What is the gospel? It's about suffering adversity and suffering rebuke with him. Let me show you that you have not known the gospel until this 1st century style Christen came your way
1Th 2:4 (William Tyndale reformation 1526) but as we were allowed of God, that the gospel should be committed unto us: even so we speak, not as though we intended to please men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

2Ti 2:10 Herefore I suffer all things, for the elects’ sakes, that they might also obtain that health which is in Christ Jesu, with eternal glory.
2Ti 1:8 Be not ashamed to testify our Lord, neither be ashamed of me, which am bound for his sake: but suffer adversity with the gospel also thorow the power of God,
2Ti 3:11 persecutions, and afflictions which happened unto me at Antioche, at Iconium, and at Lystra: which persecutions I suffered patiently; And from them all the Lord delivered me
Mt 11:5 The blind see, the halt go, the lepers are cleansed: The deaf hear, the dead are raised up again, and the gospel is preached to the poor.
Mr 1:15 and saying: the time is ful come, and the kingdom of God is even at hand, repent and believe the gospel.
Lu 4:18 The spirit of the Lord upon me, because he hath anointed me; To preach the gospel to the poor he hath sent me; And to heal which are troubled in their hearts: To preach deliverance to the captive; And sight to the blind; And freely to set at liberty them that are bruised;
Ac 15:7 When there was much disputing, Peter rose up and said unto them: Ye men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago, God chose among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe.

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Terry L Merritt

The Gospel is something very specific.


Indeed. While your definitions are good, I must still say, the gospel is not the thing you said either:


It is an announcement. It is news; glad tidings of a work accomplished outside of me , 2000 years ago, by another man

The Gospel is a complete work!

It is the perfect obedience of the Son of Man by which I am justified and declared
righteous by a Holy God.
It is the impeccable sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God that delivers me from the just condemnation of my sin.
It is the sovereign death of the Son of God, which frees me from the curse.
It is the ratifying resurrection of the Son of David that assures me of life eternal
And it is the consummate ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ with whom I am seated in heavenly places in a kingdom that will have no end.


This is not the gospel. It's part of it. But the gospel has to do with "the kingdom." Only because it is of the kingdom is it all the other good stuff. It is the message that the prophesied kingdom that would come has broken into the present age, to which we await its full consumation.

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Jimmy H

I believe the gospel is something very specific, yes indeed.

However, false preachers have given wrong ideas about the gospel and these Pharises and scribes are leading people to the strange woman whose feet abide not in her house, her houses are the way to death. I believe your preachers are not preaching the same gospel as the reformer Martin Luther or the lesser known William Tyndale, who brought us (thorow adversity) the first English translation of the N.T in 1526, which is superior to the King James bible.
Here's Martin Luther, from The Twofold use of the Law and the Gospel from sermons of Martin Luther pg224
Second Corinthians 3:4-11. 4 And such confidence have we through Christ to Godward: 5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory was passing away: 8 how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth. 11 For if that which passeth away was with glory, much more that which remaineth is in glory.



GOSPEL TRANSCENDS LAW

1. This epistle lesson sounds altogether strange and wonderful to individuals unaccustomed to Scripture language, particularly to that of Paul. To the inexperienced ear and heart it is not intelligible. In popedom thus far it has remained quite unapprehended, although reading of the words has been practiced.

2. That we may understand it, we must first get an idea of Paul's theme. Briefly, he would oppose the vain boasting of false apostles and preachers concerning their possession of





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THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER, VOL. VIII, PAGE 224


the spirit and their peculiar skill and gifts, by praising and glorifying the office of a preacher of the Gospel with which he is intrusted. For he found that, especially in the Church at Corinth, which he had converted by the words of his own lips and brought to faith in Christ, soon after his departure the devil introduced his heresies whereby the people were turned from the truth and betrayed into other ways. Since it became his duty to make an attack upon such heresies, he devoted both his epistles to the purpose of keeping the Corinthians in the right way, so that they might retain the pure doctrine received from him, and beware of false spirits. The main thing which moved him to write this second epistle was his desire to emphasize to them his apostolic office of a preacher of the Gospel, in order to put to shame the glory of those other teachers--the glory they boasted with many words and great pretense.

