I am interesting in your critique of the following:
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The Gospel
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures . . .” —1 Corinthians 15:1–4
The following is the story of an ordinary Christian. It could be the story of a member of xxxxx Church. It can be your story…
The Turning Point of my life began with events that happened before I was even born. Those events tell a powerful, true story—one that completely changed my life. Nearly two thousand years ago, a child was born. His birth was unlike any other before or since. His mother was a virgin who, through God’s power, became pregnant without ever having sex. This child was Jesus—God’s one and only Son. Jesus grew up just like anyone else, except for one important thing. He never thought, or said, or did anything wrong. When Jesus was thirty years old, He began telling people what God his Father was like. He told people how they could have a relationship with God by turning away from sin and believing in Him. And He showed God’s great kindness by healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, and even bringing dead people back to life. Everything Jesus did was good and right, but some people still hated him. They falsely accused him of crimes. Finally, they persuaded their ruler to kill him by nailing him to a rough wooden cross. Jesus hung from that cross until he died. Heartbroken, his friends buried him. But three days later an astounding thing took place—God raised Jesus from the dead! During the next forty days, over 500 people saw Jesus—solid proof that he really was alive again. Then, with many watching, he rose through the skies to his Father to take his place as ruler over all the universe.
But what does this all have to do with me?
The story you have just read is known as the gospel, or “good news.” I think you’ll be able to understand why this good news changed my life after I tell you some bad news. God created men and women to honor, serve, and enjoy him. But, from the very beginning, people have chosen to live their own way, rather than obeying the desires and commands of God. That’s called sin. Though every human being sins, God himself is sinless. He hates sin, and he has warned that everyone who sins will be severely punished. There’s not a thing men and women can do to save themselves from the punishment they deserve. That’s bad news. But Jesus has done what no person ever could. You see, Jesus died for a reason. It wasn’t simply because men hated him. He died because his Father lovingly decided to punish Him instead of us. In other words, Jesus took our place. He became our substitute. God’s sinless Son received the punishment we deserved, so that we might receive the reward He deserved. How can we be sure God accepted his death in our place? By the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and took Him up into heaven. Jesus is not just another religious leader telling us what to do. He is God. Because He has freed us from the power and punishment of sin, He deserves our total trust and obedience.
Let’s get personal.
The Turning Point of my life came on the day I heard these things and believed them. That day I asked God to forgive my sins and to help me start living for him. God granted my request—but not because I deserved it or did anything special. He mercifully forgave me on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross. The good news of the Gospel changed my life. God has turned me around and given me a sense of joy and fulfillment that keeps growing. Though I’m far from perfect, God is helping me live the way he always wanted me to live. The Turning Point of your life could be just ahead of you, too. Maybe you think that none of this applies to you. But God sees things differently. He sees you living your own way rather than living for him. He sees you heading for eternal punishment. And he knows there is nothing in your own power you can do to change. But God will have mercy on you—just as he had on me…
What to do? Trust in Jesus’ death as the only thing that can pay the penalty for your sin. Turn away from your sins and live to please and obey God rather than yourself.
Know that God is eager to forgive you. He wants to have a relationship with you as your Father. And he offers you the power to live the rest of your life honoring, enjoying, and serving him in the context of a local church.
I believe it is very good. Over the years I have heard little from the evangelical pulpit about being in “slavery to sin” and how that could be woven into a Gospel presentation. I pray many non-believers will read this, and He uses it to enable them to become a new creation - and enables them to love Jesus more than anyone in the world. Excellent words for all Christians - excellent words for me.
I believe it is very good. Over the years I have heard little from the evangelical pulpit about being in “slavery to sin” and how that could be woven into a Gospel presentation. I pray many non-believers will read this, and He uses it to enable them to become a new creation - and enables them to love Jesus more than anyone in the world. Excellent words for all Christians - excellent words for me.
Interesting you found that presentation "very good".
How would you compare the above statement with these:
Oh, wow. The gospel begins with God, and His brilliance, purity, unapproachable righteousness and justice. Stories like this one make only the merest mention of God's holiness, rather than making it the foundation for all that follows. When we soft-peddle the justice and holiness of God, we misrepresent Him - and His gospel.
