The Gospel ?

The Gospel Coalition has a wealth of resources and material available online. One I highly recommend is from their inaugural conference in 2007 by DA Carson, simply called: What is the Gospel. In this message, Carson exegetes 1 Corinthians 15 with a purpose of articulating a biblical theology of “The Gospel.”

The following is the outline of eight all-encompassing theological elements that Carson sees Paul emphasizing in 1 Corinthians 15; all of which are part “the Gospel.” According to him, the eight summarizing words of the gospel include:

1. Christological: The gospel centers on the person and work (the life, death, and resurrection) of Jesus Christ.

2. Theological: The gospel tells us that sin is first and foremost an offense against God and that salvation is first to last the action of God, not our own.

3. Biblical: The gospel is essentially the message of the whole Bible.

4. Apostolic: The gospel is passed on to us by Jesus' disciples as authoritative eyewitnesses.

5. Historical: The gospel is not philosophy or advice on how to find God, but rather news of what God has done in history to find and save us.

6. Personal: The gospel must be personally believed and appropriated.

7. Universal: The gospel is for every tongue, tribe, people, and individual.

8. Eschatological: The gospel includes the good news of the final transformation, not just the blessings we enjoy in this age.

(This summarization comes from Pastor Tim Keller in the article “The Gospel and the Poor,” from the online Journal of the Gospel Coalition: Themelios. The full
article can be read here.)

I find this helpful because like its predecessor phrase “Glorify God,” being “Gospel Centered” can become cliché-ish, and thus become so over-used that it means little or nothing when we use it or hear it. If this is a phrase that we are going to use as part of our normal vocabulary, I would hope we not lose the implications of its full meaning. Carson helps to give us a depth of understanding about all of its potential.

You can access MP3, Video, and PDF files of the message here; moreover, there are a bunch of excellent resources on the Gospel Coalition website. I encourage you to check it out.

Blessings
3 John 8
Bill H