t’s not uncommon for there to be discussions among believers as to what information, what message, what truths are the heart of what we call “the gospel”. Answers will be almost as varied as the number of people asked!
Lately, I’ve been really mulling this question over in my mind. During the course of my 39 years, I have been through several phases of what I believed was central to the gospel message. And I have heard many different explanations of what the gospel message truly is.
Part of this question is made difficult because it appears that different presentations of the gospel in the New Testament took different approaches to the subject matter. There is not one “method” of evangelism displaying predominantly in the New Testament. Nor is there one set “sermon” that was given. There may be something to note in that. But that’s not really the point of this post.
The question of what information is part of the gospel message can lead to some heated debates. Some would propose that it is necessary to present five very specific propositions (I won’t go into specifics, but the acronym might or might not spell the name of a particular type of flower!). Others believe that it is only necessary to present the fact that all have sinned, and that there is a Savior who has paid for that sin. Still others believe that an “orthodox” understanding of the Godhead is necessary to be presented.
Some preach the gospel with an emphasis on the bad news. “Sinner! Sinner! Sinner! Sinner! Oh, and there’s a Savior.” Others skip the bad news and just preach a message that basically says, “You got problems? He’s got solutions.”
In recent years, I have been looking at Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 as the basic gospel message, and the only message necessary to proclaim. I got this from the fact that Paul says he delivered that message to the Corinthians “as of first importance”.
However, lately, I have been rethinking this. Let me explain why. Paul’s list of what he “passed on” doesn’t stop at the end of verse 4. So, if I were to say that Paul’s statement of what was “first importance” reflects the heart of the gospel, I think I would have to do justice to the grammar and sentence structure by including the fact that Jesus actually appeared to certain people and certain groups of people after his resurrection.
Now, these are all very positive things to share with people when proclaiming the gospel, but I’m not sure that they are the very central elements of the gospel. They help explain the gospel, but what is the very heart of it?
In thinking this through, I have begun looking closely at 2 Corinthians 5, specifically 2 Corinthians 5:14-20. Allow me to quote it here for you:
[O]ne died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
A couple of things stand out to me in this passage:
- The truth about Jesus is all about reconciliation. Reconciliation of the whole world to God.
- That “word of reconciliation” has been committed to us to proclaim to the world, “as though God were making an appeal through us”.
It seems to me that what Paul is saying is that the heart of the gospel message is that God has already reconciled the world to Christ. We have the privilege of proclaiming this great and glorious “good news”!
Furthermore, it would appear that when Paul talks about “recogniz[ing] no one according to the flesh”, it would appear that he is referring to the idea of seeing everyone to whom we proclaim the gospel as reconciled to Christ. I may flesh (no pun intended!) this out in a future post, but wanted to make mention of it here because I think it may be significant.
This emphasis on a ministry of reconciliation seems to parallel very nicely with what Paul proclaimed in Acts 17:22-31 in Athens, Greece. He quoted a poet/philosopher in saying that we (mankind) are all God’s children, and that we “live and move and have our being” through our Father. (That phrase has often been quoted referring to life in Christ, but Paul is not using it in that context.) And while his audience did not know this “unknown god” prior, Paul proclaimed him to them.
So, the heart of the gospel? We are reconciled to God through Christ!
The gospel is not a weapon with which to threaten people. It’s not a guilt trip to make people feel awful about their lives in ignorance of the good news. It’s not a call for behavior modification. It’s not a sales pitch. It’s not a way to build our own human empires. It’s the good news of a loving Father with whom mankind had a relationship that was severed, which relationship has now been restored!
It’s already been done…and that truly is “good news”!
Until next time,
steve 
This is outstanding, and I have more to say, but since I am in a conference room in Stockholm at the moment, I’ll let it wait for now.
Your last paragraph sums it up well for me.
Larry, I look forward to reading your thoughts when you get a chance.
This is good stuff.
The more I have read the NT, the more I have come to the conclusion that the Gospel is a lot less than what we normally say it is.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 is about as concise a statement in the NT as you can get as far as what the “heart” of the Gospel is.
And I think you rightly emphasize what God has already done as opposed to what we ought to do.
Good to see you blogging out here again bro!
Hi Steve,
Very good post, and one that I hope provokes a lot of thought in others, as it has me.
It appears that the message of reconciliation is indeed the heart of the good news, or at least a big chunk of the heart of it, and I think it’s a message that’s largely forsaken in the church today. It’s good news that God has reconciled the world to Himself through the death of Jesus!
My thought is that there is more to the good news than reconciliation, but the rest of the good news isn’t possible without this vital part, and as you say, the good news is not a matter of putting people on a guilt trip, nor is it a weapon or any of the other things you mentioned. It’s good news!
Because God has reconciled the world to Himself through Christ’s death, it’s possible for anyone who believes to have eternal life and to have salvation. I think that life and salvation are different components of the good news than reconciliation. As Paul says in Romans 5:10, having been reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we shall be saved by His life.
I don’t think you were wrong at all to focus on 1 Cor. 15:3-4, but as you say, Paul doesn’t simply stop with those words. We find more about the death, the burial and the resurrection throughout Paul’s epistles.
