I have always heard that Gospel means, "good news." And that was enough for me. I also know that Gospel was a biblical genre. However, I never really thought about what shaped the good news or why it became its own Genre. I'll spend more time in this post on the first thought. I admit, I have sat in church all my life. I was born on a Friday and was at church on Sunday. So as I have sat in church all these years and have done ministry in churches this last half of my life I have defined "good news" or "Gospel." The Gospel for me was that Jesus Christ came to this world and saved us through His death, burial, and resurrection. That's not necessarily a bad definition, but it may not be a complete definition. I just finished reading Scot Mcknight's book, "The King Jesus Gospel." Mcknight says, "Let's make this point clear: the gospel is the Story of Jesus as the completing Story of Israel." (p.85) "Did Jesus preach the gospel? Yes, he preached the gospel because the gospel is the saving Story of Jesus completing Israel's Story, and Jesus clearly sets himself at the center of God's saving plan for Israel." (p.111) "...Jesus preached Jesus, Paul preached Jesus and Peter preached Jesus. Preaching Jesus is preaching the gospel." (p. 111)
I think Mcknight makes his case very well in this book. We cannot simply define Israel's completed story only through the passion story, but through the entire life of Jesus. That is the gospel. When we live that gospel it will make why we live on earth at all make more sense. It will strengthen our desire to live Kingdom lives and our resolve to share the Story.
In the last chapter McKnight lays out what the gospel is and what it means to be a gospel culture. I look forward to being shaped into more of a gospel story and helping shape a gospel culture wherever I am. The story of Israel has its twists and turns and since humankind cannot get it "right," we have Jesus who is the ultimate for our gospel.
Although I want to live the passion of Christ out in my life, what I want more now is to live out Christ's completion of Israel's story in the world and how that culture continues with me.
That's Good News!
I think Mcknight makes his case very well in this book. We cannot simply define Israel's completed story only through the passion story, but through the entire life of Jesus. That is the gospel. When we live that gospel it will make why we live on earth at all make more sense. It will strengthen our desire to live Kingdom lives and our resolve to share the Story.
In the last chapter McKnight lays out what the gospel is and what it means to be a gospel culture. I look forward to being shaped into more of a gospel story and helping shape a gospel culture wherever I am. The story of Israel has its twists and turns and since humankind cannot get it "right," we have Jesus who is the ultimate for our gospel.
Although I want to live the passion of Christ out in my life, what I want more now is to live out Christ's completion of Israel's story in the world and how that culture continues with me.
That's Good News!
RSS Feed
