Sitting here in the Charlotte airport, headed to Virginia by way of DC, thinking about the great privilege I have to teach the gospel in many different venues. Even though all of my life and work center around what it means to live the gospel in daily life, every now and then, I look from a learner’s view and think, “What is the gospel anyway?” I just discovered Trevin Wax’s collection of gospel definitions at Gospel Coalition, and I heartily recommend it (as in the whole collection). Here I’ve pasted an excerpt that I find especially helpful.
“The Gospel Proper (The Announcement)
The gospel is the royal announcement that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived a perfect life in our place, died a substitutionary death on the cross for our sins, rose triumphantly from the grave to launch God’s new creation, and is now exalted as King of the world. This announcement calls for a response: repentance (mourning over and turning from our sin, trading our agendas for the kingdom agenda of Jesus Christ) and faith (trusting in Christ alone for salvation).
The Gospel’s Context (The Story of Scripture)
The Bible tells us about God’s creation of a good world which was subjected to futility because of human sin. God gave the Law to reveal His holiness and our need for a perfect sacrifice, which is provided by the death of Jesus Christ. This same Jesus will one day return to this earth to judge the living and the dead and thus renew all things. The gospel story is the Scriptural narrative that takes us from creation to new creation, climaxing with the death and resurrection of Jesus at the center.
The Gospel’s Purpose (The Community)
The gospel births the church. We are shaped by the gospel into the kind of people who herald the grace of God and spread the news of Jesus Christ. God has commissioned the church to be the community that embodies the message of the gospel. Through our corporate life together, we “obey the gospel” by living according to the truth of the message that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord of the world.” Trevin Wax