While the world was reconciled to God through the death of His Son, not all have Life; not all are saved. Again, this isn’t a matter of beating anyone over the head, but it’s a matter of sharing the good news that “the gospel of Christ… is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” (Rom 1:16) and “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
I think our “job” (as God makes His appeal through us) is to proclaim the good news of the message of reconciliation and also to share the good news of salvation through faith. We share the ‘word of truth,’ and when people believe, they are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” (Eph 1:13).
Great post, Steve! I have always liked titus 3:3 to 3:8, also.
3:3
For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
3:4
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
3:5
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
3:6
whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
3:7
so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
3:8
This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.
I appreciate the balance of this post, Steve. Seems to me that most “overemphasis” in gospel presentation are more of an “overreaction” to perceived omissions. And the pendulum swings. In the words of one of my favorite quotes, “Blessed are the balanced.”
Steve, my comment yesterday was hastily done at school. I couldn’t agree more that the heart of the gospel message is reconciliation. We may now live with God in our heart, and He is the all and all. He initiated redemption, He saw it through to the finish and He offers all of Himself to us through His grace…we get to be with Him and He with us.
I put up the Titus passage because I’ve always been stirred by how concisely those 7 scriptures go from our fallenness, through God’s redemption to our good works.
I wasn’t trying to suggest an alternative, but a comparative verse set that also illustrates reconciliation at the core of the gospel.
Some would propose that it is necessary to present five very specific propositions (I won’t go into specifics, but the acronym might or might not spell the name of a particular type of flower!)
Let me guess…ummmmmm, oh I know! A DAISY! No? A PANSY! How about a PEONY?
All joking aside, this is a good post. The thought that comes to mind when I read this is that our understanding of the heart of the gospel will dictate our presentation of the gospel to the world.
Brother Steve,
Great post!
You said, “So, the heart of the gospel? We are reconciled to God through Christ!”
Great definition. As I think about this, the only question that arises is whether or not we should add people, and possibly all of creation, to that which we are reconciled to. It seems central in our lives and practice, though it is a natural outworking from our reconciled relationship with the Creator of all things. Not really sure if they should be included and I’m really just thinking out loud here, but it does seem reconciled relationships (in a world where many relationships are shattered) is a key component of proclaiming the Gospel. On the other hand, it could be that this is just a natural outworking of reconciliation to God. On the other hand, how can someone be reconciled to God, who he can’t see, and not reconciled to people who he can see. Is this part of the heart or is this application? Either way, it is Good News!
Okay, enough thinking out loud! Thanks for making me think!!
His peace be yours in abundance,
From the Middle East
Steve,
Gordon missed PEARS!
In fifty years of ministry, much of that in evangelism, amongst both Calvinists (to which Gordon was referring)and Arminians (PEARS), I have never heard spoken, or observed written, any reference to their particular doctrinal position.
We have always respected the others’ position and got on with the task of making disciples, rather than making converts.
I am always saddened to see sarcasm, or heated arguments, towards the other from either of the positions.
Of one thing I’m certain, their will be neither Calvinists nor Arminians in heaven, only brethren in Christ.
Yes! I do believe one of the two positions!
Enjoyed reading this Steve.. very thought provoking.
I love that in Jesus God was reconciling the world to Himself and the result of His reconciliation is a new creation – a new heart.. a new inner person. I think that this new heart is often missed when we try to present the gospel message brain-to-brain instead of heart-to-heart.
In a sense we are ambassadors of the heart of God.. a heart that loves us and longs to be reconciled to us. In a sense the gospel message cannot be understood with our heads.. it is a message that must be believed and embraced at a heart level. I guess that is why it is so difficult to communicate at times – communicating at this heart level is often uncomfortable.. guess that is why most of us choose to speak to people’s minds instead.. it is what we are comfortable doing.
Steve, I found you through Grace and I love your blog! It’s theological yet I can still understand what you are saying.
The comments are good too. I really appreciate the clarity and grounding in the word.
This particual post struck me because I feel that God is nudging me to share my faith and I feel stuck with what the central message should be. My most recent post talks about this internal turmoil.
Whenever I do get into a discussion about what Christians actually believe, Romans 10:9 comes to me as the defining answer.
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
After years of basically asking the question you asked at the outset, I have ended up at literally the same passage of Scripture you quote, there in 1 Corinthians 15.
Another way I sometimes try to jolt my head out of “theoretical theology land” and bring it back to beneficial reality, is by this exercise: I pretend that I am talking to someone on the very real verge of death (maybe they have cancer or some other disease, maybe they are really old, etc.). I say to myself, “Okay, this is possibly the last time you will speak to this person. In fact, you may be the last one they are going to interact with before they die and pass over. What are you going to share that is the most important?”
I try to employ that when I talk to people in day to day conversation also (with reasonable modifications), because you never know how long any one really has. Also, you don’t know if anyone is speaking to the person in front of you about anything really important and eternal.
Matt Oskvarek
So, the heart of the gospel? We are reconciled to God through Christ!
Agreed. And that is the only hope for any person.
Hello Steve, I am spending part of this morning on a random search for Christian blogs. Please check out my blogs thekingpin68 and satire and theology.
I am looking for links, readers, and comments and I participate on other blogs.
Cheers.
Russ