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A Brief Gospel
Here is a synopsis of the 4 biographical accounts as descriptive of defining Jesus’s Gospel: 1) Who Jesus is; 2) What Jesus did; 3) What those 2 things mean to us.
WHO JESUS IS (#1) has two main foci:
1) The gospel as the kingdom with Jesus as king. In this Jesus is the Son of David and the Son of God. “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near”. Kingdom means reign. Consequently we repent because the king is coming.
2) This also includes what we more often focus on, Jesus as Son of Man and Son of God. “Son of Man” is both a messianic term from Daniel 7:13-14, plus a Hebraism for “human”.
Put together:
1) Jesus is Divine
2) Human (Son of Man focuses on both divinity and humanity)
3) Jewish, and more broadly an Israelite while more narrowly in the royal lineage of David.
WHAT JESUS DID (#2) focuses on the gospel as the DBRA of Jesus (1 Cor.15 sums it up well). Jesus died for us, but his death was also to fulfill prophecy and God’s plan. Afterwards He was buried, again to fulfill prophecy and to foreshadow the resurrection through defeating the gates of hades and our resurrection. That then was followed followed by His ascension to the throne, an important but neglected aspect of the gospel of the kingdom. Think of the ascension psalms, the emphasis in the NT on the word “kingdom” and “gospel of the kingdom”, all of which is meaningless unless Jesus is King. 1 Corinthians 15 covers these in reverse order:
1) vv.1-4 – Gospel as DBR (then Paul expands on what they needed – the resurrection).
2) vv.20-28 – Gospel as Jesus is King (which ceases after the second coming).
WHAT THAT MEANS TO US (#3) focuses on how both aspects of the gospel affect us: Submission and Salvation.
Jesus as king is what’s missing from many today as they focus only on Jesus as savior. The latter is easier because the focus is on what Jesus does for us. The former is neglected because it requires we do something for Jesus is King, Lord, Master, and Messiah! There is no discipleship without following the Teacher. There is no being saved by the cross without being submissive to the throne.
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