Introduction
Before getting into the meat of this study, please humor me for a couple of minutes while I explain why I wanted to make sure we cover this all-important topic in our group. This past Summer, as I was listening to the audio version of a very good book by Matt Chandler called The Explicit Gospel, I became re-acquainted with the reality that although I had grown up in a Christian home, spent most Sunday mornings of my life in church and Sunday school, and knew about various theological subjects, for a long time, I had missed the most crucial point of what Christianity is all about.
In his book introduction, Chandler talks to the reader about what he calls "The Assumed Gospel." The basic idea of this term is that many people go to church, grow up in Christian homes, and/or call themselves Christians, but don't truly understand what the Gospel actually is. Instead, they end up thinking that Christianity is about following all the right rules, practicing all of the right morals, or being judged for not having the ability to do so. This way of living ends up dragging a person down into a trap of feeling constant guilt for not attaining to a church community's standards, telling him or herself that she will keep trying harder and eventually, with the right amount of will-power he or she might actually elevate themselves to being a "good person," someone worthy of being friends with their fellow Christians.
Until my early twenties, this was how I viewed Christianity too. I had "accepted Jesus into my heart" when I was four. I brought all of my friends to youth group. I argued with my atheist friends about why they should believe that God exists. I tried not to do the things I knew were bad, like hate the girl at school who spread rumors about me, get drunk at college parties, or go too far with my boyfriend. But the harder I would try to meet this moral standard, the more I realized that I couldn't do any of this on my own.
Now, here comes my first question for you: What do you think the Gospel is? (Take a couple of minutes to think about it before moving on. Jot down some answers on a piece of paper or type them up in a Word document so you can keep track)
Also, Why do we need the Gospel?
Take a few minutes to read these Bible passages as you think on this.
Romans 3:10-18
Colossians 1:21-23
Romans 5:6-11
What is the Gospel?
The Gospel literally means "Good News". This good news is the historical reality that God became human, He entered our earthly experience as a baby born to a virgin girl who named Him Jesus. Around the age of 30, He began to teach the people of Israel about who God (Yahweh) is and what His Kingdom is about. He was betrayed by one of his own disciples and arrested by the hypocritical religious leaders of the time on false charges of blasphemy against God. Following torture and violent beatings, Jesus was nailed to a Roman cross. He died on that cross after crying out to his Father in Heaven, and declaring His work finished. His body was laid in a tomb that belonged to one of His followers. After three days, Jesus came to life again in physical human form, having forever conquered sin and death. After making various appearances to His followers, He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, still fully man and fully God.
The Gospel is the story of what God did in Jesus for all of Creation. Sin entered into this world after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. And since then, humanity has been enslaved by sin and death, alienated from their Creator, and doomed to spend eternity separated from God. But because of what Jesus did on the cross, taking the penalty of our sin onto Himself, absolving us of all of the terrible things we do, we don't have to be separated any longer. We no longer have to fear the wrath of God or the reality of Hell.
Because of Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the dead, we can now have an intimate relationship with the God who made us. We can know Him as a person, and be a part of His work in this world. We don't have to get sucked into trying to do everything ourselves. We can now be changed and guided by the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. And it is the Holy Spirit who makes us able to do any good work that God calls us to. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and helps us repent, giving us the ability to stop committing the sins that have constantly thrown us into oblivion. It is the Holy Spirit who seals us for the day when Jesus will return to Earth, to bring His Kingdom into full fruition, and dwell with His people forever.
Other "gospels"
Ever since Jesus ascended into Heaven, His followers have been telling as many people as they can about who Jesus is and what He did. And as far back as the time period when most of the New Testament letters were written, there have been people who take the Gospel and twist it into something that it is not. The Bible calls this false teaching, and those who spread these teachings are called false teachers.
Take a look at Galatians 1:6-9. How do you think God feels about people teaching false gospels?
Let's focus on some common beliefs that are taught in this country. Here is a video of Michael Horton explaining a belief called "Moral Therapeutic Deism":
http://theresurgence.com/2010/03/01/what-is-moralistic-therapeutic-deism
What are the differences between "Moral Therapeutic Deism" and what the Bible says about the Gospel (written above under What Is The Gospel?) ?
