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What Is Essential to the Gospel?

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This is more question time for the readers then me giving answers.

In a discussion at the house the other day, and a couple email conversations with some readers, I’ve started to rethink what topics, facts, concepts, etc. are essential to the Gospel.

There’s all kinds of cliches and sayings about the gospel: “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” There’s all kinds of things we spend far too much time talking about and others we simply neglect. So, take a minute to think about this. I’m wondering, if someone were to come up to you and ask you write now, “What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?”

What would you say?

3 thoughts on “What Is Essential to the Gospel?”

  1. Here’s mine

    The gospel is the story of redemption. God’s intention for the world and the people in it was not this, but instead for us to live loving God, and loving each other. Unfortunately, we chose, and keep choosing, the selfish path and the path of hate.

    Our world suffers for it. If you look around, you can see many ways that selfishness and hate have become systemic problems. There is a brokenness to this world, both spiritually and physically, that we reap and will continue to reap the consequences of.

    Jesus came to fix this. The purpose of Jesus’ coming is to restore this world to the Kingdom of God. A place where we love God and are always have a deep kinship with him, as well as a place where we truly love each other.

    The invitation is to be a part of God’s Kingdom breaking into our world. The invitation is to decide to walk away from the system of selfishness and hate that the world perpetuates, and instead choose to walk in the way of love that God intended. The invitation, is to step out of the kingdom of the world and step into the Kingdom of God.

    Depending on the context/situation I may emphasize or go deeper into some things (like personal vs. societal evil for example), but that is pretty much the overall gospel as I understand/share it.

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  3. 1Cor.15:1-4
    1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

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