Yesterday I discussed whether Christianity can rightly be defined by the doctrine of the Trinity, or if that doctrine came after the establishment of Christianity.
Today, here’s another angle.
Let’s just say the Trinity vs Godhood is arbitrary and doesn’t matter, and that’s not a good issue to define Christianity.
So then, can we use the gospel of Jesus Christ to define Christianity?
Let’s say a Christian is someone who understands and receives the gospel.
So, what’s the gospel?
When Jesus commissioned his apostles to go out into all nations declaring the gospel, what message were they declaring?
Did they declare a system of temple rituals and ordinances for salvation or exaltation?
Did they declare a law restricting food and drink?
Did they declare the war in heaven and the plan of salvation?
Did they declare eternal families?
Did they declare “follow the prophet”? (Oh yeah, there was no “THE prophet” in the New Testament….)
No. All of these messages are extra-Biblical or Law of Moses. None of the above messages are even in the New Testament!
So what was the message they were preaching far and wide? What was the message they got beheaded, crucified, speared, or fed to lions over?
Because that message matters.
To understand what Jesus’s gospel is, we are going to have to look at the documented historical records from that time period, from those apostles, to find out.
Looking to any other source but their own would be silly.
When we read the apostles’ epistles of the New Testament, we see over and over and over, the message “You are saved by faith in Christ”
That’s the gospel! It’s pretty simple. Basic and beautiful.
There was a man (who was actually God himself, incarnate) who did miracles, was wrongfully killed but then rose from the dead. And by Him and through Him we are saved. His perfect righteousness is credited to our account and we sinners can be found worthy! (Acts 10:42-43 and literally all over the epistles of the New Testament)
Wow! What an amazing message!
I have personally reduced Christianity down to 3 basic steps of reasoning, where each step follows the previous. And I realized that Mormons don’t understand or hold to ANY of these 3 principles!!
(1) Humans are hopeless lost! We are stuck in patterns of sin, estranged from God, and we cannot do anything about it. Our works are filthy rags! We can never be worthy of God, no matter how many rituals or righteous works we do. We are hell bound!
(2) Jesus gave us grace to cover those sins, with nothing but faith required on our part! His righteousness is now counted as my own!
(3) Wow, that’s amazing! Upon understanding this, I am naturally compelled to worship and praise Jesus, my God!
Wow!! Jesus took my place! He “descended to hell” for a moment, instead of me for eternity.
This fact really never truly dawned on me as a Mormon, even though I had a strong testimony and a strong walk with God. I can only speak for my experience, but I feel like the LDS walk with God is more about what God can do for you in your daily life, and us sacrificing by keeping the commandments, but it really isn’t about the awe of who He is and what He did.
Christian see this 3-step pattern in every new believer, over and over. Christians join in worshipping Jesus every week, over and over. It never gets old! Because the amazement never fades!
We stand in awe of our great God!
He is enough!
He alone. His righteousness alone. His glory alone. His Divinity alone.
We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
That’s the gospel!
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“For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:10)
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“So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness….
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse.
Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”
(Galatians 3:5-13)
All I Possess 