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3rd
Sunday of Lent, March 7, 2021
Theologians get frustrated by the idea of “the Gospel;”
at least, they should! People all over
the world have their own ideas of what the Gospel is. With so many different viewpoints, is it
possible to define it at all? And if it
can’t be defined, does it mean anything?
Theologians are stimulated by the idea of “the Gospel;”
at least, they should be! With the different
ways cultures around the world have lived out the Gospel, the depth and breadth
of the Gospel’s meaning and beauty of the gospel’s expression seems
inexhaustible!
“Time out!” You
tell me. “I’m not a theologian,” you
say. “Why should I worry about the dozen
different gospel definitions that spill out of the pointless musings of one or
two theologians?”
I see your “time-out” and acknowledge it. The work theologians do is important for
Christianity, yet I agree that you don’t have to do a theologian’s job. However, when we claim to be
Christ-followers, we accept all the to share the Gospel. Jesus does not
recognize followers who refuse to bear witness to him. We understand that Jesus
is not interested in believers or admirers.
Jesus seeks out disciples. In
Mark 3:11, Jesus silences demons who express their belief in him. In John 12:23, Jesus ignores the fan-boy
Greeks looking for an autograph and instead insists that his concern is his followers
(v.26), disciples. To follow him, is to
share the Gospel. To share the Gospel,
we have to have some idea of what it is.
So, what is it? Since
the first century, Christian thinkers have debated this question. In 1 Corinthians 1 & 2, the Apostle Paul
provides a foundation. If we stand on
this foundation, we will be able to live within the Gospel, we will be
empowered to share the Gospel, and we will find ourselves freed by the
Gospel.
In his work A Theology of the New Testament, the
late George Eldon Ladd writes, “The Gospel is the proclamation of the
historical fact and the redemptive meaning of the cross, which includes both
present and future blessings.”[i] Note, the gospel is event and meaning. That Jesus died on a Roman cross outside of
Jerusalem is an event in history. Few
historians, Christian or not, question this.
A lot of unfortunate people died on crosses under Roman oppression.
This historical fact matters. We believe Jesus was innocent and was God’s
son, and in his death took on himself the eternal penalty all people deserve
because of their sins. So, the Gospel
says this is a historical happening filled with significance. In fact, Christians hold that the death of
Jesus on the cross and the subsequent resurrection is the most important event
in history. Because of this historical
fact and what it means, we can develop the mindset of disciples.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “I decided to know
nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” In 1 Corinthians Paul teaches on more topics
than in just about any other letter. He
addresses leadership within the church.
He condemns sexual sin while affirming sexual relations between a man
and a woman in the confines of marriage.
He commends singleness and celibacy, but says if you must get married be
sexually active; if you must be sexually active, get married. He gives his most detailed instructions on
how to celebrate the Lord’s supper, and on spiritual gifts in this letter. He delivers his most developed teaching on
the resurrection. It’s all in 1
Corinthians. After chapter 2, he doesn’t
really address atonement – Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. So why does he make this sweeping remark: “I
decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified?” He deals with much more than that.
He can touch on so many topics because he’s standing on
the solid ground, the foundation of the crucified Christ. In chapter 1, verse 23, he makes a point of
saying that for Jewish people the thought that Messiah would die so shamefully,
on a Roman cross, is a stumbling block. The Greek word for stumbling block is skandolon. A crucified Messiah was a scandal for the
first century Jews who had rejected Christ.
For Greeks, who generally rejected any value in the body and instead
esteemed spiritual ideals, the thought of following a man who died was
foolish. And, of course, the Romans saw
those they crucified as weak.
In different ways, Jews, Greeks, and Romans, devalued the
crucifixion of Jesus, but Paul says for everyone – Jews, Greeks, everyone – it
is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
God did not magically make sin disappear. Doing so would ignore the serious offense and
awful consequence of sin. God does not force us to not sin. This would strip us of our free will and we
would no longer be God’s image-bearers.
