Paul and the Gospel, Part Two

The Greek word translated “gospel/glad tidings/good news” in the New Testament is euangelion. “Eu” in that word means “good.” That meaning continues in English words like euthanasia (good death) and eulogy (good word spoken at funerals and memorial services for someone who has died). “Angelion” means “message.” (The Greek word… Continue reading

Paul and the Gospel, Part One

Many Christians in North America would define the gospel in this way: Humans were lost in sin. We were all headed for everlasting hell. God sent His (and the God of this version of the gospel is always a He) Son to take our deserved punishment. Since Jesus was innocent… Continue reading

The Kingdom of God and the Gospel

(12 minutes) Intro: New Testament scholars unanimously agree that Jesus’ message and ministry were all about what he called “the Kingdom of God.” But what did Jesus mean by the Kingdom of God? As Christians we choose to be followers of Christ. How can we be his followers if we… Continue reading

Proclamation for Advent

Our term “gospel” comes from the Anglo-Saxon words for “glad tidings.” The Greek term in the New Testament for gospel literally means the “good news” which comes to people announcing a significant and most happy event. Roman emperors used the term in their imperial propaganda to announce all the good… Continue reading

“Bread, Bread, and Bread” Luke 4:1-13; 11:1-4

(Read the biblical passages.) We harbor the notion that the closer one is to God, the freer one is from temptation. But Scripture throws us a curve. “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where for forty days… Continue reading

A Creed to Live By

I come from a tradition which has been suspicious of creeds. Baptists associate creeds with the Roman Catholic Church (and therefore reject the historic creeds), and one of the early slogans of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was “no creed but Christ.” I find it ironic that conservative Christians… Continue reading

The Yoke That Fits

At seminary I was introduced to the writings of the German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The first of his books I read was The Cost of Discipleship in which he exposed the dangers of what he called “cheap grace.” This term referred to the pseudo-gospel peddled by those who promise salvation… Continue reading

How Essential is the Sermon on the Mount?

The Sermon on the Mount (SOM) is regarded by biblical scholars as the greatest distillation of Jesus’ teachings. This collection of commandments, pithy sayings, and wisdom traditions is found in Matthew 5-7. Here we find challenge and comfort. We are confronted with the awesome demand for discipleship as well as… Continue reading