Have you heard anyone say that Jesus preached the 'good news about the kingdom of God' but Christians seem stuck on the good news about forgiveness for our sins through Jesus' death?
I don't think the average tract, average Christian book, or average church goer produces the right picture about the good news. It's often a 2-for-3 score.
Here is what I taught my church's basic Christianity class:
The gospel is the Jesus story with explanation.
1. his death – as the worthy substitute
2. his resurrection – human victory, God’s ancient promises fulfilled, judgment by Jesus is certain
3. his kingdom plan – bringing mankind & creation back into submission to God
I suggested a few easy ways to remember and to explain these three points to others. I also cautioned against letting things replace these three points - things like human response, God's character, blessings received through the gospel, or evidence for the truthfulness of these three points. All these things are important and good, but they must not overshadow these three points.
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