Can you relate to any of the beliefs expressed in "Moral Therapeutic Deism"? Take some time and ask Jesus to show you the truth about the Gospel and who He really is through His Word.
A second popular teaching that is becoming very widespread is what theologians and pastors are calling "The Health & Wealth Gospel" or "The Prosperity Gospel". (On a side note, have you heard of "Preacher of LA"? Yeah those guys are Prosperity Gospel preachers) Normally I wouldn't suggest relying on Wikipedia, but this particular page has a lot of the right information in one place. Try to at least read the introduction and the "Theology" section:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology
Again, what are the differences between "The Prosperity Gospel" and what the Bible says the about the Gospel?
How do the following Bible passages go against what this "Prosperity Gospel" is teaching?:
Luke 9:22-24
John 15:18-21
John 16:33
Who does the biblical Gospel tell us to focus on?
And what do these other "gospels" make us focus on?
After doing all of this reading and listening, write down what you think the Gospel is, and compare it to your original answer.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in a comment below.
Further reading/listening:
The Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John
The Book of Romans
Matt Chandler - The Explicit Gospel http://www.amazon.com/The-Explicit-Gospel-Re-Lit/dp/1433530031/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383018543&sr=8-1&keywords=matt+chandler+the+explicit+gospel
Josh Peterson - The Gospel Assumed, or Explicit?
http://www.thevillagechurch.net/the-village-blog/the-gospel-assumed-or-explicit/
D. A. Carson - What Is the Gospel and How Does It Work?
http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/entry/what_is_the_gospel_and_how_does_it_work_part_1_of_3
Matt Chandler - Making the Gospel Explicit, Not Assumed
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/03/02/matt-chandler-on-making-the-gospel-explicit-not-assumed/
"The Prosperity Gospel Ruined My Life"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuQIoZV2KRY
"Deists Who Love Jesus and Talk Like Freud"
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/03/20/deists-who-love-jesus-and-talk-like-freud/
Before getting into the meat of this study, please humor me for a couple of minutes while I explain why I wanted to make sure we cover this all-important topic in our group. This past Summer, as I was listening to the audio version of a very good book by Matt Chandler called The Explicit Gospel, I became re-acquainted with the reality that although I had grown up in a Christian home, spent most Sunday mornings of my life in church and Sunday school, and knew about various theological subjects, for a long time, I had missed the most crucial point of what Christianity is all about.
In his book introduction, Chandler talks to the reader about what he calls "The Assumed Gospel." The basic idea of this term is that many people go to church, grow up in Christian homes, and/or call themselves Christians, but don't truly understand what the Gospel actually is. Instead, they end up thinking that Christianity is about following all the right rules, practicing all of the right morals, or being judged for not having the ability to do so. This way of living ends up dragging a person down into a trap of feeling constant guilt for not attaining to a church community's standards, telling him or herself that she will keep trying harder and eventually, with the right amount of will-power he or she might actually elevate themselves to being a "good person," someone worthy of being friends with their fellow Christians.
Until my early twenties, this was how I viewed Christianity too. I had "accepted Jesus into my heart" when I was four. I brought all of my friends to youth group. I argued with my atheist friends about why they should believe that God exists. I tried not to do the things I knew were bad, like hate the girl at school who spread rumors about me, get drunk at college parties, or go too far with my boyfriend. But the harder I would try to meet this moral standard, the more I realized that I couldn't do any of this on my own.
Now, here comes my first question for you: What do you think the Gospel is? (Take a couple of minutes to think about it before moving on. Jot down some answers on a piece of paper or type them up in a Word document so you can keep track)
Also, Why do we need the Gospel?
Take a few minutes to read these Bible passages as you think on this.
Romans 3:10-18
Colossians 1:21-23
Romans 5:6-11
What is the Gospel?
