Being the glutton for punishment that I often am, I was reading through someone's blog today who seems to believe that their calling in life is to find and point out what is wrong with people. I used to read these posts and boil and fume and wonder why with all the good that God is hard at work at in our world, would someone need to make it their life focus to try and point out all that is wrong? I don't really get angry anymore, it's more of a sadness...anyway...
This blogger made a statement,
"(Insert name of semi-popular pastor/author here) makes me mad because he preaches an anti-gospel. He craftily does this by portraying the essence of Christianity as following Jesus and treating people the way Jesus did. While this is important, living the “Jesus life” is not the essence of Christianity and neither is obeying the commands of Jesus (as important as that is). The essence of Christianity centers upon the work of Christ on behalf of sinners (i.e. substitutionary atonement)."
This hit a little close to home as I too have been accused of preaching an 'anti-gospel' in our little community, and for the same reasoning. It also hits close to home because if you have ever listened to pastor Brian on a Sunday morning or been a part of a bible study that he has led then you will have clearly heard him present the gospel as simply, and I quote, "Trust Jesus."
"The essence of Christianity centers upon the work of Christ on behalf of sinners (i.e. substitutionary atonement)."
The difference in these views comes down to a 'limiting' of the gospel as opposed to an 'anti' gospel. Understanding the gospel in terms of it centering upon the work of Christ on behalf of sinners is to take one element of His life, albeit a profoundly important and beautiful element, and saying this is all that matters; this, I would say, is a limiting of the gospel. Understanding the gospel in terms of "Trust Jesus" is to not merely look at His work, but instead to take the entirety of His life into account, including, of course, His work on behalf of sinners. This is by no means an "anti-gospel," and by no means a limiting of Christ's gospel to one event in His life (however profoundly important, crucial and beautiful it may be). There is no room to denigrate and play down the importance of the cross in our lives; there is however, much room to elevate the entirety of Christ's life, including His death and resurrection, in all of our lives.
I have to say that this is very clearly the language of the entire New Testament also. If you look, there are only eleven references to the cross from Acts through Revelation; ten from Paul in the entirety of his writings, and one in Hebrews. There are only 19 separate references to the death of Christ from Acts through Revelation.*
The rest is about His life, His resurrection, the lives we are meant to live in Him, stories of those who are and who are not living His abundant life, how we are to interact with one another in His life, what His life looks like in us, what His life produces in us, and on and on and on.
In the beginning God created a heaven and a earth just as He wanted it. He created a man and a woman just as He wanted them to be to live in and experience this heaven and earth. He called this "Very Good!"
Not long after, this man and woman decided that they knew better than Him. They chose to follow their own way and not live in His abundant life. This has been the choice provided to all of mankind ever since.
There is a new beginning in Jesus. Jesus came to show us how to have life and live it abundantly. He overcame the power of sin and death by way of His own death and resurrection and we can now identify with Him by dying to our selves, our own way of living and instead trusting Him for new life, a new way to live; eternal life.
Jesus' gospel is to trust Him, the entirety of His life, so that we might return, starting now and for all eternity, to the abundant life that He created in the beginning.
This is the gospel according to Jesus, according to Paul, according to the entire New Testament, according to God's plans set in motion throughout the Old Testament...Trust Jesus.
(*I had to revise my first post as I found more references, although the few more I found do not change the truth of the statement. I must insist again, this realization does absolutely nothing to denigrate the cross! It is, without question, one of the most beautiful and powerful moments in all of human history. What it most certainly does demand though, is for us to reconsider whether we have given enough attention to Jesus' life, both before and after the cross.
I would be happy to discuss the specific passages that I am referencing, and there is much more additional insight that can be gained from the context of these passages (how His death is referenced, what surrounds the reference to His death, the purpose of His death, the benefits of His death.) In every reference, the point always returns to His available life.)
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