Gospel

Did Jesus Preach the Gospel?

by Scot McKnight

The most influential piece of literature in the twentieth century was the gospel tract. Why? Because it reduced the gospel to sound bytes and because it has framed how many Christians now understand the gospel message. What might surprise us is that the central idea of Jesus’ teaching—the coming kingdom of God—does not appear in any of the gospel tracts. Why is that? Have we only relied on Paul’s version of the gospel? Is it possible, many are asking, to combine the gospel of Paul with the gospel of Jesus? Which leads to this question: What is the gospel? And to this one: Did Jesus himself preach the gospel or not?

Comments

joe losiak

Jesus began His greater teaching with the sermon on the mount. That sermon was used to show a religious people their short falling from the beauty of Kingdom living. In Luke the sermon left them asking, "who then can be saved" if we are to be judged for even our thoughts not physically experienced. Jesus answered, "with men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible". Yes Jesus knew He had to break through their religious convictions. When James explained, dead faith vs. living faith, it was not Paul he was explaining it was Genesis where Abraham was justified by faith and Habakuk where the prophet also declared this fact. The illustrations Jesus used taught the Gospel in a visual way rather than in an abstract legal document which could not be understood easily by most people. Paul described the inner workings of Jesus teaching and the thief on the cross may best illustrate grace and faith.

Jack Viljoen

This is going to ruffle some feathers in certain circles. I like the way he brings it together. His historical/Old Testament build up to the "gospel" sets the tone. The gospel isolated from this, is simply a very self-centered plan of salvation and not biblical at all. We simply are not saved from hell for the sake of skipping the lake of fire.

There is so much more to the gospel. Jesus came preaching the Kingdom not a once off salvation message. Salvation is brought by Jesus at the end of the race... to those who have endured.

The true gospel also implies community. It cannot be appropriated or lived out as an individual.

I agree that Paul and Jesus preached the same gospel.

jeff weddle

ANother proof of Paul preaching the same Gospel as Jesus is when Paul says, "I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified," Again showing that Jesus Christ is the Gospel.

Joseph Bradfprd

Thanks Scott, beautifully said. The practical upshot of all this is this: The "plan of salvation" demands agreement to a proposition, but the Gospel demands devotion to a person, the person of Jesus Christ. The "plan of salvation" nets people who nod, but the Gospel nets disciples of Jesus.

David Noah Taylor

That evangelical Christianity has not been preaching the the faith once delivered to the Saints should be completely obvious. A short visit to the second and forth chapters of the book of Acts will confirm that the results of their preaching the good news are rarely if ever seen as a result of today's preaching. The big shock will not be in discovering the difference between the two gospels, that will come when the demands of the authentic good news is understood. Merely talking about such things can be compared to Ezekiel's becoming a "sensual song" to the people of Israel (Eze. 33:30-33). God's people must wake up.

bossmanham

Thank goodness you emergent types are here to rescue us all. What would John 3:16 do without you?

Joshua Perkins

I think Dr. McKnight has a very good point about the over-extension of the word "gospel"; however, his narrowing of the meaning by defining it as only "the story of Jesus" raises some questions that cast doubt on his conclusion. If this is correct, how does one "obey the gospel"? If the gospel is just an announcement of Jesus as Messiah and Lord, how do Gentiles "partake of the promise in Christ" through it?

His point is most undercut by Paul's definition of gospel—not in 1 Corinthians 15, but in Romans 1 and 3. The apostle says that "in [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed"—but how? Certainly in the announcement that Jesus is Lord, but there's more. He explains in Romans 3:21-26 that the righteousness of God that "has been manifested" is "through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe." Paul goes on to declare that God's righteousness is revealed by justification and propitiation. This, too, is the gospel; Dr. McKnight has followed in the footsteps of the "Tom" he mentioned (Bishop N. T. Wright) by limiting the meaning beyond what Scripture would warrant.

Ryan Cristonsen

I'm curious about the third point on persuasion. At marker 10.55 referring to the use of judgement language in preaching the gospel it is claimed that 'no one who preaches the gospel in the NT did this'. What do we make of Romans 2.16 ? "This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secret thoughts through Jesus Christ as my gospel declares."

Please don't misunderstand me, I agree with the thesis that the Gospel is the narrative. I just hold that in the pages of that narrative Jesus tells us that he will be our personal judge. I see a both/and rather than an either/or.

Dave Browning

I would agree that the message in the gospel and early part of Acts was not the message we are sharing today. I would place the gospels and the early chapters of Acts in the Old Testament, in that respect. I don't think anyone saw the church coming, until it happened. They were all looking for a king, a kingdom (a literal one at that), and were doing so even post-resurrection (Acts 1:5,6). But Jesus' answer in Acts 1:8, and the subsequent events, were game changers, even if it took a while for the group to catch on.

