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s i m p l e • g o s p e l ::: Martin Luther’s Gospel

December 19, 2008 1:11 pm / 2 Comments on s i m p l e • g o s p e l ::: Martin Luther’s Gospel

From Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, trans. J. Theodore Mueller (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1954), xv. 

But the Holy Ghost is not given except in, with, and by faith in Jesus Christ, as he says in the introduction; and faith does not come, save only through God’s Word or Gospel, which preaches Christ, that He is God’s Son and a man, has died and risen again for our sakes, as he says in chapters 3, 4, and 10 [of Romans]. [italics added]. 

Theologians will tell you that if you don’t understand that “for our sakes” in their particular traditions nuanced sense, you’re not really believing the true gospel.  I say she who repents and has faith in a Christ (i.e. messiah) who is God incarnate and died for us, and is risen, believes the basic gospel and is saved.  That simple.  Theologians tend to complicate the gospel.

s i m p l e • g o s p e l ::: N.T. Wright & Martin Luther’s Gospel

November 28, 2008 4:06 pm / Leave a comment

Shot out to Nick Mitchell for showing us that N.T. Wright and Martin Luther both agree on the basic message of the gospel.  How can this be?  Because the core message of the gospel is simple, and does not involve (in either’s definition) the doctrine of justification.  

Now that’s good news.  

——————————–HT: Kingdom People———————————-

s i m p l e • g o s p e l ::: Eric L. Johnson’s Gospel

November 28, 2008 4:02 pm / Leave a comment

In the spirit of Trevin Wax’s helpful “gospel definition” posts, I offer Eric L. Johnson’s articulation of the simple gospel message from his impressive magnum opus Foundations for Soul Care: 

The good news of the gospel is an articulation of the free gift of divine salvation and soul-healing, accomplished through Christ’s life, death and resurrection and offered to all who consent to it from the heart.

A few things are interesting about this definition.  1) it defines the gospel as “an articulation of” certain truths, 2) it includes what we would normally call sanctification in protestant lingo (“soul healing”), 3) rather than saying, “offered to all those who believe,” he spells out faith as “consent of the heart.”  Very interesting.  

Eric L. Johnson, Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal (Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2007), 33.

—————————–HT: Kingdom People——————————-