3. He starts in on this theme just before he reaches our text. And this is how it is he comes to speak in high terms of praise of the ministration of the Gospel and to contrast and compare the twofold ministration or message which may be proclaimed in the Church, provided, of course, that God's Word is to be preached and not the nonsense of human falsehood and the doctrine of the devil. One is that of the Old Testament, the other of the New; in other words, the office of Moses, or the Law, and the office of the Gospel of Christ. He contrasts the glory and power of the latter with those of the former, which, it is true, is also the Word of God. In this manner he endeavors to defeat the teachings and pretensions of those seductive spirits who, as he but lately foretold, pervert God"s Word, in that they greatly extol the Law of God, yet at best do not teach its right use, but, instead of making it tributary to faith in Christ, misuse it to teach work-righteousness.

4. Since the words before us are in reality a continuation of those with which the chapter opens, the latter must be considered in this connection. We read:

"Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need we, as do some, epistles of commendation to you



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THE SERMONS OF MARTIN LUTHER, VOL. VIII, PAGE 225

or from you? Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh."

"We, my fellow-apostles and co-laborers and I," he says, "do not ask for letters and seals from others commending us to you, or from you commending us to others, in order to seduce people after gaining their good will in your church and in others as well. Such is the practice of the false apostles, and many even now present letters and certificates from honest preachers and Churches, and make them the means whereby their unrighteous plotting may be received in good faith. Such letters, thank God, we stand not in need of, and you need not fear we shall use such means of deception. For you are yourselves the letter we have written and wherein we may pride ourselves and which we present everywhere. For it is a matter of common knowledge that you have been taught by us, and brought to Christ through our ministry."

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Terry L Merritt

Yeah, I think King Jimmy and SermonIndex are on to something very important. My last comment was prompt and shortsighted, forgive me.

Jesus came out of the wilderness in Matthew 5:17 saying,

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RICH

I think the Lord's teaching, to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, is something that makes repentance a logical and straight forward thing to do. Telling people to repent because Jesus loves them, died for them, and came back to life, doesn't convey urgency or a real reason to repent. If we call others to repent, it must be for a reason. And what is that reason according to the gospel? A new age has begun, and it is about to come full circle!

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Jimmy H

(I'm on vacation this week so, I have the time to continue this conversation. I hope no one minds...)

One thing I have learned in the past couple of years (thanks to the White Horse Inn) that has been very helpful to my understanding of the Bible, is that there are categories in scripture. There are categories in the Word of God. Some may think that establishing categories in scripture makes Christianity too intellectual or academic, but I can tell you it has helped me tremendously.

In my experience, the word "Gospel" has become a generic term for whatever is preached from the pulpit, or written in a Christian book, or preached in the street (for you evangelists) or talked about in the living room (for those of you that meet at home :), etc.

But, in fact, "Gospel" is just one category within scripture. The two major categories within scripture are Law and Gospel.

Law is what God commands, what God requires.
Gospel is what God gives...His provision

And both of these, Law and Gospel, are seen throughout scripture. There is Law and Gospel in the OT and there is Law and Gospel in the NT.

And so, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is something very specific it is something that God gives to His people. It is a gift, it is Good News.

But in what context is it Good news? It is only Good News to someone who is convinced that there sin is sending them to Hell. Christ's obedience, His righteousness, is only Good News to someone who is devoid of any righteousness of their own. Christ's death is only Good News to someone who is convinced that, because of his sin and disobedience, God's wrath abides on him. Christ's resurrection is only Good News to someone who is convinced that it is appointed unto men, once to die, and after that the judgment.

But how do men come to the place whereby they are convinced of these things?

Enter, the Law. One of the purposes of the law is to make sin exceedingly sinful. The Holy Spirit, through the Law convinces men of Sin, Righteousness, and Judgment. The commands of God crush us and cause us to cry out " God have mercy on me a sinner"

The Law cannot save. Why? Because the Law is bad? No, the Law is holy, just and good, and for the true christian, the Law becomes the desire of our hearts. (He who is forgiven much, loves much) The Law cannot save because of our corrupt nature. It cannot produce and ounce of righteousness, whether imputed or imparted.

But what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (GOSPEL - What God gives)

And so Law has meaning and purpose and Gospel has meaning and purpose. They are separate and distinct from each other and should be taught as such.