According to Mark's Gospel, Jesus begins his public work with a proclamation. After his baptism by John and his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus "came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near: repent, and believe the gospel'" (Mar k 1:14-15, my translation). Matthew and Luke present basically the same message.
Let's look closely at what Mark's narrator and Jesus say here. The Gospel describes Jesus' message as the gospel. Jesus challenges people to "repent, and believe the gospel." In between, Jesus proclaims "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is near." That core announcement -- "It's time, and God is breaking into the world" -- that is the core of Jesus' own gospel.
Gospel Confusion
I teach at a theological seminary, where we prepare religious leaders for service in the church and the world. Often I'll ask students, "What is your gospel?" That is, what is the core message that directs your ministry? That may sound like an innocent question, yet most seminarians find it intimidating. How does one boil down one's faith to a straightforward proclamation?
By contrast, many people seem perfectly comfortable in reducing faith to a formula. Google search "top Christian bumper stickers," and you'll have the chance to browse nearly nine million results. Stickergiant.com has its own "Christian Zone," but I have to admit that I've never seen the stickers that represent the "most popular."
What's Jesus Got to Do with It?
From my own youth, I'm more familiar with Campus Crusade's "Four Spiritual Laws." This popular evangelistic tract proclaims that (1) God loves you and has a plan for your life, (2) due to sin, people are separated from God and cannot experience God's plan, (3) God provides for sin through Jesus Christ, and (4) people must individually receive Christ as Lord in order to experience God's love and plan for their lives.
If the "Four Spiritual Laws," and presentations like it summarizes the gospel, something very important is missing. Indeed, that very important something often goes missing in Christian proclamation. Many Christians proclaim the Gospel as if Jesus' life and teachings mean absolutely nothing.
I hate to pick on one group, but let's look at those "Four Spiritual Laws" again. The third spiritual law has to do with Jesus, and here's what it says about him: "He died in our place"; "He rose from the dead"; "He is the only way to God." From reading the Four Spiritual Laws, we'd never know that Jesus traveled from place to place, gathered disciples, liberated people from sickness, disability, and demon possession, built a movement, and confronted injustice. If we emphasize Jesus' death, cut out from the whole tapestry of his life, we reduce his crucifixion to perverse ritual rather than a direct consequence of his confrontation with the powers of his day.
What about the Gospel?
The idea that Jesus' death offers reconciliation with God does constitute a basic part of Christian proclamation. When many churches celebrate the Lord's Supper, the congregation calls out "the mystery of our faith": "Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." But is it fair to reduce the gospel to the proclamation of Jesus' death and resurrection?
First, a word about "gospel." The Greek word evangelion means more than a religious message or even "good news," as many translate it. Gospel amounts to good news in the form of a public announcement or a proclamation. When Rome accomplished something great, it sent its heralds into the cities to proclaim the "good news." Christians took this word, gospel, as shorthand for their proclamation about Jesus. Indeed, Christians came to call their biographies of Jesus "gospels" because Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John proclaim the good news of God's action in Christ.
Jesus' own gospel amounted to a direct proclamation: God's kingdom has broken into human affairs. The kingdom of God is not about going to heaven when we die; it involves God's reign working its way into the here and now. We see this reflected in a key section of Jesus' model prayer: "Your kingdom come: your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). God's kingdom is active when God's will takes effect.
Jesus lived out that proclamation through his ministry. His work of teaching, healing, and exorcism all demonstrated God's kingdom at work. The communities he built and the challenges he pressed against injustice also embody the kingdom's transformative power.
Indeed, Jesus' death and resurrection now stand within this gospel. Jesus met his death as a result of his kingdom work, and his resurrection confirms God's full investment in Jesus and his ministry. But Jesus' death and resurrection do not represent the gospel all by themselves. They mark the culmination of Jesus' career, but just the "first fruits" of what God has set loose (Romans 8:23).