God decided to love us so deeply, our sins would be paid for with the
death of God’s beloved son, God-in-human-flesh, the sinless one, Jesus.
Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 1:21, salvation comes through
the preaching of the cross to all who believe.
Note how many different actors God includes in the process of salvation. First, there’s Jesus who willingly dies because
he loves everyone. Next, the Holy Spirit
inspires disciples to believe in Jesus and follow him. Third, there’s disciple who preaches the
story and truth of Jesus. It could be
someone preaching to 1000’s in a large auditorium, or someone sharing the
gospel with one other person. Fourth,
the listener receives the story, responds to the nudge of the Holy Spirit, and
puts his or her faith in Christ.
Finally, the Father accepts that expression of faith and adopts that
person as a son or daughter of God.
Just as Jesus’ death on the cross was a moment in
history, so too comes a specific moment when an individual puts his or her
faith in Christ. Sometimes the new
believer is baptized in that moment.
Other times, baptism comes later, as a visual expression new life. We keep in mind that salvation is something
that happens. It is also a process that
takes place over a lifetime.
Oxford theologian Paul Fiddes details the way salvation
is a lifelong, continuous processg for a disciple in his book Past Event and
Present Salvation: The Christian Idea of Atonement. First, he explains that divine-human
relationship can be repaired.[ii] Our rebellion has severed our tie to
God. We need the connection re-established. That repair happens in the death of Jesus on
the cross.
Are things in your life broken? Do you stare into a hopeless future convinced
the broken things never get fixed? The
cross is all about repair. The cross is
a sign that the love of God moves us past our brokenness. You can live life in a right relationship
with God. With the Holy Spirit in us, we
can truly love each other.
Second, with the God-human break having been repaired, we
come into human community in a new way.[iii] Made new in Christ, we make up the church
with others who have also been made new in Christ. Thus, salvation effects not just the
individual, but also the community. “I
am made new.” And, “we are made new.”
Third, Fiddes observes that this repaired relationship
and transformed community results from a complete upending of our understanding
of God. Fiddes writes, “If God has made
a crucified man lord of the universe, then all the securities by which we live
and all the achievements by which we justify ourselves and give ourselves
esteem, are shown to be hollow.”[iv]
What makes us feel safe?
The American army? In other
countries, our American power is a threat.
What makes us feel safe? Our
police force? Many people in our
communities feel their lives threatened by that very police force. What makes us feel safe? What achievements make us feel good about
ourselves? Our salvation rests on a
Galilean peasant carpenter who was crucified, the most shameful of death. God has declared that he, not some great
warrior, king, or champion, but the crucified one is Lord and Savior.
Fourth, in Fiddes’ explanation, this salvation that
upends our understanding of real power is, in addition to being an event, also
an on-going reality.[v] The Holy Spirit links our lives to what
happened at Calvary 2000 years ago.
Through the daily transformation the Spirit effects in us, the love God shows
on in the cross flows through us to the people we meet.
Paul could touch on so many topics in 1 Corinthians
because he set his writing up on the foundation of the cross. We stand on that same foundation, live our
salvation, and share the good news with people who have not yet put their trust
in Jesus. We are freed by the
Gospel. Greed, racism, injustice,
oppression, jealousy and so many other sinful ways of being that drive people apart
do not bind us. Freed from these godless
obstacles, we are able to live in love and to give love.
Life will frustrate us.
That’s a given. The Gospel,
though, frees us. Theologians can
delight and struggle in the work of defining the Gospel and our faith is
strengthened by their efforts. For out
part, we look to the cross and realize we are free. We are free to live as children of God.
AMEN
[i] G.
Ladd (1974), A Theology of the New Testament, William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company (Grand Rapids), p.385.
[ii]
P. Fiddes (1989), Past Event and Present Salvation: The Christian Idea of
Atonement, Westminster/John Knox Press (Louisville), p.4
[iii]
Fiddes, p.13.
[iv]
Fiddes, p.24.
[v]
Fiddes, p.29-30
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