Which Gospel determines what we do

It depends on what “gospel” we believe and teach. It is a term so common in the English language that it creates different meanings to the hearers. It has been said that the gospel is so simple a child can understand it, yet so deeply profound that the greatest minds have yet to conqueror its depth. So let us get real basic and take a look at what is meant by the gospel. The Greek word itself is euaggelion, used 95 times in the NewTestament and means good news. It was used liberally by the authors with the assumption that the readers would know what it meant. Paul was so sure he knew what it meant that he warned people against teaching another version. This is because he claimed that God himself revealed it to him. [1]And that anyone who would pervert it and teach it differently that they will be accursed, i.e go to Hell. Paul’s own statement as to the identity of the gospel is found in his letter to the Corinthians, “ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time. Most of whom are still alive,though some have fallen asleep” I Corinthians 15:3-6 RSVPaul also claimed that his gospel was the same as what Jesus taught and the Apostles in Jerusalem. There has been some efforts to identify different gospels, one for the individual, another for the corporate, nations,or communities. Some have said that Jesus taught one version, and Paul another.But this is not the contention of Paul, there in only one gospel, He learned itfrom Jesus, it is in agreement with what the Apostles taught, because they got it from Jesus as well. He mentions this in speaking about himself being the least of the Apostles, but that what he preached and what they preached was the same. “ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.” [2]There is just one gospel, but the late missionary statesman and scholar Lesslie Newbigin, said it well, “ No gospel is pure, it is always embodied in a culture.” So that gospel has been tailored to various cultures and for different audiences Paul even mentioned that there was the gospel of the circumcised and that of the uncircumcised. He was entrusted with taking the message to the Gentiles while Peter primarily was preaching to the Jews. This analysis might have been a snapshot rather than trend, because we know Peter ministered broadly later in his life. [i]It is fair to say that we also focus on a certain part of the gospel message and its many applications depending on who was on the receiving end. When Paul tailored his message to the philosophers in Athens, it reflected his attempt to find some common ground on which to start them thinking with him. This differed from his hearings before the Roman judges, Felix, Festus, and Agrippa or the people in Jerusalem.[ii] In those cases Paul gave his personal story and makes no philosophic statements, nor employed any poetry. So it could be proposed that there is only one gospel, but many ways to talk about it depending on your hearer. Pastor Tim Keller says he preaches both the circumcised and the uncircumcised gospel in New York City,and allows each group to overhear him preach to the other groups. [iii]But what is that gospel?  The answer is crucial because it determines what kind of people we become. What we are becoming governs what we are doing, that includes the reputation we have, the mission we undertake, and whether the community of faith is a self-indulgent crowd or a sacrificial force for good. There is a tendency to separate the idea of salvation as simply getting into heaven from behavior and reputation. “Christians are not perfect, just forgiven” says the bumper sticker, the sentiment seems to be more of an excuse that an explanation of grace. The importance of getting the gospel right and then applying it correctly cannot be overstated. This is at the root of the American problem that has caused the church to fade in its impact. The drive to be relevant has diminished the distinction between the church and the culture. And when that difference gets too narrow, the church disappears into what Saint John called the “world.”  [1][1]Galatians 1:6-9 , Galatians 1:11 “For I did not receive from man, nor was Itaught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” [2] ICorinthians 15:11 RSV [i] Galatians1:8, 2:7 [ii] ActsChapters 22-28, there are four presentations by Paul [iii] Keller,Tim The Gospel in all its forms, Leadership Journal , Spring 2008 Page 78