John wen, missionharmony.com

It's the kingdom of God's message, the gospel Jesus preached. In Matthew Jesus specifically talked about the kingdom of God more than 50 times, more than any other books in the Bible. From Jesus' declaring on Matt 4:17, the gospel of kingdom of God comes in the following 7 phases: (1) the kingdom of God began from Jesus' incarnation of God's word(Matt Ch 1-4), (2) the kingdom of God's people are to live holy with their rewards(Ch 5-7), (3) the kingdom of God's preaching is by God's authority and power(Ch 8-12), (4) the Kingdom of God starts from people's hearts to churches(Ch13-16), (5) the kingdom of God is to grow in church like in heaven(Ch 17-23), (6) the kingdom of God 's coming proceeds with signs to alert His people and its foretold judgments to call others to repent(Ch 24-25), (7) the kingdom of God's foundation is Jesus' salvation accomplished on the cross for His people to declare to the world(Ch 26-28). At the end of the Bible, in Revelation Jesus revealed to John more specifics of His kingdom's coming signs and the glorious hope His people will realize in His final victory to reign with Him, and the judgements for calling the world to turn back to Him.

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Linda Semler

I am not a theologian, seminarian, Biblical scholar or anything of import HOWEVER

I, along with help have written a book which nails what the gospel is Jesus taught.

I hope you are encouraged by its truth. I give the book away as an ebook. Please download and read.

www.forthispurpose.tv IT IS EXTREMELY RADICAL.

I listened to your audio...you missed it. As teachers we must teach the truth...you are close but not quite there.

Karen

I really don't even understand why this message is controversial--it seems so obvious on the face of it. That this is controversial for some shows how very far the thinking of modern Christians has grown away from the mindset of those by and to whom the NT was written.

Joshua--You ask "how does one obey the gospel?" At one point I believe I heard, Dr. McKnight further explain the implications of his point about the narrative being the gospel--if I'm not mistaken, he says, "Jesus IS the gospel." Ask: How does one obey Jesus? Does that make it easier to understand?

Anthony Buzzard

Professor McKnight has raised the most important question of all. Did Jesus preach the Gospel? The astonishing answer given by his sample at an airport, a pastor, that Jesus could not have preached the Gospel exposes the colossal mistake at the heart of some evangelicalism. We all read that Jesus DID preach the Gospel and that Gospel comes with its own express label and definition. It was the Gospel about the Kingdom of God, "God's Gospel." "That is is the reason," Jesus said, "for which I was commissioned" (Lk 4:43). That said, it is obvious that Jesus did not until Matt. 16:21 mention his death and resurrection.

Therefore, saying that the death and resurrection of Jesus is the whole Gospel is false. Paul said that death and resurrection were "matters of prime importance" (I Cor. 15:1-3). But Acts reports that Paul always, obeying Jesus, preached the Kingdom as Gospel (Acts 20:24, 25, 19:8; 28:23, 31). Prof. McKnight is doing his job as an irritant to the system. Profs need to do that. He remarks that it is surprising that no tract offering salvation mentions Jesus saving Gospel of the Kingdom! How true. Jesus has been left out of the Gospel. This is startling in the most alarming way. When evangelicalism returns to Jesus' Gospel teaching, false tradition will cease to hinder real evangelism. Can we not all agree that the Gospel is about the Kingdom of God and this includes of course news of the death and resurrection of Jesus. I am reminded of the frank words of Dr. Howard Marshall, which so far have not produced the protest and revolution which they ought to provoke: In an article entitled “Preaching the Kingdom of God,” the British expositor Dr. I. Howard Marshall of the University of Aberdeen says: “During the past sixteen years I can recollect only two occasions on which I have heard sermons specifically devoted to the theme of the Kingdom of God…I find this silence rather surprising because it is universally agreed by New Testament scholars that the central theme of the teaching of Jesus was the Kingdom of God…Clearly, then, one would expect the modern preacher who is trying to bring the message of Jesus to his congregation would have much to say about this subject. In fact my experience has been the opposite, and I have rarely heard about it” (The Expository Times, Oct. 1977, p. 13). May this double witness be a wake-up call to get the Gospel right.

