This blog was written on December 19, 2011. Yet I believe it is even more relevant today, for I see so many Christian churches and denominations leaning toward or outright adopting a secular worldview theology - instead of the theology taught in our Christian Bible. We see many pulpits watering down the Gospel, accepting and empowering secular worldviews. We see the secular world saying to the church today, "Did God really say that?" (Genesis 3:1-6).
And rather than standing on the solid foundation of the Word of God - many churches and denominations are accepting, catering to, and empowering those who would bring a theology of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, abortion, secular ecumenism, even atheism into the house and family of God. That is why I feel a need to once again share this blog from 2011.
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My K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology
December 19, 2011 at 2:46 PM
And rather than standing on the solid foundation of the Word of God - many churches and denominations are accepting, catering to, and empowering those who would bring a theology of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, abortion, secular ecumenism, even atheism into the house and family of God. That is why I feel a need to once again share this blog from 2011.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology
December 19, 2011 at 2:46 PM
You may ask, "Bill, what is a K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology? Are you playing with us?" No, my Friends, I am very serious. I believe we all should be using the K.I.S.S. principle, concept, or idea - when applying, teaching, or sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. Yesterday, in church, while waiting for our Christmas program to begin - I was reading one of my favorite Christian magazines "Israel My Glory" which is a publication of The Friends Of Israel Gospel Ministry.
In an article, I read, "The story of the Gospel is the incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again of Jesus Christ." That, my Friends, is the perfect description of the Gospel of Jesus Christ viewed through the lens of my K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology. And, that is how I feel the Gospel can and should be shared most effectively.
We all know that K.I.S.S. is an acronym for the principle called Keep It Simple Stupid. However, from my experience in dialoguing with atheists, secularists, and other non-believers - I have developed a deep aversion, even a strong dislike, for the word "stupid." Why? Well, this seems to be the favorite adjective, or label, used by the secular folks when addressing Christians and anything regarding our Christian faith.
Why is the strong adjective "stupid" the favorite atheist/non-believer's description of Christians? Well, part of it is that they are following the teachings of one of the leading atheist gurus, Richard Dawkins. In Googling "Richard Dawkins stupid" - below are several of the results I found:
So, to avoid this word, which has become the ensign, or banner, of the atheist, secularist, and non-believing world - I will define my K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology as Keep It Simple and Straightforward.
Viewed through this K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology lens - what is the Gospel?
It is His:
Incarnation: His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:31), when He set aside His divine nature (but, was still was deity, still fully God) and became man, clothed in a human body - so that He could be like His brethren in all things, that He might be our High Priest and make propitiation, i.e., atonement, for our sins before God (Hebrews 2:17). He came to die in our place - that we may choose to live in Him.
Ministry: What was His earthly ministry? In John 18:37, Jesus tells Pilate, "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Before Christ came as the perfect, sinless Man - mankind was lost in sin and had no way to eternal life.
God had given Moses the Law, but that was only a band-aid - temporarily binding the wound of sin - until the Great Physician Himself came clothed as a man, to offer permanent healing to all mankind. He tells us, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6). This was His ministry - to die in our place, so that we may choose to live in Him.
Death: God's perfect love must be balanced by His perfect justice. Because of Adam's disobedience mankind was mired in sin and could not pay our sin debt to satisfy that perfect justice. How could this sin debt be paid, so that we might be seen as righteous before God? Man could not pay that debt. For to satisfy His perfect justice - the price paid, i.e., the sacrifice - must be perfect. And since no man was or is perfect - we were locked forever in our Sin Prison.
On the door of our Sin Prison cell, just like in the Roman jails of Christ's day, our Certificate Of Sin Debt had been posted. This is the price to be paid to free us from our Sin Prison cell. But none of us could pay that price and buy our pardon - for the price is far too high for any sinful, mortal man to pay.
Jesus Christ came as our Brethren to pay that debt for us. In our place, He was cursed, spit upon, beaten unmercifully, then nailed to the cross - to die a painful, cruel death. On the cross, above His head, Pilate had his soldiers nail a sign he had made, which read, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (John 19:19-22).
