The Gospel

What is the gospel?

Yesterday Ryan wrote an insightful post: Militant Mysticism: Wrestling with Rob Bell. In it Ryan brings up some excellent points regarding the importance of the explaining the work of Christ on the  Cross when proclaiming the gospel.

Adding to his thought, I recently came across this definition provided in The Gospel Coalition’s Statement of Faith:

We believe that the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ—God’s very wisdom. Utter folly to the world, even though it is the power of God to those who are being saved, this good news is christological, centering on the cross and resurrection: the gospel is not proclaimed if Christ is not proclaimed, and the authentic Christ has not been proclaimed if his death and resurrection are not central (the message is “Christ died for our sins . . . [and] was raised”). This good news is biblical (his death and resurrection are according to the Scriptures), theological and salvific (Christ died for our sins, to reconcile us to God), historical (if the saving events did not happen, our faith is worthless, we are still in our sins, and we are to be pitied more than all others), apostolic (the message was entrusted to and transmitted by the apostles, who were witnesses of these saving events), and intensely personal (where it is received, believed, and held firmly, individual persons are saved).

What do you think? Do you think the statement is acurate? Can you present the gospel without making the death and resurrection of Christ central?

matt