Intro
The gospel is for you.
I can say that without knowing what you think about Jesus. I know we often say it to unbelievers, and when we do, it’s a true statement. But I think we may miss the point. It’s possible some of you today may misunderstand some aspect of this. Even for those of you who are believers, I can say with confidence that the gospel is for you.
So, that raises a question: What, exactly, is the gospel[1]?
What is the gospel?
I know that in the past I have had many wrong ideas about the gospel.. I thought I’d use my time this morning to lay out the gospel and what it means. Perhaps some of you will find something here to relate to.
The gospel is not a plan of salvation
Let me start with something that might sound controversial: The gospel is not a plan of salvation.
Let me say that again. The gospel is not a plan of salvation.
There are all sorts of ways of describing what we call the “plan of salvation”. You may have heard of the Romans Road. Or maybe the Four Spiritual Laws. There are all sorts of different methods out there of explaining the Christian worldview to an unbeliever – usually ending with some sort of “Sinners Prayer” – and hopefully resulting in a conversion.
I’m not saying these are unhelpful. I’m not even saying they are entirely wrong. I’m simply saying that they are not the gospel.
If we reduce the message of scripture to a list of steps, that sounds a lot like legalism, or works righteousness – the ideas that there are things we must do to earn God’s favor. But that is not the gospel. In fact, it’s the opposite of the gospel. We don’t “do” in order to be saved. Rather, God saves us and that inspires us to “do”.
This way of describing a plan of salvation for an unbeliever to follow contains important aspects of the gospel, but here’s the trouble: If I follow that line of thinking, then the gospel is something that punches my ticket to heaven then leaves me to fend for myself until I need to cash in that ticket at the end of my life. The sad outcome is that what we are calling the gospel actually becomes an onramp to the law. This has it entirely backwards. The gospel is our relief from the law, not our introduction to it.
Let me phrase it another way. If the gospel is nothing more than a plan of salvation, that means that once you are saved, you put down the gospel because you no longer have need of it. If you’ve opened a bottle, you’re done with bottle openers. But the gospel is not a bottle opener. The gospel does not merely bring us into God’s family. It does much, much more.
Consider the last few messages.
1. Recall Tom Gordon’s message two weeks ago. If the gospel is merely the plan of salvation, then all the “moving in” required by our new identity in Christ is a pile of instructions. A to-do list that can be crippling, because by myself I am unable to do what is being asked.
2. If the gospel is merely the plan of salvation, then Tom Childs gave us an overwhelming task last week. Loving people I don’t like is a lot of work. And loving them to the point where I have actual legitimate unity with them? That borders on the impossible. I don’t have it in me to change my character and create some sort of brotherhood of unity here. That’s an impossibility. That is called law.
If the gospel is merely the plan of salvation, then everything you hear every Sunday after your conversion amounts to “do this”, and the biblical term for that is law. But this was not the point of recent messages, because the gospel is so much more than a means to heaven.
The gospel is about eternal life
The gospel is not just for salvation – it is for the entirety of the Christian experience. It’s about eternal life, but that doesn’t mean a change that occurs once we die and enter heaven. Eternal life is now. It certainly includes heaven, but it starts when we become believers. The old man is dead and we are made new or alive in Christ[2]. And this new life is a gospel-centric life.
The gospel of scripture
The gospel is the announcement of what Christ accomplished, on our behalf, to the Father’s glory, through the cross[3]. That’s something of a creed – a shorthand way of saying it.
Here’s one way the bible puts it. The classic text that people use to define the gospel is found in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Here’s an abbreviated version:
“Christ died for our sins, he was buried, and he was raised – all in accordance with the Scriptures, and as evidence, he appeared to a lot of people afterward.”[4]
Notice it says nothing about salvation. Yes, he died “for our sins”, but what does that mean? Surely more than a ticket to heaven. Let’s look at the verses immediately preceding this definition of the gospel.
Paul says he wants to remind the church at Corinth of the gospel (1) that he preached to them, (2) which they received, (3) in which they stand, and (4) by which they are being saved.[5]
Nerdy Grammar
Past
Notice that the first two statements are past tense. Paul preached the gospel and they received the gospel. In other words, they heard the gospel call and responded in faith and were converted. That part of salvation is done and over.