Yet, what Pilate could not see, nor could his soldiers - was what Jesus Christ Himself nailed to that cross. He nailed the Certificate of Sin Debt, earned by every human ever born or to be born, to His cross. He took the sins of all mankind, for all time, upon His precious back and nailed them to the cross - thereby paying the Sin Debt for all people, of all generations. To gain the Full Pardon purchased by His precious blood - all we need do is, by the grace of God, through faith in Him - believe His Gospel and receive His free gift of eternal life. What could be more Simple and Straightforward than that?
He paid that great price for us. All we have to do to gain eternal life - is to accept this free gift. He died in our place, so that we may choose to live in Him.
Resurrection: Jesus Christ was buried and for three days He was in Paradise/Hades (Luke 16:19-31), where He was in fellowship with the Old Testament saints who had died in faith, believing on their coming Messiah. He led these Old Testament faithful who were in the Bosom of Abraham, who had been waiting to enter into the presence of God through Jesus Christ (John 14:6) - into heaven (Ephesians 4:8).
Then, after three day, He rose from the grave, i.e., He resurrected. And His resurrection assured our resurrection into eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) - for as we are told in verse 17, "and if Christ has not been raised (resurrected), your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." But, praise God - He did resurrect. And, so will we.
And in John 5:28-29, Jesus Christ tells us, "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."
This also is His confirmation that the only two eternal destinations for all people are heaven (resurrection of life) and hell (resurrection of judgment). There are no other choices. But, we get to choose. No, we MUST choose - our own individual eternal home. Could it be more Simple and Straightforward?
Ascension: On the 40th day after His resurrection Jesus Christ ascended into heaven (Acts 1:6-11) where He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19, Acts 7:55-56, Colossians 3:1). What is Christ doing at the right hand of God the Father? He is interceding for all believers (Romans 8:34). He is our one and only Mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 9:15).
Coming Again: In Acts 1:10-11, we read of two angels (appearing as men in white clothing) who tell His apostles and disciples as they watch Jesus Christ ascend into heaven, "Jesus. . . will come again in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."
First, we are told in 1 Thessalonians that He is coming in the air so that we might be "caught up" (raptured) with Him in the clouds. This is when He will Rapture His church, His body of believers, into heaven. Because this event, when we will be caught up, is "imminent" - this must happen before the Tribulation begins.
This is not His Second Coming. It is the Rapture.
Of His Second Coming, we are told in Revelation 1:7, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen."
Who or what is this "clouds" with which He is coming? Well, in Hebrews 12:1 we are told that, ". . .we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us," - the Christian church, His body of believers, as well as the Old Testament saints (Hebrews 11). And, in Revelation 19:14, we are told that Christ will return "with His armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" Those armies are His Bride, the church - and all the Old Testament saints and martyred Tribulation saints. This is the cloud of believers who will be with Him at His Second Coming.
This is His Second Coming, when He will return in power and glory, the Lion of Judah, accompanied by His "cloud of believers."
Yes, He is coming again. First, in the clouds to catch up (rapture) His church - and then His Second Coming to earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom upon earth for 1000 years. Then eternity.
So, what should be the main goal of all Christian believers? What should be our first thought each morning? Answer: We should be seeking ways that we can share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others - in a Simple and Straightforward way.
"Interesting, Bill, but who are these 'others' with whom we should be sharing the Gospel?" Glad you asked.
Who needs to hear the Gospel? The most obvious answer would be - the lost of the world, the non-believers. For they are the ones most in danger of dying without Christ in their hearts, who will be lost for eternity if they leave this mortal body while still denying Him. They need the Gospel served to them - on a platter of love, with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
And, I am sure that the Holy Spirit will lead us to at least one person today who is seeking to know more about God, more about His Written Word, the Bible. This dear person may only be curious at this time, or he/she may be standing at the door - almost ready to open the door and invite Him to come in to be Lord and Savior of his/her soul. Just maybe, you sharing the Gospel today will help him/her take that final eternal step, open the door of his/her heart, and be embraced by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into eternal life.
Then we who are more mature in God's Word should be sharing with the new believers, that they will gain a greater understanding of His Word and therefore strengthen their walk with Him and their witness to more "others."
And finally, being in dialogue with other believers, both new and mature, being in the Word of God and discussing the Word of God - will help us become more knowledgeable of His Written Word, it will help us to grow more mature in His Word, and will strengthen our Christian walk. We are told in Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another."
