The Gospel in Three Sentences
How
would you express the core message of the Christian gospel? Job counselors often
advise job seekers to boil down their experience, skills, and job objective
into a short-two-minute presentation. It’s called an “elevator speech.” If someone
asked you, “What is the gospel?” what would you say? The Apostle Paul
summarizes the essentials of the gospel he proclaims in three sentences:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ
will come again.
Christ Has Died
Christ
has died. God himself entered into our human history and our lives, in
order to meet us and redeem us. God became man in Jesus Christ, lived among us,
and died for our sins. We often asked, “God, where were you when I needed you?”
God’s answer is Christ Jesus. The
playlet entitled ‘The Long Silence’ says
it all:
At the end of
time, billions of people from all nations were scattered on a great plain
before God’s throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But
some groups near the front talked heatedly. They said, “Can God judge us? How
can God know about suffering? Before God could be qualified to be our judge, he
must endure what we had endured.” So each of these groups sent forth their
leader, chosen because he or she had suffered the most. A Jew tortured and died
at Nazi concentration camp, a black person lynched for not crime but being
black, a person from Hiroshima, and so on. After consulting with each other,
finally they were to present their case. Their decision was that God should be
sentenced to live on earth – as a man! “Let him be born a Jew. Let the
legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Let him be betrayed by his closest friends.
Let him face false charges. Let him be tortured… At the last, let him taste what
it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die.” As each leader announced his
portion of the sentence, loud cheers of approval went up from each group of
people. And when the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long
silence. No-one said another word. No-one moved. For suddenly all knew that God had already served his sentence.[1]
Christ
has died. It was not a natural death. He was crucified. He died a criminal’s death. He did take up our sins, our
shame, our guilt, and take away them. He became sin itself, so that we could be
made right with God. “Christ was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our
sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed”
(Isa 53:5 NLT). So now, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Cor 5:17). Christ has died; our
chains are gone! Christ has died; we can make a fresh start!
Christ Is Risen
Christ
is risen. Not only did Christ suffer for us and with us, not only did
Christ take away our sin and guilt of yesterday, but also by his resurrection Christ
gives us power and strength for today. Jesus doesn’t say, “You have been
saved, so now you are on your own!” By his death and resurrection, Jesus conquered
death – the last enemy, the most
powerful weapon of the devil. And he sent His
Spirit to be with us forever, guide us into all truth, and empower us to do
what he did. William Temple used to illustrate this truth in this way:
It is no good
giving me a play like Hamlet or King Lear, and telling me to write a new
play just like it. Shakespeare could do it; I can’t. And it is no good showing
me a life like the life of Jesus and telling me to live a life just like it.
Jesus could do it; I can’t. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and
live inside me, I would then be able to write plays like he did. And if the
Spirit of Jesus could come and live inside me, I would then be able to live a
life like he did.[2]
This is the open secret of how to
live a victorious life as a Christian. It’s not about trying harder, working
harder. It’s all about allowing the risen Jesus to come, live with us, and
change us from the inside by the power of His Spirit. Christ is risen. Thanks
be to God, who give us the victory and power for today through the Spirit of
the risen Christ!
Christ Will Come Again
Christ
will come again. The best is yet to come. Yes, Jesus already conquered
death, but we still suffer and die. Jesus already gave us eternal life, abundant
life, but we still live in the world where Satan attacks against us. But when
Jesus returns, he will come with glory and authority. And his kingdom will
fully come – no more death, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more crying.
Timothy Tennent invites us to imagine
the final game of a World Series. Each team has won three games, and this is
the final game. It is the bottom of the ninth inning. The home team is at the
plate, and the score is 7 to 4 against the home team. Although three runs
behind, the home team’s bases are loaded. It is the bottom of the ninth, two
outs, based loaded, full count – three balls, two strikes. the visiting team is
one pitch from winning the World Series. The crowd is standing up cheering. The
name of the batter is Jesus. The pitch comes, then swing, the crack of the bat,
and it is a home run – not just an ordinary home run, but the game-winning
grand slam. In this baseball analogy, Jesus’ birth is first base, his death on
the cross is second base, his resurrection is third base.[3]
At the very point when Satan is so certain of his victory (bottom of the ninth
with two outs), Jesus hits a grand slam – spiritually speaking, it’s Jesus’
second coming. When Jesus returns, he will bring us all home with Him. As he
returns, comes into home plate, we will run and greet, jump up and down, pile
on top of one another, rejoicing with Him. Christ will come again; our hope for
tomorrow is secure!
I Believe
Christ
has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Do you believe in the essentials of the gospel
message? Believing is more than accepting the truth of Christianity. Many
people believe that God is there – but they have never met Him. Many believe
that God is able to forgive sins – but they have never allowed God to forgive
their sins. They believe that God is reliable – but they have never relied on
Him. John Wesley called these people “Almost” Christians.
Believing that penicillin can cure
our blood poisoning is one thing; taking capsules of the antibiotic is
something else. Believing in the good news of Jesus means to put our personal
trust in Him. It means to “YES” to Jesus and invite him to enter, not merely as
our guest, but as the Lord and Master. It means to allow Jesus to guide us,
challenge us, rule over us in every area of our lives. It is a decision, an act
of will to follow Jesus – and no turning back.
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Amen.
[1] John
Stott, The Cross of Christ (InterVarsity
Press, 2006), Kindle Locations 6778-6778.
[2] John Stott,
Basic Christianity (Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publisings, 2012), 123.
[3] Timothy
Tennent, This We Believe! (Seedbed
Publishing, 2012), 37-38.
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