I just started to read a book called "The King Jesus Gospel" by Scot McKnight.
I am not far into the book but I love where he is going with it so far. He contends in the beginning of the book that evangelicals have turned the gospel into the "Plan of Salvation" message and that we have reduced the whole gospel into solely a personal salvation message - erroneously.
I agree with this. He also challenges us early in the book with the question, "what is the gospel?" and that has got me thinking...
The gospel is not simply a golden "get out hell free" ticket. The gospel is the story of redemption, restoration, and reconciliation of God to man and man to man. It is not about the redemption of one person but, at it's core, the gospel is about the redemption of all of mankind.
Embracing the gospel should mean that how we live changes - not just our "after-life" address. In the Old Testament, the Jewish culture very rarely spoke about life after death. They paid close attention to their community, their family, even their animals. I believe that our theology has left us so heavenly-minded that we have lost our efficacy in the culture in which we live.
Our belief should result in our capacity to love. We should be able to love those who use and abuse us. We should be able to love those whose purpose is to destroy us.
Our belief should result in kindness. We should be kind to those we interact with. We should repay evil with kindness.
Our belief should influence our actions and decisions in every area of our lives.
But, we have bought into a self-centered lie. We have bought into the concept that the gospel is so personal that it has lost its communal impact. This concept allows us to turn a blind eye to the suffering in the world. This concept allows us to live in extravagance while others are trapped in slavery or dying of starvation and curable diseases.
When they first came out, there were differing opinions on the WWJD bracelets...and, while I would concede that there is a gimmicky element to them, I sincerely wish we could get people to think in those terms.
The gospel is the message that God (from Genesis - Revelation and beyond) has redeemed all of mankind and that He desires a connectedness to us that would permeate everything we do from how we make decisions, to how we treat people, to how we spend our money, etc.
Keep this in mind...as a follower of God, it is YOUR life that needs to be the evidence that He is real, loving and truly has a plan for the people around you.
That is a scary thought.
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