What Precisely Must One Believe About Jesus?
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If the gospel is a fixed message which must always be shared in one way, then a
failure to mention any of the elements in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 would mean one
had not shared enough information for a person to believe and be born again.
There is confusion in evangelical circles concerning the word gospel. Many
think it is synonymous with the minimum message one must believe to have
eternal life.
Gospel means good news. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news about
Jesus Christ. It does include the saving proposition--that Jesus guarantees eternal
life to all who simply believe in Him. But there is much more to the gospel than
what one must do to have eternal life.
A study of the term gospel in Paul`s writings shows that he regularly
preached the gospel to people who were already born-again. It is wrong to think
that he was merely reminding them what they had done to gain eternal life. When
Paul preached Christ crucified to Christians, he was, like the apostle John in 1 John
3:16-18, calling for them to lay down their lives in service for Christ. When he
preached the resurrection to Christians, he wished them to realize that Jesus`
resurrection power is available to give life to their dead bodies.
An illustration might help. Imagine a large picture of a farmhouse
surrounded by a lake, cattle, hills, and a forest. The entire picture is the gospel. The
Incarnation of Christ, Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society (Spring 2001): 43-55; Bob Bryant, How Were