Nonconformist Chronicles

Gospel: Toward a Definition (Part 5)

When Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom, his Jewish listeners would undoubtedly have thought of King David's restored dynasty. In the glory days of Israel, David (and later his heir, Solomon) had reigned over God's people. After Solomon's death the kingdom was split into northern and southern factions. This was followed by numerous captivities and deportations beginning with the Assyrian assault upon the northern kingdom and the Babylonian assault on the southern kingdom over a century later. 

Israel was subjegated to various pagan nations in the centuries that followed. Most Jews were persecuted and many were dispersed throughout the known world. By the time of Jesus, the nation of Israel was under Roman occupation.

The prophecies of Isaiah would have given Israel hope in these dark times. The prophet spoke of a restoration of David's dynasty. Isaiah described this restored kingdom as a reign of justice, equity, and fairness. Hope would be restored to the oppressed and marginalized. When Jesus came preaching the good news of the kingdom, people would naturally have expected an advancing reign of deliverance and justice. Much of Jesus' teaching on the kingdom has its roots in Isaiah's vision for a just and equitable society.

Matthew saw Jesus' kingdom proclamation in the context of Isaiah's words about light dawning upon the valley of the shadow of death (Matt. 4:15-17). In the Isaiah passage, the light dawns as an heir of David takes the throne and upholds a kingdom of justice (Isa. 9:7). With this Isaiah passage applied to Jesus' kingdom preaching, Matthew's readers would rightly expect a kingdom which restores justice.

Isaiah 11 is yet another passage which anticipates a Messianic deliverer on David's throne. With righteousness he will judge the needy and with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth (Isa. 11:4-5).

Isaiah 42 also anticipates an anointed deliverer who will bring forth justice and establish it upon the earth (Isa. 42:1-4). Matthew 12:18-21 applies the passsage to the ministry of Jesus who will neither break the bruised reed, nor snuff out the smoldering wick. He'll be a friend to the abused and downtrodden. The larger context of Matthew 11 and 12 portray Jesus as a healer of the sick (12:15), who prioritizes human need above the letter of the law (12:1-14), inviting the weary and burdened to come to him for rest (11:28-30).

By these actions, Jesus leads justice to victory as his good works demonstrate that the kingdom of God is advancing (Matt. 12:20, 28). So the kingdom of God is the realm in which justice for the helpless is established.

Still another passage of justice is found in Isaiah 61 which expresses the Lord's love for justice and his hatred for robbery and iniquity (Isa. 61:8). As with other Isaiah texts, the context points to a Messianic deliverer. He is anointed to preach good news to the poor (Isa. 61:1). Jesus, citing this Scripture, identified himself as this anointed deliverer (Luke 4:18-19). His stated mission is to bind up the broken-hearted, free the captives, give sight to the blind, and to release the oppressed.     

Jesus' mission was undoubtedly understood in the context of Isaiah's call for justice under a restored Davidic kingdom. How might the gospel continue to be good news for the poor, for those unjustly incarcerated, for the dominated, and even for the sick?        

Gospel: Toward a Definition (Part 4)

When Paul defined the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as "gospel" I don't think he meant that was all there is to it. But some had rejected the hope of bodily resurrection, so Paul's corrective is that a denial of resurrection rips the very heart out of the gospel (1 Cor. 15). There is no gospel without the atoning sacrifice of Christ for our sins and his resurrection which makes him the firstfruits of those who will follow (1 Cor. 15:23). Without forgiveness of sin, reconciliation to God, and the hope of eternal life, there is no gospel.  

For these truths to be routinely neglected by the preacher means that he is not preaching the gospel. These tenets were the staples of apostolic preaching (Acts 2 & Acts 13). Denial of these basic tenets removes the hope of life in the eternal kingdom which is delivered up to God at the end (1 Cor. 15:24)

So it's possible to define "gospel" too broadly as if everything counts as gospel so long as the preacher mentions God and quotes some Scripture. But it is the cross and the empty tomb that keeps us anchored in the center of the gospel.

While "gospel" can be defined too broadly, it can also be defined too narrowly. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is not the extent of the gospel as if the only real gospel sermons are expositions of the Passion narratives.

