Rediscovering the Gospel
By Marvin Bryant
(Adapted From Church Growth, 3rd Quarter, 1998)
Once there was an extremely successful sea captain who was renowned for his ability to guide ships safely across the high seas. He was normal in every way except for one unusual habit. Every morning he would open a small safe, pull out a piece of paper, and look at it. Then, after just a few seconds, he would return it to the safe and lock it up securely. Word of this mysterious ritual spread far and wide. People wondered what could possibly demand his daily attention. A love note? A song? A prayer? Finally, the captain died, and his attorney set a date for opening the safe and revealing the contents of the paper. As a large crowd gathered around, the captain’s profound secret was unveiled at last: "port = left; starboard = right."
We must never forget the basics. Though we do not dwell on them, neither do we ever leave them behind. This is especially true of the gospel, the core, saving message about Jesus. The gospel is not only indispensable for entering into Christ but continues to provide guidance and motivation throughout Christian life. Consequently, the gospel message must be deeply and permanently embedded in our minds and hearts. Only then will we keep it in its rightful place of first importance (I Cor. 15:3).
The Concern
There is reason to believe, however, that the gospel may not in actuality hold the place of first importance among us. On several occasions I have asked Christian college students and adult Bible class members to write a summary paragraph of the central gospel message. The results have been disturbing. Approximately one third have given fairly complete and accurate summaries; another third have given accurate but incomplete information; and a full third have given totally inaccurate answers. An examination of evangelistic teaching methods produced by members of Churches of Christ seems to confirm this lack of clarity. Many give slight attention to the central saving message of the death and resurrection of Jesus and some give it no attention whatsoever! Every MADD mother and every Rotarian knows and emphasizes the basic message of his or her organization, but not so, with every church member. (For a thorough and solidly empirical study of the neglect of the gospel among us, see Bill Love’s insightful work, The Core Gospel, ACU Press, 1992).
I believe it is paramount for this and every generation of Christians to rediscover the gospel. This includes both understanding it clearly and allowing it to apprehend our hearts. Only then will we give it its rightful place of first importance.
The Central Events
The gospel is the good news about the mighty act of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Acts, there are seven somewhat extended summaries of the gospel message that was preached to non-Christians. Six of these focus specifically on the death and resurrection of Christ (2:23-24; 3:13-15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:39-40; 13:28-30). The lone exception makes no mention of his death but finds its climax in the resurrection (17:31). Likewise, many of the concise summaries of the gospel message in Acts describe it in terms of either the resurrection of Christ (4:33; 17:18) or both the death and resurrection (17:3; cf. 26:22-23).
Outside Acts, there is a similar emphasis. All four Gospels devote considerable space to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Mark has even been described as a Passion narrative with an extended introduction (Martin Kähler). Paul’s increasingly well known delineation of the gospel likewise emphasizes the truths that, " … Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared …" to various witnesses (I Cor. 15:3-4). This was not just his message; the Jerusalem apostles preached the same (I Cor. 15:11). Other texts in the letters call attention to the same central events by focusing either on the death of Christ (I Cor. 1:18; 2:2; Gal. 3:1; Col. 1:22), his resurrection (Rom. 1:1-4; 10:9; II Tim. 2:8), or both (Rom. 4:25). Taken together, these texts lend strong support for viewing Jesus’ death and resurrection as the central events of the gospel.
The Meaning
Though the account of these central events is dramatically powerful, the story has a meaning that may not be fully apparent from merely hearing it. When a person views a stage play, he or she sees certain events unfold before his or her eyes. Countless other significant activities take place offstage, invisible to the eyes of the audience. The meaning of a stage play is usually clear from seeing what takes place on stage. When it comes to the word of the cross, however, we will not fully understand the meaning by looking only at the events of the cross. We must also "look behind the curtain" to see what the invisible hand of God was doing in and through the events.
It is God’s involvement and work behind the curtain in the death and resurrection of Christ that make them meaningful. This was no ordinary execution. God was at work in this particular execution, unfolding his mysterious and magnificent plan. All seven of the extended summaries of preaching the gospel in Acts call attention to his working (2:24, 36; 3:15, 18; 4:10; 5:30-31; 10:40, 42; 13:23, 30, 32; 17:31). Certain texts outside Acts mention it also (Rom. 3:25; II Cor. 5:21; Col. 1:22).
Other Scriptures give us a glimpse into just what God was doing behind the curtain in the central events. What he was doing was counting the death of Christ as a penal sentence for the spiritual crimes of mankind. God decreed that this death was not just another brutal execution of another unfortunate Jew at the hands of the Romans. Instead, he gave it profound, spiritual meaning. He decreed that it would count as the judicial sentence for the sins of the world. Many a death row inmate would love to count the vigilante death of some little known victim as the death sentence that would pay the price for his own crimes. That is not allowed in our society, of course, but that is something like what God provides through the cross. He counted the death of Jesus as the death sentence for all mankind, which we deserve because of our spiritual crimes.
That is the heart of the meaning of the profound phrase, Christ died "…for our sins…" (Rom. 4:25; I Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4). The penalty for sin is death (Rom. 1:32; 6:23). Since we have all sinned, we all deserve to die. Christ, however, died in our place. We committed the sins but he bore the penalty. By an act of God in the spiritual realm, Jesus became sin and so bore the consequences of our sin for us (II Cor. 5:21).
