Reminds me of the typical Gospel discussions that center around finding one verse that is "
The Gospel".
In a fast food society that likes just snippets it is wrong to assume that but the concise summary of the Gospel in 1 Cor 15 is the only time that Paul calls something "
the Gospel". For example,
the entire letter of Romans is repeatedly referred to by Paul as "
my Gospel".
There may be a shorthand way of saying certain things to people
who already understand something, but there are no shortcuts by just saying a minimal number of words to a listener and assuming that the person listening has understood the Gospel.
Folks,
sentences in the scriptures are not incantations. We are called to press these things into the understanding of our hearers and explain and argue for certain ideas (1 Cor. 10:5). Yes, we may start out with something
very basic, as in 1 Cor 15, but we will have to give further explanations or corrections of some matters if a person is inferring something improperly.
For example, Paul's
Roman's Road to Salvation, Romans 3:23; 6:23; 8:1; 10:9; 10:13, is steeped in unstated presuppositions that will require explanation to the typical non-believer.
In another related example, seriously consider what
must be presupposed in the concise summary statement of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. For example, "
sins" presupposes a moral inability; "
our" presupposes a marking out of persons, "
died for" presupposes particularization of persons; "
rose again" presupposes a calling that is effective and provides utmost perseverance.
If a person goes off and develops a poor understanding which undermines the basic theological framework above, he or she denies the very underlying basis of the Gospel—those
presuppositions left unexplained by using Gospel shorthanded expressions—and thereby weakens one's own faith.
At the end of the day, people need to stop and consider how one could accurately present any Gospel that denies...
(1)
man's wholesale rebellion in sin from birth,
(2) the right of God the Father to punish men for their sin,
(3) God the Father's sending of His son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
incarnated as fully God and fully man, out of His mere grace and not for anything men deserved,
(4) Our Lord's sacrifice on a cross for sin, satisfying the wrath of God the Father for only the ones so given to Our Lord (John 6:37; John 6:39; John 10:29; John 17:11-12; John 17:9;John 17:22; John 18:9),
(5) Our Lord saving to the uttermost all who are efficaciously drawn near by God the Holy Spirit,
(6) God the Father loving His chosen before they loved Him,
(7) the resurrection of Our Lord, or
(8) even the power of the Gospel to be the source of life.
The Gospel is more than just a sentence or two lifted from the full counsel of Scripture. Rather, as did Paul, the message of the Gospel requires us to take every word captive for the glory of God.
