"What Is The Gospel?" -- A Message by D.A. Carson

For those of you unfamiliar with him, D.A. Carson is a theologian and professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Please take an hour of your time to listen carefully (with pen and paper in hand) to this very important message regarding the nature and the content of the gospel. Click here..... (It may take a few minutes to download the sermon. Be patient.) :-)

Carson's message is a survey of 1 Corinthians 15:1-19. In the message, Carson defines the gospel by explaining eight key words. They are: Christological, Theological, Biblical, Apostolic, Historical, Personal, Universal, and Escatological.

Carson summarizes the nature and effect of the gospel with five sentences. They are:

1) This gospel is normally disseminated in proclamation.
2) This gospel is fruitfully received by persevering, authentic faith.
3) This gospel is properly disclosed in personal, self-humiliation.
4) This gospel is rightly asserted to be the central confession of the whole Church.
5) This gospel is boldly advancing under the contested reign and inevitable victory of Jesus the King.

While I was well-fed by the entire message (and I believe you will be, too), there was something Carson said about the church in Corinth that immediately made me think of the various church movements of the last few generations (prosperity, seeker-driven, purpose-driven, post-modern, emergent, etc). His statement drove home the reality that there is nothing new under the sun--that everything being tried by segments of the church today can trace the roots of motivation to the Church in Corinth.

In discussing that the gospel is rightly asserted to be the confession of the whole Church, Carson said, "Corinth speaks of a lust for endless innovation while quietly side-stepping the careful instruction of the apostle . . . Always be suspicious of churches that proudly flaunt how different they are from what has gone before."

I hope you will take the time to listen to this message. Are you preaching the entirety of the gospel?