Present
He follows that up by saying that his hearers currently stand because of the gospel. Right now, present tense. Their ability to stand firm[6] in the faith is a present reality made possible on the basis of the gospel. From the moment of their conversion and up until the present moment, they have been and they currently remain justified in God’s eyes and adopted as his children. This is their standing, by the present power of the gospel.
Ongoing (Present Progressive)
Lastly, he says that they are being saved by the gospel. This verb tense means not only now but going forward. This aspect of salvation which is ongoing is what we call sanctification and perseverance. But we don’t accomplish these on our own. It is the power of the gospel that propels us and sustains us until the end.
Already/Not Yet
1. If you haven’t considered this before it might sound a little weird. Isn’t salvation done? Perhaps you think that you are saved. Well – if you’re a believer, then this is true! But there’s more. Biblically speaking, you are saved, and you are being saved, and one day you will be saved. This is an example of the “already/not yet” concept we find in scripture. There are a number of theses. Jesus brought the kingdom of God, he is bringing the kingdom, and he will bring the kingdom. The basic idea is that a process has begun. Every step is real, but until the end we don’t really experience the totality of what God is doing. God has accomplished things already, but we have not yet enjoyed all of the blessings or experienced the fullness of what has been completed[7].
The Gospel is So Much More
Let’s return to my original statement. “The gospel is the announcement of what Christ accomplished, on our behalf, to the Father’s glory, through the cross.”
Yes, the gospel gives us a plan of salvation of sorts – a way to get to God, but it is so much more! The gospel is not only the onramp to Christianity, but it is also the actual highway, and the power behind the vehicle itself. The gospel does it all.
This is why I am concerned that our idea of the gospel may be too small. It is an anemic version that is only good to close the deal, and then be discarded so we can get back to our lives. The actual gospel addresses, affects, encompasses, and has implications for your entire life.
Who is the gospel about?
Another danger of this neutered gospel is that we think it’s all about us. But the gospel is not man-centered, it is God-centered. It is all about God and what he has done. It has implications and benefits for us to be sure! The 1 Cor 15 passage I read talked about “our sins”, but almost in passing. The work is all God’s, though it certainly benefits us. I think it is valuable to spend some time considering this point. Let me try an illustration.
Maps
Globes
How many of you are old enough to have seen a globe in a classroom? (Do they still have those?) Globes were a big deal. They would show the entire earth, to proper scale, and without any sort of overt bias.
Paper Maps
Flat maps are more convenient to display and to store. However, they are approximations because they are flat. It is possible, though not necessary to use this to deceive. Whether deceptive or not, maps are created for a purpose. A flat map could be created to show regional differences. It might be used to show national boundaries, flight paths of airplanes, or plans for waging war. If you are making a map. your purpose will determine the proper type of projection, because they all have strengths and weaknesses. (Come to message+ if you want more nerdy map details.)
Not only are the projections varied and potentially misleading, there’s also an interesting feature of many flat maps. When you look at a map, notice what is at the center. Depending upon the age and origin of the map, it is likely to be centered on the Roman Empire, or the United Kingdom, or possibly China. Whether simply a matter of convenience or an overt power play, the center of the map is usually what the mapmaker wants you to see as most important. Subliminally speaking, the world revolves around them.
Blue Dots
Do any of you have maps at your disposal? I’ll bet most of you do not use globes or flat projections on a regular basis. If you use a map, it’s probably on your phone. What do you see when you “unfold” that map? For me, it’s a blue dot. No matter where I am, “me” is the focal point. That is hugely convenient for navigational purposes but look at it metaphorically. What does that map tell me? I am the most important feature. If I walk or drive, the world literally does revolve around me. I don’t want to press this point too far, but I think it’s helpful. With my phone, I lose my bearings. North is actually irrelevant. Boundaries are meaningless. All that exists is me and where I want to go.
Side note
Isn’t this kind of what social media does to us? Don’t get me wrong – I’m a huge fan of technology and I think all of these tools may be used to our benefit. BUT – open up your favorite social media platform and what do you see? That same metaphorical big blue dot. It’s all about me. I’m at the center of reality – the reality that matters, anyway. The rest of you are merely the supporting cast (if you were to look at my account you would see that you’re listed in the credits though it may be labeled “contacts” or “friend list”). But you exist there at my pleasure. I can write you in or out of the script at my whim. It’s digital solipsism[8]. The entire universe is collapsed down to me and what the rest of existence can offer me. But that is not reality. In the real universe, the distinctions that matter are not self and others, but creator and creation. The story of reality is all about God, and we are the supporting characters that he chose to write in.