The Gospel literally means "Good News". This good news is the historical reality that God became human, He entered our earthly experience as a baby born to a virgin girl who named Him Jesus. Around the age of 30, He began to teach the people of Israel about who God (Yahweh) is and what His Kingdom is about. He was betrayed by one of his own disciples and arrested by the hypocritical religious leaders of the time on false charges of blasphemy against God. Following torture and violent beatings, Jesus was nailed to a Roman cross. He died on that cross after crying out to his Father in Heaven, and declaring His work finished. His body was laid in a tomb that belonged to one of His followers. After three days, Jesus came to life again in physical human form, having forever conquered sin and death. After making various appearances to His followers, He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, still fully man and fully God.
The Gospel is the story of what God did in Jesus for all of Creation. Sin entered into this world after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. And since then, humanity has been enslaved by sin and death, alienated from their Creator, and doomed to spend eternity separated from God. But because of what Jesus did on the cross, taking the penalty of our sin onto Himself, absolving us of all of the terrible things we do, we don't have to be separated any longer. We no longer have to fear the wrath of God or the reality of Hell.
Because of Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the dead, we can now have an intimate relationship with the God who made us. We can know Him as a person, and be a part of His work in this world. We don't have to get sucked into trying to do everything ourselves. We can now be changed and guided by the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. And it is the Holy Spirit who makes us able to do any good work that God calls us to. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin and helps us repent, giving us the ability to stop committing the sins that have constantly thrown us into oblivion. It is the Holy Spirit who seals us for the day when Jesus will return to Earth, to bring His Kingdom into full fruition, and dwell with His people forever.
Other "gospels"
Ever since Jesus ascended into Heaven, His followers have been telling as many people as they can about who Jesus is and what He did. And as far back as the time period when most of the New Testament letters were written, there have been people who take the Gospel and twist it into something that it is not. The Bible calls this false teaching, and those who spread these teachings are called false teachers.
Take a look at Galatians 1:6-9. How do you think God feels about people teaching false gospels?
Let's focus on some common beliefs that are taught in this country. Here is a video of Michael Horton explaining a belief called "Moral Therapeutic Deism":
http://theresurgence.com/2010/03/01/what-is-moralistic-therapeutic-deism
What are the differences between "Moral Therapeutic Deism" and what the Bible says about the Gospel (written above under What Is The Gospel?) ?
Can you relate to any of the beliefs expressed in "Moral Therapeutic Deism"? Take some time and ask Jesus to show you the truth about the Gospel and who He really is through His Word.
A second popular teaching that is becoming very widespread is what theologians and pastors are calling "The Health & Wealth Gospel" or "The Prosperity Gospel". (On a side note, have you heard of "Preacher of LA"? Yeah those guys are Prosperity Gospel preachers) Normally I wouldn't suggest relying on Wikipedia, but this particular page has a lot of the right information in one place. Try to at least read the introduction and the "Theology" section:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosperity_theology
Again, what are the differences between "The Prosperity Gospel" and what the Bible says the about the Gospel?
How do the following Bible passages go against what this "Prosperity Gospel" is teaching?:
Luke 9:22-24
John 15:18-21
John 16:33
Who does the biblical Gospel tell us to focus on?
And what do these other "gospels" make us focus on?
After doing all of this reading and listening, write down what you think the Gospel is, and compare it to your original answer.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in a comment below.
Further reading/listening:
The Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John
The Book of Romans
Matt Chandler - The Explicit Gospel http://www.amazon.com/The-Explicit-Gospel-Re-Lit/dp/1433530031/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383018543&sr=8-1&keywords=matt+chandler+the+explicit+gospel
Josh Peterson - The Gospel Assumed, or Explicit?
http://www.thevillagechurch.net/the-village-blog/the-gospel-assumed-or-explicit/
D. A. Carson - What Is the Gospel and How Does It Work?
http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/entry/what_is_the_gospel_and_how_does_it_work_part_1_of_3
Matt Chandler - Making the Gospel Explicit, Not Assumed
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/03/02/matt-chandler-on-making-the-gospel-explicit-not-assumed/
"The Prosperity Gospel Ruined My Life"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuQIoZV2KRY
"Deists Who Love Jesus and Talk Like Freud"
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/03/20/deists-who-love-jesus-and-talk-like-freud/
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