One Message, Many Forms

Is there one gospel, or are there multiple gospels? I'm not referring to the four books we call "the Four Gospels," but to the message about Jesus called the gospel. I think there is only one gospel, but many models or forms for expressing it. Found this quote in an article by Tim Brister, referencing a Tim Keller argument. I agree with it wholeheartedly.

One of the most significant articles Tim Keller has written on the gospel can be found at Christianity Today, entitled “The Gospel in All Its Forms“.  In this article, Keller borrows from Simon Gathercole’s chapter in God’s Power to Save to explain the various “forms” of the gospel. Contrary to liberal theologians, Keller says there is not multiple gospels, but one gospel expressed in different forms.

For instance, when Jesus speaks of the gospel in the Synoptic Gospels, kingdom language is employed (“gospel of the kingdom”). In this case, the gospel speaks to the inauguration of Christ’s reign as King, and the focus is more communal and social.  When the Apostle John writes about the Gospel, there is no mention of kingdom language but rather “receiving eternal life,” and the focus is more individual and personal. When you get the writings of Paul, you hear little emphasis on “kingdom” or “eternal life” but instead the focus is on “justification by faith“. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul are all talking about one message, but that message is expressed in different forms. Through an analysis of these forms, what you find is that the gospel can be expressed as story-arc focused (creation, fall, redemption, restoration) as well as content-driven (God, man, sin, Christ). Not to be left out, Keller stresses the eschatological implications of the gospel with the in breaking of God’s kingdom and renewal of all things...

Brister goes on to say:

When disciples are being made, they need to understand the whole gospel for their whole life to impact the whole world for Christ. I want them to know the content/nature of the gospel. But that is not enough. They need to experience it and find their identity in Christ personally. They also need to understand the implications and application of the gospel for all of life. In my paradigm of gospel-centered spiritual formation, here is how I break it down:

Message of the Gospel: stresses the doctrinal content of the gospel so that we can have a correct understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done (text/normative)

Story of the Gospel: stresses the experience/realization of the gospel so that we can have our affections moved and captured by who Jesus is and what He has done (subtext/existential)

Gospel of the Kingdom: stresses the implication/application of the gospel in the world so that we can have our world brought under the reign and rule of who Jesus is and what He has done (context/situational)

When the message of the gospel gives us right understanding, our minds are renewed through the glorious truths of Scripture.  When the story of the gospel gives us right affections, the story of our life is rewritten by the story of the gospel, redeeming and renewing our hearts. When the gospel of the kingdom is applied to our lives, we walk in repentance and faith so that the kingdoms of our world become the kingdom of our God.

  More at the link - Good stuff!.

More Signs You Are Growing in Grace

Here's another installment from the series Signs You Are Growing in Grace, from Timmy Brister quoting Scotty Smith:

A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t park your car half-way into another slot just to protect against dings.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your conversation and attitude don’t convey as much “us versus them” arrogance & phobia.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You want people to hold you accountable for believing the gospel more than anything else.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You no longer confuse self-examination with self-flagellation. Freedom trumped bondage.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You no longer “should” all over yourself. Jesus’ performance matters most to you.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t clear your throat to get soft or low talkers to speak louder.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your increased use of the word “gospel” is surpassed by evidences of grace in your life.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You’ve learning to enjoy all of God’s good gifts without guilt or dependence on them.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You spend more time wrestling with God in private than whining about people in public.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You no longer suffer from delusions of adequacy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You waste less energy turning legitimate desires into consuming needs.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Nobody is more grieved by your demanding and controlling ways than you. Grace is at work.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t start talking faster and louder when you’re in persuasion mode.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You’re better at catching yourself importing old unrelated pain into a current story.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t “fish around” trying to find what someone WANTS you to say before speaking.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When commenting on you kid’s music, u no longer say, “How can you listen to that junk?”
A sign you’re growing in grace: You look to build bridges between you & your kids, not throw grenades on the bridge.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t pompously ask, “Who ate the last piece of cake?”, when you already know.
A sign you’re growing in grace:You’re learning to steward your anger, as opposed to dumping or stuffing it.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When someone gossips about you, you don’t immediately gossip about their gossip to others.