Gospel Today
Today Jesus' followers stand two millennia removed from Jesus' direct gospel proclamation. But our own gospel need not veer far from the one Mark summarizes at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
Christians believe that in Jesus Christ God's kingdom has drawn near -- and it does draw near. That is the gospel. God's work, revealed in Jesus, continues through those who follow him. Where community is built and healing occurs, the gospel breaks out. Where mercy is offered and justice breaks through, God's kingdom is on the loose. Where people encounter the blessing of God and reconciliation with one another, gospel happens.
"The time is here. God's kingdom is afoot. Get ready, and believe this gospel."
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Given all of the horrors and hate in this world, I feel that religion separates people rather than
unites them. Evangelicals do not like Catholics; Muslims hate Christrians; both hate Jews; all religions
hate aethiests, etc, etc.
Let us get beyond religion since it has not worked and never will. Many wars have resulted from it.
We need to follow the very essence of the Old and New Testament in living our lives: do more
for others than you would for yourself.
By the way, you might be interested to know that Jesus( a great and charasmatic person) was
born, lived and died as a Jew. I never hear about that in any of your articles. Oen can be
baptized or converted, but one is always the religion that their parents were. Read Voltaire from
the Age of Enlightment" and other scholars and you will see what I am talking about.
Methodists preach from the New and Old Testaments- so they are more far sighted and logical.
Is you are going to try to change or become a missionary and try to convert religion, you need to
present them with all of the world's great religions. Give these people a choice. To do otherwise
is a sign of objurate pride.
As Franklin Graham says: I have conversations with God - the only way to be saved
is through Jesus Christ. This is clearly an example of objurate pride- a cardinal sin.
I am now confused. This is a theologian talking about a spiritual concept isn't it? What have the earthly activities attributed to Jesus (and Pythagoras and other religious philosophers before him) got to do with the spiritual progression of our souls? That is what Jesus' life is about: through emulating his good deeds, loving your neighbour as yourself, that is how you leave your mortal foibles to find God.
Jesus life is already reduced to a perverse ritual by the lack of understanding given to it by theologians and so-called Biblical historians. Jesus confrontation was not against the earthly powers of his day, it was against the spiritual distractions of selfishness and greed that lead man astray.
Forget where Jesus did what, with whom and to whom. Live your life as his, discuss, think and learn — the only way to get to God.
. . . When asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied . . . The Kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will people say that it is here or it is there . . . because the Kingdom of God is within you.
This is probably the most controversial and anarchist statement in the entire bible.
1Corinthians 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
Something about faith its and emotion/action.. ..Not anyone exercises Faith...The call it out but the provide no heart and soul into it..
Alot of priest/clergy says just have faith?
John 3:17 For God sent forth his Son into the world , not for him to judge the world, but the world to be saved through him..
(16) For God loved the world so much he gave his only begottten Son , in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life...
Ps 14:14 The one faithless at heart will be satisfied with the results of his own ways, but the good man with the results of his dealings...
http://dwindlinginunbelief.blogspot.com/2010/04/drunk-with-blood-gods-killings-in-bible.html
All the supposed words of god in the bible does for me is make me glad I dont believe in any of the bible. Waaaay too much bloodshed and death.
If you would like me to answer Why there was so much .. Just ask me and tonight or 1st thing tommorrow I will tell give you , your answer...
The Good News has 3 inseparable messages:
1) The universal accessibility of the personal and persistent unrestrained love and unconditional grace of God; and
2) The feeding quenching clothing healing visiting welcoming compassion and the reparative rehabilitating restorative justice of the Community; and
3) The inclusive hospitality and joyous generosity and healthy service of the Individual.
The “will of God” – what God wants for us – is for us to:
* Be Free and Independent
* Think
* Be Curious
* Be Intelligent and Wise
* Value Knowledge over Ignorance and Compassion over Knowledge
* Be Creative
* Grow and Mature
* Live Long Healthy Satisfying Lives
* Live Non-Violently Without Vengeance
* Be Hospitable
* Be Generous
* Do No Harm
* Provide Justice as Repair and Rehabilitation and Restoration of the individual
* Be Forgiving
* Promote and Provide and Protect Reconciliation
* Be Good Stewards of all Resources
* Live Here as One Family
* Live in Loving Relationship with Grace-full God
* Be Transformed through Resurrection
* Be the Kingdom of God here and now
And the Gospel has everything to do with a blood sacrifice. Described in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 " Christ died for our sins[a blood sacrifice that involved suffering], was buried[ He really was dead], and was raised the third day".
