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What is the Gospel?

~ Bob Hayton

What would you say is the essence of the gospel?

Today many answers might be given. “The gospel is the good news that God loves you.” “Forgiveness of sins based on faith in Jesus’ atoning death on the cross is the main point of the gospel.” “Jesus died and rose again so that we might have eternal life–This is the gospel!” “The gospel is the news that God loved each of us so much He did everything He could so that we could spend eternity with Him!”

To a greater or lesser degree we all might be tempted to agree with each of the statements above. Yet this might lead us to think of the greatness of the gospel from a dangerously human-centered viewpoint. WE are SO SPECIAL that God did EVERYTHING He could so that WE could escape Hell and BE HAPPY for ever in heaven. Is the gospel God’s way of showing the great value of man? Or is the gospel the means for our self-centered enjoyments and pleasures to continue on without the bother of sin and pain? Or is the gospel really much, much MORE than that?

The Bible speaks of the gospel as being the “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). 2 Cor. 4:3-6 highlights the gracious nature of the gospel in a breathtakingly beautiful way:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

These verses declare that God sovereignly, in an act comparable to His work on the first day of creation, sheds the light of His gospel into our hearts, overcoming Satan’s work of actively blinding sinner’s eyes to the glorious worth of Christ (cf. 2 Tim. 2:24-26). More teaching concerning the nature of the gospel comes from a recognition of the parallel phrases in vs. 4 and 6. “The light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” is compared to “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. Without a communication of knowledge, there is no reception of the gospel. Further, the gospel centers on the glorious worth of God. This glory belongs to the Triune God and is revealed by seeing the face of Christ–the very image of God.

This book is a cry from the heart of John Piper. He is pleading that God himself, as revealed in Christ's death and resurrection, is the ultimate and greatest gift of the gospel. (Taken from the back cover.) Click to order the book.John Piper takes on this theme in his latest book God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God’s Love as the Gift of Himself. He argues that the gospel is all about God giving Himself to us for our good and His glory. The gospel trumpets God’s worth not man’s.

Piper says, “The best and final gift of the gospel is that we gain Christ….In place of this, we have turned the love of God and the gospel of Christ into a divine endorsement of our delight in many lesser things, especially the delight in our being made much of. The acid test of biblical God-centeredness–and faithfulness to the gospel–is this: Do you feel more loved because God makes much of you, or because, at the cost of his Son, he enables you to enjoy making much of him forever?” (pg. 11)

He goes on to contend that God’s saving love “is God’s commitment to do everything necessary to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying, namely himself.” (pg. 13) Piper explains further what he means: “None of Christ’s gospel deeds and none of our gospel blessings are good news except as means of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. Forgiveness is good news because it opens the way to enjoyment of God himself. Justification is good news because it wins access to the presence and pleasures of God himself. Eternal life is good news because it becomes the everlasting enjoyment of Christ.” (from the back cover)

So when we think of the gospel are we thinking of the gift being God Himself?

Piper asks, “If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?” (pg. 15) He then challenges Christian leaders to “preach and teach and lead in such a way that people are prepared to hear that question and answer with a resounding NO“. (pg. 15)

He goes on to wonder “Have we presented the gospel in such a way that the gift of the glory of God in the face of Christ is marginal rather than central and ultimate?” (pg. 15)

All of the thoughts presented here, basically come from Piper’s intoduction. As I read through this book, I plan to periodically post more excerpts and thoughts on this all-important topic. (I will link all subsequent posts to this first post, by the way.) I encourage you all to get and read this book (you can order it by clicking here). And may we come to love and prize Christ more so that we might answer Piper’s question with that resounding NO! I leave you with the concluding paragraphs of Piper’s introduction, and a brief prayer of my own.

When we celebrate the gospel of Christ and the love of God, and when we lift up the gift of salvation, let us do it in such a way that people will see through it to God himself. May those who hear the gospel from our lips know that salvation is the blood-bought gift of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. May they believe and say, “Christ is all!” Or, to use the words of the psalmist, “May those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is great!” (Ps. 70:4). Not mainly, “Salvation is great,” but “God is great!”May the church of Jesus Christ say with increasing intensity, “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup” (Ps. 16:5). “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1). “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Phil. 1:23).