Sir Anthony Buzzard MA (Oxon.) MATh, Atlanta Bible College

Dertgh

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don taylor

Did Jesus preach the gospel ,he preached a gospel,Jesus said he came only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But we know the 12 apostals did not understand the gospel of salvation by Jesus's death burial and his resurrection ,when Peter answered a spokesman question for Israel in acts 3rd chapter saying"what must we (Israel) do" Peter didn't say believe that Jesus died for there sins no he said repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus EVERY ONE of you . After Paul started teaching (the) not a Gospel to the Gentiles it was a personal salvation not a covenant to a nation. Read acts 16 chapter where Paul and Timothy preached to the Jews the ordinances of the apostals from Jerusalem,sounds like a different Gospel .Look on your computer for Gospel of Grace teachers according to Paul,this will get you the truth.

Ray

Talk about words losing their meaning! WOW. No matter what we call it or think it might mean..... God will undoubtedly sustain, maintain, and declare HIS gospel to HIS elect despite our interpretation or understanding of it. His sovereignty is the biggest part of this conversation should we acknowledge it or not. Perhaps too much time is spent considering what other people think the gospel is or isn't. Declare God's truth and avoid the trappings of 1 Titus 6: 5-6

PASTOR KINGSLEY FUNSHO AGBOOLA

Dear pastor

It is my Pleasure in Christ Jesus to express the Calvary greeting to you and the entire members of your ministry. Kindly permit me to introduce myself to as PASTOR KINGSLEY AGBOOLA; I am 45 years old man that speaks English and French language fluently.

Moreover, upon my calling, I started attending LIVING WORD MISSION BIBLE INSTITUTE- BENIN and Later Graduated after finished My Three(3 )Years Bible Training .

In fact, after My Graduation from LIVING WORD MISSION BIBLE INSTITUTE- BENIN, I set up an Evangelism Team of Persons from diffrent nationality who are dedicated in serving God almighty including Myself . Please we want to invite you and your organisation to help us to grow,and extend into other cities in ourlocation, we want your organisation to give us the ability to continue in the Lord , for God so love the world he gave his only begottn son to help us, for this reason we beg your help to help us to continue in the faith .

We are in Africa Benin republic , and we are trying to move to other cities for preaching the gospel ,your help will go a long way to spread the gospel to other cities in our community. Furthermore, as the kingdom of God on earth is increasing everyday through the ALMIGHTY GOD , please your willingnes to help us grow will be good for our God and you will be invited to visit us here on avery good day , so as to see the congregation and to give us more courage to continue in the Lord and God will alway bless you and your organisation for wining the souls for the Almighty God into HIS vineyard through your encouragement to our Evangelism Team.

Sir, our Principal motive of communicate your ministry is, because we want you to encourage us to grow in the lord Jesus and to make our new convert understand the facts that with God everything is posible for those who belive in him, for this reason we have communicated you, please do not be discourage to help this unit of christians growing up for God Almighty .

Now we want to solicit your ministry permission to give hope becuse we belive that God is on your side for our House Fellowship Center and bulding Church/Ministry System, officially in our community,in our country (BENIN REPUBLIC-WEST AFRICA).

Thanks in anticipation of your positive respond toward our fellowship request we beg your permission in this request.

Yours Faithfully

PASTOR KINGSLEY FUNSHO AGBOOLA

TEL :( +229)68353638/66935373

Email:pastorkingsleyagboola@yahoo.com

c.davidson

I've struggled for years with conflicted feelings about my faith. I accept Christ as Messiah and Redeemer, but I have trouble in my spirit over church teaching/doctrine. I have only ever been able to talk about the love of God and that without light (Christ) we cannot enter into love (the kingdom he always spoke of) we live loveless without connection to the source of love. We cannot see, we live in darkness when this relationship is broken. the light has come, the way is here! That's all I have to say.

The reason I am on this sight is because recently the scripture where Jesus told a man to not worry about burying his dead father has kinda messed up my reasoning further. Jesus told this man that he had a task at hand in which he was to go and to share a message which was more urgent and pressing to tell to those who were living and there was no time to waste. "Let the dead bury their dead," he said. That message that man was sent to give could not have been Christ and him crucified on a cross and repent so you won't go to hell, because Jesus was still alive. It was a message so urgent he stated not to even consider wasting time burying his father, What was that message?

Brian Midmore

Joshua Perkins has surely put his finger on the crux of the matter which is the interpretation of Rom 1.17. Luther understood this to mean 'how we get righteous with God is revealed in the gospel' which means that the gospel is about justification by faith. However others (eg NT Wright) interpret righteousness as the saving acts of God in accordance with his covenant with Israel . This means that the Gospel is about how God delivers Israel through her Messiah Jesus. I feel the latter is much more likely given such verses as Ps 40.10 were Gods righteousness is paralleled with salvation.

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