While the Passion narratives take up a significant portion of all four Gospels, revealing the heart of "the gospel," the entire message of these books consists of "gospel." Mark begins his account, "The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). Along with his death and resurrection, Jesus' life and teachings are also gospel. To preach from the Gospels is to preach the "gospel."

Jesus' ministry is "gospel," for his coming powerfully brought the kingdom of heaven to bear on earth. His miracles demonstrated that the kingdom was advancing upon earth (Matt. 12:28). By doing good, Jesus granted a foretaste of a future life when the kingdom is fully consummated. In that day, all tears will be wiped away and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away (Rev. 21:4). 

Jesus wiped away tears and reversed death. Just prior to rasing a widow's only son from the dead, Jesus said to her, "Don't cry." (Luke 7:13-14). Jesus reversed death and mourning, restoring life and wholeness. He touched a leper and made him clean (Mark 1:40-45). Jesus healed a woman who had been disabled for 18 years (Luke 13:10-17). These are all evidences of God's kingdom being brought to bear upon earth. 

When God's kingdom is the only rule left, when "the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ," the traits of a fallen world will be reversed as creation is redeemed (Rev. 11:15; Rom. 8:19-21). The effects of sin will be reversed as the barren wilderness of thorns and thistles is restored to the garden of God where the tree of life forever stands (Gen. 3:18; Rev. 2:7; 22:2). The enmity existing within creation will give way to harmony (Gen. 3:15; 9:2; Isa. 11:6-9). The curse will give way to blessing in the kingdom.     

Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom (Luke 8:1; Mark 1:14-15). But he did more than just preach about the realm of God's future rule. Jesus brought the kingdom to bear on earth in the here-and-now. To pray that God's kingdom come is to pray that his will would be done on earth as it is heaven (Matt. 6:10). So if we are to pray that the kingdom be brought to bear on earth, then we are certainly to partner with Jesus in bringing the kingdom to bear on earth. We put our prayer into action as the kingdom advances through our efforts as the body of Christ in this physical world.

So what kind of kingdom did Christ proclaim and how does it advance through our service ?

More later.  

Gospel: Toward a Definition (Part 3)

When religious people talk about having "got saved" the language sounds strange to the uninitiated. Outside the sphere of religion if someone gets saved we conclude that one's life has been saved. Maybe the lifeguard saved one from drowning, or the firefighter pulled one from a burning building, or the Heimlich maneuver saved one from choking. To be saved is to be rescued from an otherwise tragic outcome. 

But in regard to religion the question is posed, "Saved from what?" According to Romans 5:8, believers in Christ are saved from God's wrath. All have sinned and are therefore deserving of condemnation (Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:3). Our sins had separated us from God, but "when we were God's enemies we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son..." (Rom. 5:10). So Jesus died to bring us back into a relationship with God. 

But first the sin barrier standing between ourselves and God had to be removed. Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for our crimes against God. Christ took the penalty for our sins in our place (Isa. 53:5). Since the price has been paid with his blood, we are now justified (acquitted) of all our wrongs (Rom. 3:23-25). The innocent has died so that the guilty might be freed, saved from God's wrath against sin. The wrath has now been poured out at the cross.

It is good news that Jesus died to save us from God's wrath. The gospel (which means 'good news') is the power that God uses to save (Rom. 1:16). This gospel, Paul summarized as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-8). Yet before these events occurred we are told that Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom (Luke 8:1). Can Luke and Paul be reconciled? Does the gospel consist of a cross and an empty tomb or is it the message of God's kingdom?

There is really no contradiction, since it was through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection that he won the decisive victory for God's kingdom. Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities...triumphing over them by the cross" (Col. 2:15). At the cross and the tomb, Jesus delivered the decisive blow against Satan's kingdom. Through the shedding of Christ's blood, he purchased sinners, redeeming them from slavery to sin and Satan. He also delivers us from slavery to the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15).

Redeemed from slavery at the price of Christ's blood, believers are now delivered out of the dominion of darkness and brought into the kingdom of the Son God loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14). Now brought into God's kingdom, our lives are under new management. We now live within the realm of God's rule as we submit to his will.

So what does it mean to have come into God's kingdom? It certainly has something to do with eternal destiny, but what are its implications for the here-and-now? Is salvation only relevant when life is over or have we been saved from more than eternal condemnation becauase of our sins?

More later.

(the photo is of the annual sand sculpture done by a local artist each Easter season)