CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
October 16, 2005
CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR:
Our congregation Various friends, relatives and co-workers
Our nation, military and leaders David and James in the military
Our students Pat Henderson recovering from knee surgery
IMPORTANT DATE: Jimmy and Mary King have invited all us to their new house on Nov. 6 after the morning assembly. Please make plans to attend and enjoy the fellowship. It is about a 40 minutes drive from the building. Directions and what to bring upcoming.
CONFLICTING GOSPELS
“I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).
What do we understand when we hear the word “gospel?” Today, like many other words, it comes with a number of definitions. Some will say that “this is gospel” meaning that it is truth. Others use it in terms of sports or some other activity such as the gospel according to this or that. This could mean the truth or the complete understanding of a subject. Then there are the false gospels, writings that claim to be the truth about Jesus but were written a couple of centuries after the first century with a particular theology in mind. The popular DiVinci Code entertains this idea.
Even in the body of Christ, we hear different uses of gospel. We understand it to mean good news but while some might understand it that way, they broaden the definition to fit their preconceived ideas. For instance, I have heard people say that they have just heard a “good gospel sermon.” I also heard that same sermon. It was good in their eyes because the preacher stated that we were right and everyone else was wrong. Another example would be that the preacher quoted a hundred verses, ignoring contexts, to support the point the was attempting to make. Some have attempted to make gospel mean the entire New Testament while others limited to the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul himself identifies the gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), though explanations of that by New Testament writers would be included in the definition of gospel.
Needless to say, when we use words, people will define those words from their background and experience, and they might not understand that word the way we intend to use it. Some examples would be such words as redeem (remember the old green stamps that we would redeem for various items), stoning (not drugs but rocks being thrown on people as punishment), kingdom (is it the rule of God or equated to be the church?), and many others. How did Jesus and Paul understand it and how did the world in which they lived under stand it? Was it a new word or was it a familiar word given a new focus?
The word “gospel” in its various forms means everything from the good news, to the bringing of that news, to the one who brings it, the messenger, preacher or evangelist (1). One idea is that of bring the good news of victory especially over an enemy, but could also be used as a message that brings joy in a political or private sense. When such occurred, then sacrifices would be offered to the appropriate gods for the good news. In the imperial cult of Rome, gospel could be used when a new ruler took the throne or at the birth of a successor, as well as at the speeches, decrees, oracles, and acts of a leader, which often led to celebration and the worship of gods.
In the Hebrew scriptures, the word means to announce, tell, or publish. It is often used as Yahweh’s victory over the world and of His kingly rule. Isaiah uses it for the Servant of the Lord. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” (52:7). The angel Gabriel announces to the shepherds the message saying, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). When Jesus began His ministry, He too announced good news, The expectations of the day however had a different content. For them, it was a conquering Messiah who would defeat the Romans and return a king to the throne in Jerusalem. For Jesus, it was the message of redemptive fellowship involving the forgiveness of sins through His sacrificial death. This conflict was a problem for many Jews and continues today.
Paul used the word frequently, twenty-three times. Since he was in the Roman world, and the word was familiar to them, the content or meaning of the word would bring conflict. For the imperial cult and citizens and people of the Roman Empire, the word had the meaning of good news, but was often applied to the Emperor. He was the one who brought victory and peace, and as such, sacrifices were offered to him. He was the “savior” and “lord,” one to be worshipped and honored. It was a universal claim.
Paul introduced a new definition to the meaning of gospel. It is clearly seen in Philippians. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (2:9-11). This content comes into direct conflict with the ideas of the imperial cult. It is a challenge to the ruler of the world, Caesar. God is King, Jesus is Lord, and no one else is! Look at the conflict in the following terms. Caesar brought victory and peace. Jesus brings victory and peace. The Emperor is savior. Jesus is Savior. Caesar is lord. Jesus is Lord. Rebellion? It would not take much to see how that could be seen. Add to that economic factors, such as seen in Philippi (Acts 16) and Ephesus (Acts 19), and the Jewish roots (the long time unrest in Israel), and the conflict was ripe.
That conflict came, in the beginning in local areas, often at the instigation of the Jews. Caesar Nero persecuted Christians in Rome and has the apostle Paul executed. By the end of the first century, Empire wide persecution began, and it continued on and off for two hundred years. The basis again was the challenge of which gospel to follow. Two gospels, one conflict.
There were also the false gospels seen developing at the end of the century in John’s writings as well as the “another gospel” of Galatians, which appears to be a Judaizing, legalistic message, and not good news, but tempting in the sense of controlling.
What does this mean for us today? What gospel is heard today and is there a conflict? We can answer yes to that. From a religious perspective, there are the gospels of the cults with their charismatic leaders -- legalistic and controlling. They see themselves as lord, a direct challenge to Jesus and all who proclaim Him as Lord. Then there are the liberal (in its true sense) groups that reject the authority of God and the belief in the power of God (see Romans 1:4, 16-17). They look down on those who challenge them and they allow and support various kinds of immoral behavior from homosexuality to tyrants. Then there is the more violent conflict between Muslims and those who claim Jesus as Lord. It is either Mohammad or Jesus.
There is also a secular gospel, if we can call it that. Secularism has been defined as a religion with its priests and sacrifices. The elite of various fields who see themselves as better than others and knowing more, of rejecting the Judea-Christian ethic, would be considered its priests. Abortion in particular is consider their primary sacrifice, offered up to the god of individual rights. In science, the god is evolutionary philosophy and its sacrifice is Darwinian evolution. In politics, government is god. In entertainment, it is fame, power and fortune and the priests and priestesses are actors and actresses who demand worship. In economics, it is wealth, the “almighty dollar” which many bow down to in praise.
Challenging this is the good news of Jesus Christ. God is King, Jesus is Lord, and no one or anything else is. If God is King, then we have a standard by which to live as seen in the Ten Commandments and scripture. If Jesus is Lord, then, like the hymn of Philippians two, we must bow before Him in worship and praise. Not much has changed since the first century. In some places of the world today, when Jesus is declared Lord, that proclamation brings fear to the gods of the day and persecution occurs. China, Sudan, and the Muslim world are examples of such. While we do not face persecution today in America, we face those who would first have our views removed from the public square, and eventually would want our places of worship closed. One minor but famous person stated that he thought that Christians should not be allowed to vote because their citizenship was in heaven.
The good news is that Jesus is Lord. N. T. Wright describes it this way. “First, with roots in Isaiah, it meant the news of YHWH’s long-awaited victory over evil and rescue of his people. Second, it was used in the Roman world of the accession, or birthday, or the emperor. Since for Jesus and Paul the announcement of God’s inbreaking kingdom was both the fulfilment of prophecy and a challenge to the world’s present rulers, ‘gospel’ became an important shorthand for both the message of Jesus himself, and the apostolic message about him” (2). If we keep this in mind, we can understand the conflict as well as the joy that is found in the good news of Jesus. We just need to remember to identify which gospel we are talking about and what the listener is defining as gospel.
George B. Mearns
(1) All definitions from The NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament Words, editor Verlyn d. Verbragge, Zondervan, 2000, p. 484-488.
(2) N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone, The Prison Letters, WJK, 2004, p. 215-216 (spellings are from the style found in England).