The Gospel, Theology and Doctrine

The Gospel, Theology and Doctrine…


The Gospel:

Jesus has risen and is alive

Theology:

Man’s attempt to explain the Gospel.

Doctrine:

Man’s attempt to explain theology.


I had this thought this morning as I was in the shower and it gave me a bit of a laugh… I think it contrasts how simple The Gospel is… and then what we mere men then do with it. Simply according to the scripture, the Good News or Gospel was that Jesus had Risen and is alive… and He was the Lord… This had many political nuances in which the main one is that Tiberius Caesar may be emperor… but Jesus is Lord! You see in the days of Caesar as one Roman emperor would die, the announcement or proclamation that new emperor was now in power. They would proclaim, “Tiberius is Lord; get down on your knees!” So for the followers of Jesus to proclaim, “Jesus is Lord”, was a slap in the face to the Roman Empire. It was a challenge… I hope that enriches ones understanding of when the scripture tells us, “Every knee will bow and every voice proclaim, Jesus Christ is Lord” really meant.

Man has ever since tried to explain what the Gospel is… They add doctrines and create new theologies and really add to the noise that already was silenced at the Cross of Jesus. We need to accept that fact that the Gospel is simply, “This Man Jesus was crucified, and now lives!” On that we should carefully build on as our foundation, letting He who all creation was created through, be are chief builder. If there is to be doctrine it must flow like the living water from the throne… and not from our vain philosophies we have created. We need to read Paul and Jesus and listen from the point of view that their contemporaries did… to better understand what they really said. So much of theology “sounds good enough to pass” but really just tickles itching ears.

So as you live you life, which as a Follower of Christ should be as He lives His life through you, what requirements are you placing on those who need to know of Jesus… what doctrine is more powerful than Jesus? Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, and gave us the New Covenant… why do so many of us think we must keep people in bondage to the OT and then think we can live ourselves in the NT? That is really hypocritical.

We are to live in Love… in the knowledge of the Grace and Truth that is from Jesus. We must never add to or take away from Jesus has risen… It has enough richness and meaning in itself without our finite and often ill thought out and conceived man made ideas. Jesus is either enough to save… or He is not… and that is our choice.

Blessings,
iggy