From which we learn 1. we deserved to die for our sins, 2. He was our substitute and 3. God accepted the payment as evidenced by Christ's resurrection.
God wants the Gospel preached so people everywhere can move from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. As we go we do many of the things you mention to help people make the transition.
The Good News as you descibe is not quite the way it is described in the Word of God.
This refers to the good news of the Kingdom of God and of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. It is called in the Bible “the good news of the kingdom” (Mt 4:23), “the good news of God” (Ro 15:16), “the good news about Jesus Christ” (Mr 1:1), “the good news of the undeserved kindness of God” (Ac 20:24), “the good news of peace” (Eph 6:15), and the “everlasting good news” (Re 14:6).
The Greek word translated “good news” (“gospel” in KJ and some other versions) is eu‧ag‧ge′li‧on. “An evangelizer” (the English word being almost a transliteration of the Greek) is a preacher of the good news.—Ac 21:8; 2Ti 4:5.
The looooong list you posted are all fine attributes of what any Christian should strive for. Basically, the Golden Rule given by Jesus would 'cover' all of it.-Matt.7:12
How about those fruitages? (Gal.5:22,23) Also cover your list. So just cite the text you're pulling info. from., Easy!
Your last *, How can one 'be' the kingdom when the Kingdom is a form of government?? It is illogical.
Thus, within a few centuries after Jesus' death his followers didn't feel that Jesus' life or teachings were important enough to be even mentioned in this credal statement. As has been famously remarked, in the Apostle's Creed Jesus' entire life has been reduced to the comma which follows the word "Mary" and precedes the word "suffered".
This is the logical culmination of a pattern where, based on the accepted order of when the Gospels were written, increasing space is given to the events around Jesus' last days on earth and, in Luke, the period before his ministry began, while decreasing the focus on what Jesus said and did during his life. It's also worth noting that based on the Q hypothesis, this missing book apparently contained only Jesus' words and didn't contain accounts of his last days at all.
It's that whole 'believe' bit I have issue with.
Throughtout the bible it is clear that god does not like people who do not worship it. Non-believers are useless to god and are routinely erradicated. So the message of 'Where community is built and healing occurs, the gospel breaks out." usualy translates as 'you will believe or you will destroyed.'
Christianity historically has no respect or need of non-worshipers. Christianity does not play well with other faiths and strives to actually destroy those other faiths by labeling them of the devil. Makes me wonder; when god returns (we did it go anyway?) what happens to all the non-Christians...?
In my experience and observation the 'gospel' in short is: "You WILL believe or you will burn."
Somehow, I dont think that is what Jesus meant or wanted. And if it is, well, I still have no need, want or desire to ever be a Christian.
And Jesus is clear that a man can not enter into the "kingdom of God" unless he is "born again." The only people who are truly capable of doing's God's will "here and now" are those who have had their sins paid for at the cross and have received the Holy Spirit who transforms their hearts.
Besides, the prospect of eternal life and eternal happiness sounds like pretty "good news" to me.
Jesus knew he'd have to undergo a horrific and undeserved death. He had to be fully tested. His Father's heart was breaking the whole time, watching his beloved Son suffer so. But it was necessary to balance the scales of Justice. What the perfect man Adam had forfeited would require another perfect man to 'buy' back or 'ransom'. A PERFECT MAN. Not a god..that would be too much. Not another good man...not enough. Justice required just what Jesus was able to provide.
When He poured out His blood it symbolized His very life force. It was precious. It was sacred.
So when His ressurection is counted as the most important thing...remember, there'd be no ressurection if not for the death of a perfect man.
1 Corinthians 15:45,47