The Gospel is God-Centered
We need to completely break this “blue dot thinking” when we’re looking at the gospel. The gospel is not self-improvement. Jesus is not a supporting character. If “Jesus is your co-pilot”, you’re in the wrong seat. Literally everything is all about Christ. That is the story of scripture. Our contribution to the gospel is the sin that made it necessary.
Jesus is the point. The gospel work that he did was for God’s glory and for our good. The gospel is not only to pay the debt for our sin – that was merely a necessary component. There is a much bigger picture. Why did Jesus come? To save us for sure, but also to reinstate God’s kingdom[9]. That’s the big picture. Saving us was a necessary step if that kingdom was to be populated, because we’re unfit for it otherwise. He is making all things new[10], and the gospel is the means to make it happen.
We are not so important as the big blue dot leads us to believe. The path of the gospel is that our dot must decrease and Christ’s must increase[11].
As Jesus explained, the greatest commandments are to love God and love others. Imagine if our map showed God and others to scale and left us off? That would give us a good start[12] to finding the unity and community Tom Childs talked about last week.
How does the Gospel Help Us?
The gospel is not about you, but it is for you. Why is the gospel for you? In short, because you can’t.
That sentence isn’t missing an ending. Go ahead and fill it in with whatever you want. On your own, you can’t. You just can’t. You can’t fix your problems. You cannot have peace. You have no hope. You have no anchor. On our own, we are completely powerless. That might sound depressing. That’s because it is!
· Without the gospel, Christian life is reduced to law. It’s a whole bunch of “do this”.
· Without the gospel, everything the Toms spoke about is unattainable.
· Without the gospel, all the bible or a preacher has to offer you is homework, and that’s not good news.
If you’re an unbeliever, you can see how this might be a lot. But Christianity isn’t a list of laws for living life – it is life itself. No secular nonprofit, however noble, can bring ultimate good or peace or hope to the world, and this is why. Because they have none to offer. And on top of that, they’re trying to do it on their own steam.
In Which I Display My Deep Knowledge of Farming and Combustion Engines
Pretend you’re a farmer. Imagine whatever farmerish things you can. There’s a giant stump in the center of your field. You can wrap your arms around it, beat it with an ax, burn it with fire… Do what you will, everything you attempt will be futile. Your goal might be noble. Your ambition might seem virtuous. But what exactly do you hope to accomplish?
Now pretend you are that same farmer with an enormous tractor. Jobs like stumps are what those suckers are made for. Wrap some chains around that stump and watch it pop out of the ground with little effort. Then tomorrow, you can do all those other farmerish things. You can use that same amazing machine to plow snow, demolish a barn, disk a field, plant it, and later use it to harvest what you planted.
Does the tractor mean the farmer is not working? Of course not! He still has a task to perform, and it is real work. However, without that engine, his work is futile. He will accomplish nothing.
We are called to a work, but without gospel intervention, our effort is useless.
You might have heard it said, “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.”[13]
Notice there are laborers and watchmen. We are called to work. As the Toms said, there are things we need to move into our house, and there are things we need to do to bring unity, but without the power of the gospel, it is meaningless. And that is because the gospel is more than a plan of salvation – it is life itself[14].
The reason the gospel is good news is because life without it is truly bad news. You can’t pull out stumps – what makes you think you can save your soul? Or have hope in a desperate world? Or overcome sin? Or make it through today?
What are We to Do with the Gospel?
The gospel is presented as having two appropriate responses: faith and obedience. We are to believe the gospel and obey[15] the gospel.
Our initial response to hearing the message of the gospel is one of faith. We accept it, believe it, and place our trust in it.
Our ongoing response is obedience. That’s a natural outflow of trust. That’s what gets us on the path of personal transformation that Tom Gordon talked about, and builds the community that Tom Childs spoke of.
This was summed up in Jesus’ parting instructions to his followers. He said, “Go into all the world, and preach this gospel to the whole creation. Don’t just save them from hell and move on to the next group. Stick around and make them disciples by teaching them to observe all the things that I commanded you.”[16]
The gospel is not merely a plan of salvation. It’s not duck, duck, damn and move on to the next batch of pagans that need converting. No – it’s a long game. Jesus says to preach and teach. Convert them and grow them. The good news is that the gospel powers your new life in this new kingdom.
