WHEN YOU ASSUME THE GOSPEL, YOU LOSE THE GOSPEL by Shane Rosenthal for Core Christianity
The gospel is not ultimately about us or how we can improve this world or ourselves. Rather, it’s about Christ.
And it’s not merely about Christ in general or what he can do for us in the here and now. Rather, it is about what he did during a particular time when Tiberius was reigning as Caesar and Pontius Pilate was the procurator of Judea. It’s about Christ’s death for sin and his resurrection on the third day, testified by the prophets before it happened, witnessed by the apostles when it happened, and richly explained by them after it happened.
We’re dealing with real time and space events that are first and foremost to be understood as true rather than helpful, useful, or life changing. This gospel may have the effect of changing a person’s life, but that is to be understood as a fruit of the gospel and not the thing itself.
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Assuming the Gospel
These days, we’ve turned things around. We don’t talk about the truth of the gospel anymore, just its therapeutic value—what it can do for our finances, how it can repair our broken relationships, how it solves loneliness, etc.
As we go around repeating these kinds of things, many people will respond, “Oh that’s great for you; I’m glad that you found something that works.” Others say, “I’m doing just fine with my finances and relationships, thank you,” or “What worked for me was reading Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. That book changed my life!”
But a truth claim is something different. If Jesus really rose again from the dead, then as with all historical facts, this would be true not merely for me but for everyone. And if it’s true for everyone, we would all do well to pay attention to what Jesus says about himself and the claims he makes about where history is headed, about our true nature, and about our need for redemption.