And that is the effect of Christian brothers and sisters gathering to study His Word, to have open discussions of His Word, and to share new insights into the Word of God. We call that Bible Study, where 2 or 3, or 30 or 40, or more gather to talk about, chew on, and absorb His Word.
This is my K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology - Keep It Simple and Straightforward - and share the Gospel with the world.
We who are believers should adopt this K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology in the workings of our local churches, in our Sunday School classes, and in our Bible studies. It always weighs upon my heart when I see churches get so caught up in "marketing pizzazz" - i.e., what new catch words, new catch phrases, new music, or new "gotcha" ideas of the world can we adapt to our church - to lure more people? I know. Let's not call our Bible study a Bible study. Let's come up with some catchy new name for it - and then, folks will not realize they are in a Bible study until it is too late.
My Friends, I am firmly convinced that a local church is like a three legged stool. One leg is the Worship service and sermon, another is an effective Sunday School, and the third is a Bible study where the Bible is studied and discussed - and not the latest popular book from the Christian book store.
Remove one of these legs, which many churches have begun to do by not having Sunday School, and the stool is wobbly. Remove the second leg, Bible study, or change the focus of that Bible study away from actually studying and discussing the Bible verse by verse, to discussing a trendy topical subject, or the latest Christian book - and that stool, i.e., that local church - is wobbly, often near impossible to keep standing.
This has been a burden upon my heart - that I am beginning to see so many one legged church fellowships.
If you agree, or find this in any way useful, why not begin by sharing it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors - all your FRANs. Let's all keep sharing the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the world - until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
In an article, I read, "The story of the Gospel is the incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again of Jesus Christ." That, my Friends, is the perfect description of the Gospel of Jesus Christ viewed through the lens of my K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology. And, that is how I feel the Gospel can and should be shared most effectively.
We all know that K.I.S.S. is an acronym for the principle called Keep It Simple Stupid. However, from my experience in dialoguing with atheists, secularists, and other non-believers - I have developed a deep aversion, even a strong dislike, for the word "stupid." Why? Well, this seems to be the favorite adjective, or label, used by the secular folks when addressing Christians and anything regarding our Christian faith.
Why is the strong adjective "stupid" the favorite atheist/non-believer's description of Christians? Well, part of it is that they are following the teachings of one of the leading atheist gurus, Richard Dawkins. In Googling "Richard Dawkins stupid" - below are several of the results I found:
1. Richard Dawkins says Pope is 'stupid.' By TELEGRAPH Added: Tue, 31 Mar 2009
2. Richard Dawkins, in his Review of the book "BLUEPRINTS: Solving the Mystery of Evolution" by Maitland A. Edey and Donald C. Johanson - writes: "It is absolutely safe to say that if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid or insane (or wicked, but I'd rather not consider that)."
3. Richard Dawkins, in a recent NewsNight interview with Jeremy Paxman, was asked, "Do you really care that there are a lot of stupid people around?" And, Dawkins replied, "I do actually, yes. I really do. I mean, I care that children are being misled by those stupid people."
Bill Gray comment: Dawkins, instead of saying that he thinks Christians are misguided, prefers to call us "stupid." And, since, in his book "The God Delusion" Dawkins makes the point that religion is inherited from parents - this, then, explains his reply to Jeremy Paxman.
So, to avoid this word, which has become the ensign, or banner, of the atheist, secularist, and non-believing world - I will define my K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology as Keep It Simple and Straightforward.
Viewed through this K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology lens - what is the Gospel?
It is His:
Incarnation: His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:31), when He set aside His divine nature (but, was still was deity, still fully God) and became man, clothed in a human body - so that He could be like His brethren in all things, that He might be our High Priest and make propitiation, i.e., atonement, for our sins before God (Hebrews 2:17). He came to die in our place - that we may choose to live in Him.
Ministry: What was His earthly ministry? In John 18:37, Jesus tells Pilate, "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Before Christ came as the perfect, sinless Man - mankind was lost in sin and had no way to eternal life.
