Thursday, July 30, 2020

The whole gospel

Jesus’s reign is a nonnegotiable portion of the good news. First, when the gospel is presented today by a preacher or teacher, most of the time this “Jesus reigns” portion of the gospel is either entirely absent or mentioned as an aside. The cross and resurrection get central billing, but ]esus’s kingship is tucked away offstage. We need to recover ]esus’s kingship as a central, nonnegotiable constituent of the gospel. Jesus’s reign as Lord of heaven and earth fundamentally determines the meaning of “faith” (pistis) as “allegiance” in relation to salvation. Jesus as king is the primary object toward which our saving “faith”—that is, our saving allegiance—is directed. 67 (emphasis original)

<idle musing>
It has been refreshing the last few years to see books appearing that emphasize the ascension and enthronement as an essential part of the gospel. You can't lose the cross, but equally, you can't lose the resurrection and ascension and enthronement. Without any of these you end up with a truncated gospel.
</idle musing>

No comments: