one of your slightly older posts you mentioned about lynchburg...is that where you pastor?
As far as your question on the gospel. I would have to say (without having had multiple hours to think and still being slightly asleep) that the gospel, basically put, is God's love for us giving us salvation and the way to heaven. Kat and Selah worded it well. :)
AJ,
Welcome to my blog. I am always glad to "see" new faces. I hope you will stop back by again, that is if posting picks back up again!
No, I do not pastor in Lynchburg. I pastor in Halifax County, south of Lynchburg, about an hour away. The congregation I serve sees doctors, has surgeries, and the like in Lynchburg, given that Halifax is a bit rural.
And I agree, Kat and Selah worded their responses quite well.
Thanks for stopping by!
Steve,
Thanks for the traffic bro! I guess I ought to post something, huh?
I would be a hypocrite if I said "yes" to that! ;)
My posting this summer has been less than stellar, too. Mostly pointing to other blogs and the like.
Soon, I hope...soon.
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