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The Christian Message, part 2

21 Feb

The message of Christianity (a message that Paul insists is of first importance in 1 Corinthians 15:3) is the gospel. We noted last week that, at minimum, the gospel makes historical claims: Jesus of Nazareth died and was buried, and he arose and was seen by witnesses. Paul strongly emphasizes these historical claims; according to him, if Jesus did not actually arise from the dead, there is no point at all to being a Christian. In fact, he says that if there is no resurrection, Christians should be pitied more than anybody else, for they have utterly wasted their lives.

Now why would he write that? Surely, even if Christianity is not historically or literally true, many millions of people derive comfort from Christian churches, both from participation in the familiar rituals and from relationships with other believers. The teachings of Jesus would still give us sound moral guidance, wouldn’t they? So why would Paul insist that Christianity is worthless without the literal, historical resurrection of Jesus?

The fact that some are ready to disagree with Paul indicates that the common Christianity of our day is not the same message that Paul proclaimed. And the chief difference is one of doctrine.

You see, Paul did not merely say that Jesus died, but that Jesus died for our sins. In addition, he twice notes that Jesus’s death and resurrection were according to the Scriptures. This is to say, then, that it is not sufficient to believe merely that Jesus died and rose again; the reason that Jesus died and the meaning of his resurrection are also vital to the gospel.

Jesus’s death, according to Paul, has something to do with our sins. Now, sin is an unpopular word in our day, but it is central to the Bible’s message. One confession of faith puts it this way: we are all “sinners, not by constraint, but choice; being by nature utterly void of that holiness required by the law of God, positively inclined to evil; and therefore under just condemnation to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse.” This is certainly no flattering description, but it is one supported by Scripture (to choose only two of many passages: Romans 1:20 and Ephesians 2:1–3).

So we are sinners. And to connect our discussion back to the gospel, here is the key biblical idea: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). What this means is that, if we are sinners, we have merited eternal condemnation. This death is rightfully ours.

If you understand this, you are now in position to see why the gospel is good news; you can see the value in Paul’s proclamation that Jesus died for our sins. And in next week’s essay, we’ll see why that truth is the very core of the Christian message.

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Posted by on February 21, 2013 in Newspaper Article, Theology

 

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The Christian Message, part 1

20 Feb

What is the central message of a Christian church? The correct answer to this question must always be the gospel. This answer, of course, merely suggests the obvious follow-up question: what is the gospel? For this answer, I don’t think we can do better than to look at the explanation given to us by Paul himself in 1 Corinthians 15:1–6:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

While calling this gospel a message of highest importance, Paul highlights two historical facts that are essential to the gospel: that Jesus Christ died and that he was raised on the third day. Each of these events is supported by evidence. The evidence of his death is that he was buried, and the evidence of his resurrection is that he then appeared to a host of folks who ended up believing the Christian message.

This is to say that, at minimum, the gospel message makes claims about historical reality. There is no reason for a church to exist if it does not believe that Jesus literally died and literally rose from the dead. As Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 15:14–19:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Give special attention to that last verse: Paul insists that Christianity is less than worthless if it merely provides a measure of comfort in this life. Such a benefit falls far short of the eternal promises that the gospel offers, and these eternal promises are empty if Christ’s resurrection is not historical fact.

But the gospel is not only fact; it is doctrine. And we will see this aspect of the gospel in next week’s essay.

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2013 in Newspaper Article, Pastoral

 

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