It Is Finished, But You are Not.
“It is finished” means Christ’s work is done. It does not mean that I am complete, or that my work is done.
The gospel is the good news that I don’t have to die the 2nd death, and it’s also the good news that I am now fully alive! The same power of Christ that turns us from death to life also enables us to live that life. God doesn’t merely ordain the ends, but the means as well. He doesn’t only call, he also enables.
Imperatives and indicatives:
You know I’m not done until I introduce some weird vocabulary, so here goes:
One way of categorizing statements in scripture is to make the distinction between indicatives and imperatives. An indicative indicates something. It’s a statement of fact. An imperative is an instruction or command.
I can indicate some things to my kids like “I am your dad” and “that is mom’s stuff”. I tell my kids a lot of imperatives too. “Don’t touch mom’s stuff” might be one of them.
Indicatives are nice, but alone they just fill my kids up with facts. They are knowledge without wisdom. Truth without instruction. If I don’t give them clear directions, they will be aimless.
Imperatives are necessary, but without indicatives, I sound like a killjoy or a bully – full of commands but lacking context.
It’s similar in scripture. Gospel imperatives require gospel indicatives. It’s actually worse than that. From a biblical perspective, imperatives without indicatives are impossibilities. Unless God gives us the ability, we cannot do what he commands, but thankfully God doesn’t just call, he also enables. And the gospel includes both the call and the ability.
The gospel isn’t just a fancy invitation, it’s a command. REPENT! The gospel actually entails a number of commands[17]. It has much to say about the Christian life. But how do we do what is asked of us?
The only way gospel imperatives make sense is if there are gospel indicatives. Without the engine of the gospel empowering us to live, any New Testament commands would just be more law. Stumps for us to struggle against on our own.
Indicatives and Imperatives in Scripture
The bible is built on indicatives and imperatives. Once you get the gist, you can’t stop noticing them. I’ll just mention a few:
1. God is holy, so you should be holy[18]
2. You are a holy nation, so act like it[19]
3. You have received Christ, so walk in him[20]
4. Jesus was a servant, so you be a servant[21]
5. You have been called and saved by Christ, “therefore walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”[22]
6. Even OT – “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the slavery, therefore….”[23]
7. The gospel is rooted in Christ’s work, and this is how gospel people are to live.[24]
8. You are dead to sin but alive in Christ, therefore do not let sin reign in your life[25]
Romans is an interesting study. Paul writes 11 chapters explaining all that God has done. Here’s just a taste of the gospel truths he indicates in that stretch:
1. The righteous live by faith[26]
2. God will repay the unrighteous[27]
3. Actually, “the unrighteous” includes all of us[28]
4. The faithful are as seen as righteous[29] because of Jesus’ sacrifice[30] and that puts them at peace with God[31].
5. We are dead to sin[32], released from the law[33], and alive in Christ[34]
6. He talks about all the mechanics of how Jews and Gentiles alike can share in this blessing, but only on the basis of accepting Christ[35]
It’s not until he lays all this down that he gives them the “so what” he has been building to. You know when the indicative switched to imperative because there’s usually a “therefore”.
Therefore:
1. Present yourselves as living sacrifices[36]
2. Don’t be like the world, but model Christ.[37]
3. Then he goes on to tell them what modeling Christ looks like and commands them to follow his instructions.
He spends roughly ¾ of his letter explaining what God has done, and the closing ¼ says “now on that basis, live this way”. These are not laws you are unequipped to obey. This is gospel living through gospel power.
Why it matters
My encouragement to you is to pay attention to scripture. Look for the “therefores”. In no time, you will see indicatives and imperatives everywhere. We must keep them both in view and order them the same way scripture does.
Imperatives Alone
If we focus on imperatives (do this) we drift towards becoming legalists. We will be crippled by the burden of laws we cannot obey.
Indicatives Alone
If we focus on indicatives (Jesus did this) we drift toward cheap grace[38] and licentiousness[39]. The bible becomes dry facts at best, and virtuous fables at worst.
Imperatives to Indicatives
If we follow the most common path – especially here in America – we will reverse the order and let imperatives lead to indicatives. In other words, we see life as a list of commands, and if we follow them we will earn God’s favor. This is works righteousness, and it doesn’t work. But it’s our default position, especially here.
