The King Jesus Gospel by Scot McKnight
Scot McKnight examines the gospel as preached by Jesus and presented by the apostles, and finds it different from the "plan of salvation" typically offered by evangelists today.
Key Quotes:
"I believe the word gospel has been hijacked by what we believe about 'personal salvation,' and the gospel itself has been reshaped to facilitate making 'decisions.' The result of this hijacking is that the word gospel no longer means in our world what it originally meant to either Jesus or the apostles."
"Evangelism that focuses on decisions short circuits and -- yes, the word is appropriate -- aborts the design of the gospel, while evangelism that aims at disciples slows down to offer the full gospel of Jesus and the apostles."
"Gospeling declares that Jesus is the rightful Lord, gospeling summons people to turn from their idols to worship and live under that Lord who saves, and gospeling actually puts us in the co-mediating and co-ruling tasks under our Lord Jesus. When we reduce the gospel to only personal salvation, we tear the fabric out of the Story of the Bible and we cease even neeeding the Bible. I don't know of any other way to put it."
"The apostolic gospel can't be reduced to a gospel of sin management because it was a gospel of Jesus-declaration (that included the defeat of sin and death)."
"The entire sweep of the Story of Israel and the Story of Jesus ushers us into a world where God's people rely on and trust in God, and such a trusting relationship generates a life of obedience, holiness, and love."
"The gospel is framed by Israel's Story: the narration of the saving Story of Jesus -- his life, his death, his resurrection, his exaltation, and his coming again -- as the completion of the Story of Israel."
"The gospeling of the apostles is bold delcaration that leads to a summons while much of evangelism today is crafty persuasion."
"The gospel propels us into mission, into the holistic mission of loving God, loving self, loving others, and loving the world."
As presented by McKnight, the gospel does not issue in a plea to accept Jesus as Savior, but a summons to submit to Jesus as Lord.
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