The world needs nothing more than to see the worth of Christ in the work and words of his God-besotted people. This will come to pass when the church awakens to the truth that the saving love of God is the gift of himself, and that God himself is the gospel. (pg. 16-17)

Lord! Open my eyes, open our eyes to the glories of Christ. May we declare “God is great!” rather than merely saying “Salvation is great!” Lord may You do a glorious work within us that our lives would reflect Your worth. May we prize You above life and above Your blessings. May we risk all to advance the cause of Your great Name! May we declare Your Glory to all our friends and acquaintances. May we spur one another on to love and good works in our fight of faith looking unto our glorious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Fill our eyes and minds with Your Glory as manifested in Jesus. Do this because of Your great love and Jesus’ atoning work on our behalf. We pray in Your name, Amen.

∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7

Outreach Special in Time for Easter Evangelism

~ Bob Hayton

Great Evangelistic Tool Available from Desiring God Ministries for only $1 per Book!Desiring God is offering a great special on a newly redesigned resource. Originally entitled The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die this short book (122 easy to read pages) was published to capitalize on the notoriety of Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of Jesus Christ. Now Desiring God has renamed it Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die in hopes of broadening its already huge distribution (1.5 million copies so far).

Now, Desiring God is offering cases of 108 books to churches or individuals who pledge to distribute them free of charge, for a suggested donation of $108 or only $1 per book!

This would be a great opportunity especially in light of Easter being around the corner. The special is good only through April 14th. For all the details, click here.

“Lifesong” by Casting Crowns

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

On Feb. 8 Casting Crowns won a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for their second album Lifesong. Winning a Grammy means you are both good and popular. Casting Crowns is definitely popular. Their first album went Platinum (i.e. sold a million copies) within 16 months of its release–making it one of the fastest selling Christian Albums in recent history.

Casting Crowns also happens to be one of my favorite groups. And their popularity actually speaks volumes about Christian Contemporary Music as a whole. Why? Because their songs are not mere Christian fluff dressed up in a popular music style. Their songs convey a deep and thoughtful message that is meant to challenge, provoke, and elicit heart-felt worship. And their songs are really popular for just that reason. In other words, a significant number of CCM fans really care about the message of their songs.

Kim Jones (of ChristianMusic About.com) calls Casting Crowns’ success “a God thing”. She sums up a review of Lifesong as follows:

“Bottom line – my hat goes off to Casting Crowns for a job well done, once again. This is one band that doesn’t soft-pedal their message, even if it is one that people enjoying a “comfort-zone” may not want to hear. It’s apparent to me that their incredible popularity isn’t just due to their obvious talent. It’s what I like to call a “God thing.” Think about it … most people don’t want the errors of their ways pointed out to them, yet Casting Crowns does just that. But people flock to see them and hear their music. I believe that’s because God is opening hearts to see the ugly truths about ourselves so that the seeds that Casting Crowns plants have a place to grow.”
[Read the whole article]

With the announcement of their Grammy Award (winning over the likes of Jars of Clay, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and Michael W. Smith), I felt it would be a good opportunity to highlight some of my favorite songs from their Grammy-winning second album.

Lifesong The title song is a prayer that our life would praise you not just our lips. “Let my Lifesong sing to you”. I blogged about this song in an earlier post, where you can check out the lyrics.

Praise You in This Storm This is a great song which speaks to the problems of unanswered prayer. The solution is “I’ll praise you in this storm…for You are who You are no matter where I am…though my heart is torn I will praise you in this storm.”

Stained Glass Masquerade This song speaks to the typical church-experience: everyone puts on their best clothes and best face to come to church, and no one reveals their deep struggles and problems. We are content to just let church be church and not have our real needs addressed–that would be too risky. But the song says it best:

“…’Cause when I take a look around, everybody seems so strong. I know they’ll soon discover that I don’t belong. So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay. If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too. So with a painted grin, I play the part again, so everyone will see me the way that I see them. Are we happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples with walls around our weakness and smiles to hide our pain?…But would it set me free if I dared to let you see the truth behind the person that you imagine me to be? Would your arms be open or would you walk away? Would the love of Jesus be enough to make you stay?”

Love Them Like Jesus I cried at least the first 10 times I heard this song. It paints two painful situations, which are all too common in this world: a woman losing her husband with a family still to raise, and a couple losing the baby they had hoped for. How do you face such situations? How do you help people in such situations? The song says “Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him. His yoke is easy, His burden is light. You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions, just know that He loves them and stay by their side. Love them like Jesus”. What moves me about this song is how Jesus can offer hope in any troubling situation. And we can offer the hope Jesus has to those who are hurting. It is a lovely song with music that matches the message of the words.