More Signs You Are Growing in Grace

Signs You Are Growing in Grace- the 22nd installment in a great series by Timmy Brister at Provocations & Pantings, quoting Scotty Smith. Just excellent points!

A sign you’re growing in grace: Though you’d like to put a sock in some people’s mouth, you don’t.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Given the choice, you’d rather God use you anonymously than friends celebrate you publicly.
A sign you’re growing in grace: People with chronic pain don’t feel pressure from you to change, suck up or be happy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You consider the gift of sufficient grace just as precious as an instantaneous healing.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You let GOD define words like “blessing”, “prosperity” & “success”.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You now treat the whole Bible as a “red letter edition,” because it’s all about Jesus.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When you get cut off while driving, you don’t wrongly expand your children’s vocabulary.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You don’t assume you can drive 7% above the speed limit before you’re breaking the law.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your spouse doesn’t experience you as being as picky or defensive as you used to be.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Quicker than ever, you’re able to apologize to your children and ask forgiveness.
A sign you’re growing in grace: It doesn’t take you nearly as long to go from being condescendingly perturbed to loving.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You hate & grieve bad theology, but you’re not hateful & cynical to bad theologians.
A sign you’re growing in grace: Your family doesn’t have to wonder what kind of attitude or mood you’ll bring home.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When greatly disappointed by someone, you long for heaven more than you look to get even.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When not copied on a group email or invited into Google+, you don’t smell a conspiracy.
A sign you’re growing in grace: When a friend/spouse makes you run late, you don’t punish them by driving like a maniac.
A sign you’re growing in grace: If you’re known for getting lost, you love your family well by using your GPS a lot.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You know there’s no idol with greater power over your heart than people idolatry.
A sign you”re growing in grace: You know the difference between singing worship songs and engaging with God.
A sign you’re growing in grace: You can even find something in stinking hot humid weather for which to give God praise.

I recommend you go read every installment. I do!

E and E

Church services need both E and E. What is E and E, you ask? It means Evangelism and Edification - Evangelize as You Edify, Edify as You Evangelize :

The greatest thing an unbeliever needs to hear is the gospel. They need to be evangelized with the good news of Jesus Christ. The great thing a believer needs to hear is the gospel. They need to be edified with the good news of Jesus Christ. When there is a robust commitment to preaching Christ from all of Scriptures, unbelievers will be evangelized and believers will be edified.

From Timmy Brister at Provocations & Pantings:

Tripp on Grace

Quotes From Paul Tripp on the Grace of God:

The unrelenting power of transforming grace is greater than the unyielding idolatry of your wondering heart.

Jesus did for you what you couldn’t do, so that you could give to him what you couldn’t give apart from his grace-your whole heart.

Face it, you and I don’t need to be tweaked, you tweak a poorly written sentence, you and I need to be radically rebuilt by grace.

Grace frees you from the weight of the law, not so you would despise the law, but so you would use the resources of grace to keep it.

Grace frees you to live horizontally what you’ve given vertically. While others hope to get, you can celebrate what you’ve been given.

Grace calls you to abandon your reliance on you because God knows that true righteousness only begins when you come to the end of yourself.

Grace: No love greater, no forgiveness more complete, no hope more secure, no peace more permanent than are found in Jesus.

Grace tells you all the things about you that you don’t want to face, while assuring you that they have all been covered by the cross.

Grace doesn’t excuse your sin, rather it pays the price for what is inexcusable.

Grace means you don’t have to hide what’s already been forgiven, or fear what’s already been defeated, or earn what’s already been given.

From Timmy Brister's Paul Tripp on Twitter on Grace