Just in case you’re not “in the know”, there’s been a large-scale debate in the evangelical church especially in recent years (though its roots can be traced to earlier in the 20th century) about what exactly defines the “Gospel” and what the essence of God’s work here on earth is.
If you’re an evangelical Christian you’ll agree that sin separates people from God and that the atonement–however you define it–provided for us, through Jesus’ death on the cross, reconciliation. In other words, the Gospel is largely about sin in the heart of the individual and that God saved us and allowed us to be in right relationship with him both now and in eternity.
The disagreement lies in how complete this good news is. Certain churches and authors have rightfully, I think, reacted to conservative Christianity’s failure in reaching the social needs of the world in which we live. New perspectives submit that God has a much bigger plan in salvation, that goes beyond the condition of individuals persons. He is “reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19) and working on restoring all of creation to its original design (see Romans 8:19-22 & 2 Peter 3:10-14 & the end of Revelation). So, although Jesus Christ came to save persons, persons are merely the parts of a bigger picture. Part of the bigger picture includes how redeemed persons are to relate to this world.
This is to say that too many Christians have an escapist mentality when it come to salvation. An unbiblical theology will tell you that this world doesn’t matter, our bodies don’t matter, the environment doesn’t matter, and the poverty of my neighbor doesn’t really matter all that much either. What matters is eternity and saving people from their sin. This type of teaching stands in stark contrast to the word of God. If we are to include the idea of repentance in the Gospel, we must repent of our negligence, apathy, and uncompassion when it comes to our neighbors. God wants to use his church to usher in the kingdom of heaven onto this earth, his creation. The kingdom lifestyle includes all those things which make earth a better place to live, with the law of Christ serving as our guides. To reduce the work of Christ to “getting us into heaven” misses Jesus’ teaching that the kingdom is coming to earth.
So we return to the Gospel. What is it? It is essentially about God making a way, through Jesus’ death on the cross, for us to be in right relationship with him. What matters most is that people repent of their sin and turn to God so as to enter into communion with him, avoiding the pains of hell and enjoying the pleasure of heaven in eternity. But remember that Jesus taught that the kingdom of heaven is near, it has come with power, and it is indeed in us (Luke 17:21). An essential ministry of the church is to preach, teach, live, and usher in the kingdom of God here on earth. This can only happen after sin is dealt with in our hearts, but must continue with acts of love to all those whom we share this planet with. Since no one exists outside of relationships (i.e. we are social beings), the Gospel deals with our relationships. The Great Commandment means that loving our neighbor is a necessary dimension to living out the Gospel, which translates into being concerned for God’s justice for all peoples. The Gospel is God making all things right.
One last note. 1 Corinthians 15, often referred to when defining Gospel, is very revealing.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (NIV)
God could have accomplished the atonement without the resurrection. Jesus was raised from the dead not merely as a confirming sign that he was the Son of God, but he was the firstfruit of what is to come! We are going to be resurrected in the last day and will inhabit a new earth, not some immaterial place called “heaven” (see above references). Our bodies matter. This world matters. Matter matters. This is why social justice matters. If God was just going to rescue us from this world, Jesus could have remained in the grave and our faith would not have been in vain.
As John Piper once said, “We exist to relieve all suffering, especially eternal suffering!”
Watch this video for a very helpful discussion between Tim Keller, John Piper, & D. A. Carson.