Set Me Free This song, too, wrenches tears from me most of the time when I hear it. It is extremely powerful and moving. The music is harsher to reflect the message. It is the story of the maniac of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes)–the man who had a legion of demons in him. The song reflects the hopelessness of the man’s situation, and has him crying “Set me free of the chains holding me! Is anybody out there hearing me? Set me free!” The intensity builds through the song, “Who is this man that comes my way? The dark ones shriek, they scream His name. Is this the One they say will set the captives free? Jesus, rescue me! Set me free….” And the climax continues with “As the God man passes by, He looks straight through my eyes, and darkness cannot hide.” Jesus now speaks, “Do you want to be free? Lift your chains I hold the key. All power on Heav’n and Earth belong to me! You are free. You are free…” The song speaks of the greatness of our salvation by highlighting first our great need. All of us were as hopeless as the demoniac without Christ. And then it highlights the glorious power of Christ to set us free. I picture the image of a chained man lifting his chains and crying out “set me free”. But I see the hope that floods his soul as Christ passes by and says “lift your chains, I hold the key!” What a great Savior we have!

There are several other good songs on the CD, but these are my favorites. I encourage you to check out the CD. You can get the whole lyrics to these songs through a simple online search. A biography of the group is available here. And a review of their first album is available here.

I Will Glory in My Redeemer by Steve & Vikki Cook

~ fundyreformed ~ 5 Comments

I recommend many modern hymns & contemporary songs for corporate worship. While the old hymns are certainly grand, the new songs God is giving to the church, are worthy of respect too.

~~~~~~

This song is very stirring. It directs one’s heart to Christ. He is our Righteousness and He secures our right standing with God! He is also the one we long to forever behold.

I hope this song makes you lift up your heart in worship to our Savior Jesus Christ. Discovering this song, has done that for me.

I will glory in My Redeemer

Words and Music by Steve and Vikki Cook

I will glory in my Redeemer
Whose priceless blood has ransomed me
Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails
And hung Him on that judgment tree
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who crushed the power of sin and death
My only Savior before the Holy Judge
The Lamb Who is my righteousness
The Lamb Who is my righteousness

I will glory in my Redeemer
My life He bought, my love He owns
I have no longings for another
I’m satisfied in Him alone
I will glory in my Redeemer
His faithfulness my standing place
Though foes are mighty and rush upon me
My feet are firm, held by His grace
My feet are firm, held by His grace

I will glory in my Redeemer
Who carries me on eagle’s wings
He crowns my life with lovingkindness
His triumph song I’ll ever sing
I will glory in my Redeemer
Who waits for me at gates of gold
And when He calls me it will be paradise
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold
His face forever to behold

CCLI Song # 3337435,   © 2001 Sovereign Grace Worship (Admin. by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music)

Song Resources:

Guitar chord sheet & musical score: Available free, here.
MP3 preview clip: Available here or here.
Listen to the MP3 for free: At rhapsody.com.
MP3 purchase links: Here and here.
Author Discography: Steve & Vikki
CD purchase links:
Songs for the Cross Centered Life (first sample above) – Amazon.com or direct from Sovereign Grace Ministries
No Greater Love (second sample above) – Amazon.com or direct from Sovereign Grace Ministries
Before the Throne – Amazon.com or direct from Sovereign Grace Ministries
Bonus: CD Trailer for Songs for the Cross Centered Life

Hebrews 3: Chist–our Apostle & High Priest, and Perseverance

~ fundyreformed

Douglas Wilson has some excellent exegetical comments on Heb. 3:1-6 over on his blog, Blog and Mablog. Below are some excerpts.

The phrase “apostle and high priest” is striking. This is the one place in Scripture where Christ is called an apostle, that is, one who is sent out. A “sent one” has the authority and commission of the one sending. For example, an apostle of a church is one like a missionary or church planter. And apostle of Christ is sent out by Christ and has His authority, as did the Twelve. In this instance, Christ is described as an apostle. He was sent out by God the Father, and represents God to us. At the same time, He is described as a High Priest””that is, as one of us to represent us to God. A priest is chosen from among the people and stands before them to represent them. This phrase “apostle and high priest” therefore means that Christ is the perfect bridge between God and man. As an apostle of God, He represents God perfectly to us, and as our High Priest, He represents us perfectly to God….

We are that house. The Bible is very clear that we are God’s building, God’s house….

Given this, what is necessary? We must hold firm to the end. We see here, stated plainly, the doctrine of perseverance. Whose house we are, if . . . Three classes of men exist. Some are never in the house. They have no connection to the Christian faith at all. Some are in the house, but only temporarily. They are covenantally connected to Christ, and the connection is a real one, but they are not elect. The true sons of the house, however, the elect of God, abide there forever. “And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Then if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8: 35-36). [Read the whole post.]

∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7