The death penalty Jesus suffered was not merely physical, however, but was spiritual also. Just as the penalty for sin is not merely physical death but also spiritual death, so the penalty he bore must include both. The prospect of being cut off from God for the first time in his entire existence explains not only Jesus’ extreme agony in Gethsemane but also his haunting cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus took on our sins and all the spiritual consequences that go along with them.
Once there was an orphanage of teenage boys who were allowed to make their own rules of conduct and discipline. The main problem they needed to solve was rampant stealing. They enacted a harsh deterrent: a beating with a belt on the bare back. Sure enough, the stealing stopped, at least for a while. When it started up again, however, they knew someone would have to pay dearly. Once they discovered who was doing it, they were horrified. It was the smallest, scrawniest kid in the orphanage. They knew if they beat him as they had determined, they might kill him; he was that weak. They also knew that if they let him off, stealing would soon run rampant again. They faced a profound dilemma. Finally, the impasse was resolved when the oldest boy in the orphanage walked up to the front of the meeting room, stripped off his shirt, and leaned over a table saying, "I’ll take the beating for him." With every blow of the belt, justice was served and mercy was given. So it was at the cross. God poured out his just wrath toward sin on Jesus and in so doing made mercy available to us all (cf. Rom. 3:26).
The resurrection of Christ is equally meaningful. It declares powerfully that Jesus is the Son of God (Rom. 1:1-4). During his lifetime, not everyone believed Jesus’ remarkable claims concerning his identity. His death, and particularly the humiliating and shameful manner of his execution, must have made his claims seem even more outrageous to many. After all, the Jewish Scriptures said, "… anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse" (Deut. 21:23). But then God raised Jesus from the dead! What a glorious vindication of his claims! Six of the extended summaries of evangelistic preaching in Acts contain this vivid contrast between Jesus’ shameful death and his glorious resurrection: "You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead!" (Acts 3:15; cf. 2:23-24; 4:10; etc.). What’s more, God also exalted Jesus to his own right hand as the reigning Lord of the kingdom of God (2:33; 3:13; 5:31). As a result, Jesus is now seen to be both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).
Thus the gospel is not merely the historical account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. It also includes an explanation of the meaning of this mighty act of God, namely, that Jesus is Lord and has provided a means of escape from the dreadful consequences of sin.
Meaning to the Heart
Before a person can truly comprehend the gospel message, he or she will also need to grasp the great themes of the nature of God, the problem of sin, and the necessary response to the gospel. These themes provide a context that makes even more clear the meaning of the central message. Those of us who are quite familiar with these themes may need to revisit them personally so that the gospel message will penetrate more deeply into our hearts. This is particularly true of the truths about sin. In fact, I’m not sure anyone can ever really hear the good news if he has not first felt the devastating blow of realizing his or her life is an offence to God.
Those of us who struggle with pride or have a performance orientation will find it difficult to admit our sins in anything more than a theoretical fashion. Nevertheless, it is not until we sincerely humble ourselves and come face to face with our sins that the gospel will speak to us with power. Perhaps humbling ourselves and praying earnestly for God to search our hearts to see if there is any offensive way in us (Ps. 139:23-24) will lead to our seeing our sinfulness with appropriate horror. If we then have the courage and faith to acknowledge our sins, the gospel will indeed be good news to us personally. With our minds sharpened by texts like those above and our hearts deeply affected by our experience of humbling ourselves before God, we will have, at last, rediscovered the gospel.
Powerful Results
When Christians do rediscover the gospel, several wonderful results will ensue, especially in regard to evangelism. First, the message that is alone the power of God for salvation will take its place of first importance in our attempts to reach lost people (Rom. 1:16). Though many messages may compete for the place of first importance among religious people as a whole, there will be no competition among those who have truly absorbed the gospel message into their hearts. They will not think of substituting logic, pressure, or manipulation for its power. As a result of their dogged determination to accentuate this message, much fruit will be born (Col. 1:6).
Second, evangelistic motivation will increase. Have you ever dreamed of having more people in your congregation who "… no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised to life again"? Have you ever yearned for numerous members who feel compelled to share the good news with others? Then take your members to the cross and empty tomb and help them comprehend and absorb the compelling love of Christ that was revealed there. That was a major source of Paul’s profound motivation (II Cor. 5:14-15), and it can be for us also.
Third, we will have some profound guidance for how to conduct ourselves in evangelism. Mark’s heavy emphasis on the death of Christ throughout his Gospel would have communicated a poignant message to Christians being persecuted by Nero in the mid 60s A. D.: making Jesus’ death the pattern for your life will lead you to keep on speaking the good news regardless of the cost (Mark 8:35; 10:29-31; 13:9-13). Similarly, Jesus’ death guided Paul to continue to tell the good news in spite of all sorts of opposition (II Cor. 4:7-12). It will guide our mission in a variety of ways as well.
In order for us and the world to experience the wonderful benefits of the gospel, however, it must be of first importance among us. Reading, studying, and discussing it are indispensable for gaining a clearer understanding; yet our hearts must be deeply affected as well. If we will humble ourselves and spend time in the word, in introspection, and on our knees, we will see more vividly our desperate need for a Savior. Then the gospel will indeed be good news to us, and we will have rediscovered it. Both the church and the world have everything to gain by our doing so.