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Post by christopher on Jun 10, 2012 20:54:43 GMT -8
Another open ended question:
In your understanding...What is the "gospel"?
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Post by robin on Jun 16, 2012 7:38:17 GMT -8
I would define the gospel as the good news of humanities redemption through Jesus Christ. The best way to communicate the Gospel, in my mind, is live a life in accordance with those values that Jesus emphasizes in his sermon on the mount.
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Post by stevekimes on Jun 17, 2012 11:17:09 GMT -8
The gospel is the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus displayed the kingdom of God by healing the sick and feeding the hungry. He taught the kingdom of God by giving God's law and telling the truth about God's kingdom. Jesus showed how to be leader in God's kingdom, sacrificing oneself and meeting other's needs instead of one's ambition. Jesus died in order to set aside the old kind of leadership and to establish the kingdom. The Father resurrected Jesus to prove him as King. The Spirit comes to believers to make the kingdom work within people's hearts, not just in outward structure. Jesus is returning to finally establish the kingdom and to set aside all enemies of the kingdom.
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Post by Josh on Jul 6, 2012 10:34:21 GMT -8
The gospel is the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus displayed the kingdom of God by healing the sick and feeding the hungry. He taught the kingdom of God by giving God's law and telling the truth about God's kingdom. Jesus showed how to be leader in God's kingdom, sacrificing oneself and meeting other's needs instead of one's ambition. Jesus died in order to set aside the old kind of leadership and to establish the kingdom. The Father resurrected Jesus to prove him as King. The Spirit comes to believers to make the kingdom work within people's hearts, not just in outward structure. Jesus is returning to finally establish the kingdom and to set aside all enemies of the kingdom. Steve, don't you think some mention of sin and sacrifice deserves inclusion in your definition?
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Post by Josh on Jul 6, 2012 10:36:43 GMT -8
I would say that ultimately, and on a very basic level, the gospel is the announcement of the means by which God is reconciling humanity back to Himself.
A foundation verse, often overlooked in presentations of the gospel, would be:
2 Cor. 5:17-21
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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Post by stevekimes on Jul 7, 2012 19:08:04 GMT -8
I think that's a good point, Josh. In my "gospel of the kingdom", I would put it this way: God established the children of Israel as the kingdom of God, but they had sinned and was unworthy of the kingdom. Jesus' was rejected and put out of the kingdom, and the Father's resurrection allowed him to restore the kingdom in a new way. Now all those who sinned-- whether in or out of the old kingdom-- have an opportunity in Jesus to be completely forgiven of all sin and to live new lives by the Holy Spirit."
As far as sacrifice goes, I think that's gravely misunderstood, so I wouldn't put it in. We can talk about that another time, I think.
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Post by christopher on Jul 8, 2012 20:19:38 GMT -8
Steve,
I like your explanation of the gospel and I agree.
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