What Gospel Do We Preach?

I believe there are two types of Gospel preached today.

There is the lesser version of Jesus which omits the more challenging teachings that He taught. That version tidies things up in a way which creates a narrative of His life which removes so much of the Gospel. That lesser Gospel conforms to the desires of this world. I am not even sure Jesus would be sent to the cross with that cleaned-up version.

But then, there is the second and truth version of the Gospel which got Him put on the cross. Jesus claims to be the Son of God. He claims to be the way, the truth, and the life. He loves us. He calls us to repentance. He died for us before we ever knew we needed a savior. He offers to forgive us. He healed those who couldn’t walk. He brought sight to the blind. He brought people back from the dead. He turned over tables in the Temple when He saw that his people were being taken advantage by a corrupt system of fleecing. He was crucified and was resurrected from the dead on the third day. We must give up our old life in order to have a new life in Him.

Only the second version gets to the heart of the matter. It the greater Gospel which calls us to acknowledge that God is supreme. We are transformed by this Gospel and renewed.

(This was written on May 1st.)