T he Explicit Gospel written by Matt Chandler (with assistance from Jared Wilson) is a very helpful explanation of the gospel. Chandler believes that when we talk about the gospel we need to think of it as a gospel on the ground (God-Man-Christ-Response) and a gospel in the air (Creation-Fall-Reconciliation-Consummation). Both must be kept in order to really make the gospel explicit. It’s a great book, of which you can read my review here.
Here are the TweetNotes for The Explicit Gospel:
1: The gospel on the ground begins w/agreeing that only God is the all-sufficient, all-knowing Sovereign Creator that is worthy of worship
2: Humanity attempts to hijack God’s story and put ourselves at the center, as a result we are objects of wrath
3: The kindness and severity of God meets at the Cross where Jesus’ sacrifice satisfies the wrath of God
4: The gospel successfully demands a response when preached; either a life of faith and repentance or further hardness
5: The gospel in the air begins w/God creating everything from nothing as a display of His glory
6: God’s world is turned upside down when the crown of creation rebelled from the Creator #futility #lossofshalom #runningonatreadmill
7: In Christ the curse is reversed #reconciledtoreconcile
8: When Christ returns Eden will be fully redeemed as will those that populate it
9: Ground-only “gospel” leads 2 missing the big picture of God’s mission & focusing solely on “my” faith & reading the Bible w/me at the center
10: Air-only “gospel” leads 2 a syncretistic vague-mission that leaves Christ out & exalts culture 2 center at the expense of sound evangelism
11: The gospel calls us to grace-driven effort & not a weak moralism #Godcheersonbabysteps
I really liked your idea of TweetNotes. I started using it with the book I just read. So thank you!
Jeff,
Thanks for the encouragement! I am glad that you have found them helpful and are beginning the practice yourself. Blessings!