Our bible study group currently going through the book of Philippians. As a recap for previous chapters 1& 2 studies, we went through a video that explains the context of the history of the city of Philippi in this wonderfully made series, by Ray Vander Laan
. I am certainly not advertising to buy but it is worth it.
In this First Video, The Gospel of Caeser he begins to explain what the Gospel is for the Roman culture at Paul's time. Cesar's good news (Gospel, the biblical writers calls it) promised peace and prosperity to those who would bow down to him. That goes in sync with something I've read,
Micheal Horton puts it this way,
It is interesting that the biblical writers chose the word “gospel.” The heart of most religions is good advice, good techniques, good programs, good ideas, and good support systems. These drive us deeper into ourselves, to find our inner light, inner goodness, inner voice, or inner resources. Nothing new can be found inside us. There is no inner rescuer deep down in my soul; I just hear echoes of my own voice telling me all sorts of crazy things to numb my sense of fear, anxiety, and boredom, the origins of which I cannot truly identify.
So comes the question, what is the Gospel according to Christianity. The heart of Christianity is Good News. It comes not as a task for us to fulfill, a mission for us to accomplish, a game plan for us to follow with the help of life coaches, but as a report that someone else has already fulfilled, accomplished, followed, and achieved everything for us. Good advice may help us in daily direction; the Good News concerning Jesus Christ saves us from sin’s guilt and tyranny over our lives and the fear of death. It’s Good News because it does not depend on us. It is about God and his faithfulness to his own purposes and promises.
In Simple, this is how the bible describes it.
The gospel is the glorious, Christ-centered, cross-centered, grace-centered news of what God has done in Jesus Christ (the last Adam) to redeem man from the fall of his federal head (the first Adam) and to give a man an eschatological hope that all things will eventually be redeemed in Christ.
Think about it, the Gospel is the news! Therefore, we don't "live" the gospel. We proclaim it. We preach the Gospel. We live and respond in light of the news.
The Gospel is the news! We proclaim it. We preach the Gospel.
