The Gospel and Baptist Identity: What is the Gospel?
If we are to rightly understand the relationship between the gospel and Baptist identity, we need to first be sure we understand each concept in its own right. This post will focus on the gospel, while my next post will zero in on Baptist identity.
If we are going to be gospel-centered, we better make sure we rightly understand the gospel. Too many believers and even whole churches are sloppy when it comes to articulating and applying the good news. We see the effects of sub-gospel thinking and practice all over the American evangelical landscape, including the Southern Baptist Convention. Christians, including Baptists, should never assume the gospel–the moment we do, we are in danger of losing the gospel.
If we are to rightly understand the gospel, perhaps the best place to start is with the word gospel itself. Many readers will know the word gospel comes from an Old English translation of the Greek word euangelion; the latter is typically translated into modern English as “good news” or “good message.” The terms news and message indicate that the gospel is communicating specific information. To share news is to give a report or make an announcement about something that’s already happened—it’s recounting information about past events, even if said events are only recently past.
This is the sense in which the gospel is news. The gospel is an announcement—specifically, a good announcement—about something that has already taken place. And not just any something. The very nature of this particular news demands a response from everyone who hears it.
So what does the gospel announce? What is the specific content of the good news? There are numerous biblical passages that offer basic summaries the gospel, but for the sake of time I will focus on three.
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 (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:3-7).
These biblical summaries of the gospel aren’t identical, but several common themes emerge: they tell us who God is and who we are, they explain the mess we’re in because of our sin, and they suggest God’s solution to our mess. Furthermore, these ideas seem to be part of a larger story—a story stretching back all the way to the very beginning and looking forward to all eternity.
This larger story is sometimes referred to as the Grand Biblical Narrative, the account of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. Following N. T. Wright, I call this narrative “the true story of the world.” I firmly believe our own individual stories only find their true meaning when we realize our place in the true story of the world. This is where the gospel comes in.
I summarize the gospel as the announcement of all that God has done on behalf of sinners in the perfect life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since this is a summary, these concepts would of course need to be teased out and contextualized within the larger story of God and his world. I admit I’m not saying all there is to say about the gospel, including matters such as Christology, the final redemption of the created order, etc. But I think what I am saying represents a faithful basic summary of God’s saving work among human beings.
This announcement is indeed good news, and every person who hears and responds by turning from his sins and placing his faith in King Jesus will be forgiven of his sins on the basis of Christ’s righteousness, saved from the coming judgment, adopted into God’s family, and given eternal life. This good news is at the root of who we are as Christians—everything else is the fruit of this gospel, including the church. But before we can focus on how our view of the church should flow from the gospel, we need to spend some time discussing Baptist identity. That will be the focus on my next post.
(Note: This is the second post in an ongoing series on the relationship between the gospel and Baptist identity. You can read the first post here.)
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Nathan A. Finn serves as Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He's a husband, father, elder, baseball enthusiast, and Broadway musical fan. He's still trying to figure out why we drive on parkways and park on driveways.
[...] my previous post, I focused on getting the gospel right. In this offering, I want us to ponder together two [...]
[...] The Gospel and Baptist Identity: What is the Gospel? — Nathan Finn, One Baptist Perspective A great read on how to define the gospel clearly from a Baptist perspective. Be sure to check out his first post in the series, and keep an eye out for post number three coming soon. [...]
Excellent summary statements.
[...] The Gospel. That is, the ”announcement of all that God has done on behalf of sinners in the perfect life, atoning death, and v…” (emphasis [...]
[...] reality of the Gospel. That is, the ”announcement of all that God has done on behalf of sinners in the perfect life, atoning death, and…” (emphasis [...]