A Gospel Resolution
This excerpt by JD Crowley comes from Gospel Meditations for Missions (Day 13: “From God, Through God, and to God”).
“The gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son…to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.” (Romans 1:1–5)
So which gospel do you preach? There’s quite a choice, you know. From the earliest days, Satan attacked the church with counterfeit “gospels.” So, Paul and the other apostles counterattacked with long swords of well-reasoned discourse (Romans, Hebrews, etc.) and daggers of pithy gospel summary, the most famous being 1 Corinthians 15:3–8.
Of all the gospel daggers, the most complete is Romans 1:1–5, the “Creation to Christ” of gospel summaries. And it’s as beautiful as it is comprehensive. Notice the balanced, chiastic structure below, with Christ at the very center.
The Gospel’s Source—God (“The gospel of God...”)
No human could have invented the gospel. It’s God’s idea from start to finish. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit decided from eternity past to save lost mankind by sending the Son to be our Savior. All three Members of the Trinity are equal Participants in the gospel and are mentioned in this summary statement. The gospel is something that “God promised” to us, not something that we promise to Him, as in other religions.
Any gospel that doesn’t originate with God is not the gospel.
The Gospel’s Preparation—Prophets (“which he promised...”)
Paul’s opponents evidently charged him with novelty, but the good news of Jesus Christ didn’t start with Paul or even with the birth of Christ. The good news was prophesied hundreds of times in the Old Testament across a span of thousands of years. The first prophecy even goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, where God told Satan that Eve’s Offspring would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). In fact, the entire Old Testament is a preparation for the coming of the Savior.
Any gospel not foretold by the prophets is not the gospel.
The Gospel’s Heart—the Lord Jesus Christ (“concerning his Son...”)
At the very core of God’s redemptive plan is the incarnation, death, resurrection, and exaltation of the Son of God. Paul gives Him four exalted titles in these verses: The Son of God! The Son of God in Power! Christ! Lord!
Jesus is the genius of the gospel! Any gospel without Christ at the center is not the gospel.
The Gospel’s Proclamation—Apostles (“through whom we have received grace...”)
Just as God sent the Old Testament prophets to prepare the way for Messiah, He also appointed the New Testament apostles to be witnesses of Christ and to proclaim His good news to the world. We have in the Scriptures a foundation laid by both the prophets and apostles (Ephesians 2:20).
Any gospel that changes the message of the apostles is not the gospel.
The Gospel’s Recipients—Nations (“to bring about...faith...among all the nations.”)
Just as the gospel has a Source (God Himself), it also has a target (all the nations). It’s not good news for just one nation or race, but for all.
Any gospel that doesn’t save people from all nations is not the gospel.
But what’s the point? Why did God go through all this hassle, spend all this time, and spend the life of His only begotten Son? “For the sake of his name” (v. 5). Plaster that on every banner in your church; make it the theme of your life and your message to the world. The goal of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to make God famous in every tribe and tongue and language and people. Since He isn’t yet, we still have missions.
Let the gospel’s goal of magnifying God’s fame in every corner of God’s world be the passion of your life.
Explore the whole book!
Gospel Meditations for Missions is a devotional book intended to stir ordinary Christians with the urgency for the Great Commission. Written by Chris Anderson (pastor, church planter, mission board executive), JD Crowley (missionary), David Hosaflook (missionary), Tim Keesee (mission board director), and Joe Tyrpak (pastor), each of the 31 articles is biblical, warm-hearted, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