· “I did it my way”
· “I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps”
· “I’m a self-made man”
We are a land of grit, hard work, and individual achievement. We literally wrote a document that declared our independence. If you’re interpreting any of this as political commentary, don’t. My concern is that we have taken principles that in many ways have worked for the betterment of our country and we’ve applied them to our faith without thinking that it might be a bad idea. It’s a terrible idea. In God’s eyes, this sort of work is laboring in vain.
Indicatives to Imperatives
The only way to understand the gospel – and, in fact, to read scripture rightly – is to get this right.
· Indicatives support imperatives
· Truths have implications
· Orthodoxy motivates orthopraxy
· Information leads to application
· Theology provokes ethics
· Grace inspires gratitude
This is the message of the gospel: Trust and obey – for there’s no other way.
Only when we know who we are in Christ do the commands of scripture make any sense at all.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:!8
The gospel did save us from unbelief, but it is also the power by which we daily are being saved[40].
Hope
And this is our cause for hope. The gospel is the only way, and this is why we have hope[41] – a present and future hope.
Application: Living To and From the Cross
The good news of the gospel is summed up at the cross. In practice, it might help to think in terms of “living to and from the cross”.
To The Cross
As believers, the gospel does what we cannot. We can take all the brokenness of this world to the cross. Our hurts, failures, abuses, addictions, dysfunction… all of it may be addressed at the cross. This is where the effects of the fall are undone and the goodness of God’s creation is restored. We take all our concerns to God in prayer. Share your concerns with him. Offload your burdens onto Christ. Only he can carry them, and he tells us to ask him for help[42]. In going to the cross, we see the truths of the gospel and we experience grace.
From The Cross
As we live out our lives, we also go out from the cross. By this I mean that we live in a way that is inspired by and powered by the gospel. We who have been forgiven much, love much[43]. We love God and we love others. We are conformed into the image of Christ[44]. In going out from the cross with gratitude, we are empowered by the gospel to carry out his commands.
So this week, let the message of the gospel inform you and transform you. Experience his grace and express your gratitude. In short, live a gospel sort of life. Trust and obey.
Closing/Benediction
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.” – Hebrews 13:20-21
[1] Helpful piece by Robert Godfrey here: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-gospel/
[2] 2 Corinthians 5:17
[3] A summary I borrowed from Voddie Baucham
[4] 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 – my paraphrase
[5] 1 Corinthians 15:1-2
[6] Romans 5:2; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Peter 5:12
[7] Introductory article on the topic: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/already-not-yet
[8] Solipsism is the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist.
[9] Matthew 4:23; Matthew 4:17; John 3:3; Ephesians 2:19-20; Zechariah 14:9; Mark 1:15; Matthew 5:10; Luke 17:21; Matthew 24:14
[10] Revelation 21:5
[11] John 3:30
[12] 1 Peter 4:7-11
[13] Psalm 127:1
[14] 1 Peter 4:6
[15] 2 Thessalonians 1:8; James 1:22; John 14:23; 1 John 2:17; Matthew 7:24; 1 Peter 4:7; Romans 1:5; 10:16; 16:26; Matthew 7:21-23; Revelation 14:6-7
[16] My combination and paraphrase of Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20
[17] This link lists 1050 commands in the New Testament.
[18] 1 Peter 1:15
[19] 1 Peter 2:9-12
[20] Colossians 2:6
[21] Philippians 2
[22] Ephesians 1-4
[23] Exodus 20
[24] Galatians 5-6
[25] Romans 6:12-13;
[26] Romans 1:16-17
[27] Romans 1:18
[28] Romans 3:11
[29] Romans 4:22
[30] Romans 5:18
[31] Romans 5:1
[32] Romans 6
[33] Romans 7
[34] Romans 8
[35] Romans 9-11
[36] Romans 12:1
[37] Romans 12:2
[38] “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession... Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
[39] Licentiousness is living without any sort of restraint - perhaps thinking that Jesus has already forgiven us, so it doesn’t matter how we live.
[40] 2 Corinthians 2:15; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 2:1-3; 2 Peter 1:10; 1 John 1:7
[41] Colossians 1:21-23
[42] 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 55:22; Matthew 11:28-30
[43] Luke 7:41-47; Matthew 18:21-35
[44] Romans 8:29