I love this verse because it defines the gospel. The gospel --as Paul preached it-- was "the gospel of grace."
We tend to think of it as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which of course it is. But sometimes people forget that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, at its heart, is the good news of the grace of God towards us. In our adoration of Jesus let us never forget that He and His appearing are always and ever a demonstration of God's grace toward us. I believe this is why it is so important that when we preach the gospel, when we share the gospel, we should be sharing a gospel of love, not a Jonathan Edwards gospel of fear or terror. Yes, there is certainly fear and terror in the reality as hell. But we need to emphasize that it is God's grace, His immense love for each individual man, woman, and child-- that sent Jesus and the offer of eternal life through faith in Him.
The foregoing lack may not be relevant to you and your own witness. But, sadly, I have seen too many (usually well-meaning) people use the gospel like it were a whip rather than a lifeline.
We tend to think of it as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which of course it is. But sometimes people forget that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, at its heart, is the good news of the grace of God towards us. In our adoration of Jesus let us never forget that He and His appearing are always and ever a demonstration of God's grace toward us. I believe this is why it is so important that when we preach the gospel, when we share the gospel, we should be sharing a gospel of love, not a Jonathan Edwards gospel of fear or terror. Yes, there is certainly fear and terror in the reality as hell. But we need to emphasize that it is God's grace, His immense love for each individual man, woman, and child-- that sent Jesus and the offer of eternal life through faith in Him.
The foregoing lack may not be relevant to you and your own witness. But, sadly, I have seen too many (usually well-meaning) people use the gospel like it were a whip rather than a lifeline.
