Friday-October 23-Psalms 29-John Stott

Posted on

The Gospel for Today

FOR WHAT I RECEIVED I PASSED ON TO YOU AS OF FIRST IMPORTANCE: THAT CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES… THAT HE WAS RAISED ON THE THIRD DAY ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES…

1 Corinthians 15:3–4

I have myself found it an aid to faithfulness to express the apostles’ message in the following terms. Firstly, the gospel events. Although the apostles rehearsed the whole saving career of Jesus, including his life and ministry, his exaltation, and his future coming, they concentrated on his death and resurrection both as historical happenings and as significant saving events. Secondly, the gospel witnesses. The apostles appealed to a twofold evidence to authenticate Jesus so that in the mouth of two witnesses the truth might be established (Deut. 19:15). The first was the Old Testament Scriptures, and the second was the testimony of the apostles themselves. “We are witnesses,” Peter kept repeating. Thus the one Christ has a double attestation. We have no liberty to preach a Christ of our own fantasy or even to focus on our own experience, since we were not eyewitnesses of the historical Jesus. Our responsibility is rather to speak of the authentic Christ of the Old and New Testament Scriptures. The primary witnesses are the prophets and apostles; our witness is always secondary to theirs.

Thirdly, the gospel promises. The gospel is good news not only of what Jesus did by his death and resurrection but also of what he offers us as a result, namely the forgiveness of our sins (to wipe away the past) and the gift of the Spirit (to make us new people). Together these constitute salvation or freedom; they are both publicly signified in baptism. Fourthly, the gospel conditions. What the gospel demands is a radical turn from sin to Christ, which takes the form inwardly of repentance and faith, and outwardly of baptism. By these things we change allegiance, as we are transferred into the new community of Jesus. Here, then, is our fourfold message – two events (Christ’s death and resurrection), as attested by two witnesses (prophets and apostles), on the basis of which God makes two promises (forgiveness and the Spirit) on two conditions (repentance and faith, with baptism). There is a wholeness about the biblical gospel.