The Gospel


Gospel: literally, "Good News." That humans are incapable of living good and perfect lives, as would be required to meet God's Just and Holy standards; but that Christ Jesus came to take the punishment we deserve, meaning that by accepting that gift, we all can spend eternity with God.

Although I was taught the Gospel at a very young age, it wasn't until recently that I realized how central it is to all beliefs and decisions in life.

Last summer, while visiting with a friend, he mentioned that while searching for a church after moving to the Indianapolis area, they had found many that were Bible centered, but not Gospel centered. I did not really understand what he meant until I read Tim Keller's article "The Centrality of the Gospel." In it, he makes the case that the Gospel should be central to every area of life by building on a concept first put forth by Tertullian. From Keller's article:

"Tertullian, a Christian writer in the second and third centuries, said, 'Just as Christ was crucified between two thieves, so this doctrine of justification is ever crucified between two opposite errors.' He meant that there were two basic false ways of thinking, each of which 'steals' the power and the distinctiveness of the gospel from us by pulling us to one side or the other of the 'gospel line.' These two errors are very powerful, because they represent the natural tendency of the human heart and mind."

The two errors to which he refers are legalism and relativism. Whether you consider yourself a Christian or not, I highly recommend reading Keller's article. If it doesn't challenge the way you see the world, it will at least shed light on the way in which others do.

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