"I sometimes think I might have been in darkness and despair now, had it not been for the goodness of God in sending a snowstorm one Sunday morning, when I was going to a place of worship. When I could go no further, I turned down a court and came to a little Primitive Methodist Chapel. In that chapel there might be a dozen or fifteen people. The minister did not come that morning: snowed up, I suppose. A poor man, a shoemaker, a tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach. He was obliged to stick to his text, for the simple reason that he had nothing else to say. The text was, 'Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.' He did not even pronounce the words rightly, but that did not matter.
"There was, I thought, a glimpse of hope for me in the text. He began thus: 'My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It says, "Look." Now that does not take a deal of effort. It ain't lifting your foot or your finger; it is just "look." Well, a man need not go to college to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. A man need not be worth a thousand a year to look. Anyone can look; a child can look. But this is what the text says. Then it says, "Look unto Me." 'Ay,' said he, in broad Essex, 'many of ye are looking to yourselves. No use looking there. You'll never find comfort in yourselves.' Then the good man followed up his text in this way: 'Look unto Me: I am sweating great drops of blood. Look unto Me; I am hanging on the Cross. Look: I am dead and buried. Look unto Me; I rise again. Look unto Me; I ascend; I am sitting at the Father's right hand. O, look to Me! Look to Me!' When he had got about that length, and managed to spin out ten minutes, he was at the length of his tether.
"Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few present, he knew me to be a stranger. He then said, 'Young man, you look very miserable.' Well, I did; but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made on my personal appearance from the pulpit before. However, it was a good blow struck. He continued: 'And you will always be miserable — miserable in life and miserable in death — if you do not obey my text. But if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.'
"Then he shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist can, 'Young man, look to Jesus Christ.' There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that moment and sung with the most enthusiastic of them of the Precious Blood of Christ."
Personally, I found the piece to be more than wanting and the typical "dumbed-down gospel" that is embraced by countless churches of all varieties, including those who profess to be Reformed. It minimizes the Fall, externalizes sin and puts "a relationship with God" as primary vs. the need to be regenerated, justified (declared righteous) and sanctified by the blood of Christ. Additionally, it promotes a universal atonement and likewise it denies the particularism of God's eternal electing love.
It teaches that God's extension of mercy is conditioned upon the individual's trusting "in Jesus' death" rather than the biblical truth that those whom God has mercy upon will trust in the person of the Lord Christ. (cf. Rom 9:15,18; Mk 4:10-12)
An appointment you will keep is pretty good I think I recieved it in tract form from chapel library my wife also read it and found it good.
1Jn 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Is it not true that God conditions the extension of his mercy to sinners on repentance and faith? Has he not said ''let the wicked forsake his way. . . let him return to the LORD, and he will have compassion on him'' in Isaiah 55:7? Kindly also show me which aspect of gospel content is omitted in the story. Thanks.
Is it not true that God conditions the extension of his mercy to sinners on repentance and faith? Has he not said ''let the wicked forsake his way. . . let him return to the LORD, and he will have compassion on him'' in Isaiah 55:7? Kindly also show me which aspect of gospel content is omitted in the story. Thanks.
Is it not true that God conditions the extension of his mercy to sinners on repentance and faith? Has he not said ''let the wicked forsake his way. . . let him return to the LORD, and he will have compassion on him'' in Isaiah 55:7? Kindly also show me which aspect of gospel content is omitted in the story. Thanks.
I would need to know what YOU mean by "God conditions the extent of his mercies on repentance and faith".
God's prescriptive will, i.e., that which He requires/demands of all men is that they repent and believe upon Christ. The ability or even desire to do such is natively impossible, however. Without the Holy Spirit's prior work of regeneration, none seek after God (Rom 3:11).
God's mercy is ONLY given/applied to the elect according to His eternal decretive will, i.e., that which God has eternally foreordained according to His good pleasure (Isa 46:10; Rom 8:29,30). There is NOTHING about man that "conditioned" God's decree to save some out of Adam's fallen race. Thus... UNconditional election (Eph 1:4-13).
Secondly, Isaiah 55:6,7 is not THE "gospel story", but rather one small part of the Gospel; the final call for sinners to repent and turn to God in faith because He is their only hope of salvation.