God had given Moses the Law, but that was only a band-aid - temporarily binding the wound of sin - until the Great Physician Himself came clothed as a man, to offer permanent healing to all mankind. He tells us, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6). This was His ministry - to die in our place, so that we may choose to live in Him.
Death: God's perfect love must be balanced by His perfect justice. Because of Adam's disobedience mankind was mired in sin and could not pay our sin debt to satisfy that perfect justice. How could this sin debt be paid, so that we might be seen as righteous before God? Man could not pay that debt. For to satisfy His perfect justice - the price paid, i.e., the sacrifice - must be perfect. And since no man was or is perfect - we were locked forever in our Sin Prison.
On the door of our Sin Prison cell, just like in the Roman jails of Christ's day, our Certificate Of Sin Debt had been posted. This is the price to be paid to free us from our Sin Prison cell. But none of us could pay that price and buy our pardon - for the price is far too high for any sinful, mortal man to pay.
Jesus Christ came as our Brethren to pay that debt for us. In our place, He was cursed, spit upon, beaten unmercifully, then nailed to the cross - to die a painful, cruel death. On the cross, above His head, Pilate had his soldiers nail a sign he had made, which read, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (John 19:19-22).
Yet, what Pilate could not see, nor could his soldiers - was what Jesus Christ Himself nailed to that cross. He nailed the Certificate of Sin Debt, earned by every human ever born or to be born, to His cross. He took the sins of all mankind, for all time, upon His precious back and nailed them to the cross - thereby paying the Sin Debt for all people, of all generations. To gain the Full Pardon purchased by His precious blood - all we need do is, by the grace of God, through faith in Him - believe His Gospel and receive His free gift of eternal life. What could be more Simple and Straightforward than that?
He paid that great price for us. All we have to do to gain eternal life - is to accept this free gift. He died in our place, so that we may choose to live in Him.
Resurrection: Jesus Christ was buried and for three days He was in Paradise/Hades (Luke 16:19-31), where He was in fellowship with the Old Testament saints who had died in faith, believing on their coming Messiah. He led these Old Testament faithful who were in the Bosom of Abraham, who had been waiting to enter into the presence of God through Jesus Christ (John 14:6) - into heaven (Ephesians 4:8).
Then, after three day, He rose from the grave, i.e., He resurrected. And His resurrection assured our resurrection into eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:12-19) - for as we are told in verse 17, "and if Christ has not been raised (resurrected), your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." But, praise God - He did resurrect. And, so will we.
And in John 5:28-29, Jesus Christ tells us, "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment."
This also is His confirmation that the only two eternal destinations for all people are heaven (resurrection of life) and hell (resurrection of judgment). There are no other choices. But, we get to choose. No, we MUST choose - our own individual eternal home. Could it be more Simple and Straightforward?
Ascension: On the 40th day after His resurrection Jesus Christ ascended into heaven (Acts 1:6-11) where He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19, Acts 7:55-56, Colossians 3:1). What is Christ doing at the right hand of God the Father? He is interceding for all believers (Romans 8:34). He is our one and only Mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 9:15).
Coming Again: In Acts 1:10-11, we read of two angels (appearing as men in white clothing) who tell His apostles and disciples as they watch Jesus Christ ascend into heaven, "Jesus. . . will come again in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."
First, we are told in 1 Thessalonians that He is coming in the air so that we might be "caught up" (raptured) with Him in the clouds. This is when He will Rapture His church, His body of believers, into heaven. Because this event, when we will be caught up, is "imminent" - this must happen before the Tribulation begins.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."
This is not His Second Coming. It is the Rapture.
Of His Second Coming, we are told in Revelation 1:7, "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen."
Who or what is this "clouds" with which He is coming? Well, in Hebrews 12:1 we are told that, ". . .we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us," - the Christian church, His body of believers, as well as the Old Testament saints (Hebrews 11). And, in Revelation 19:14, we are told that Christ will return "with His armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" Those armies are His Bride, the church - and all the Old Testament saints and martyred Tribulation saints. This is the cloud of believers who will be with Him at His Second Coming.
This is His Second Coming, when He will return in power and glory, the Lion of Judah, accompanied by His "cloud of believers."
Yes, He is coming again. First, in the clouds to catch up (rapture) His church - and then His Second Coming to earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom upon earth for 1000 years. Then eternity.
So, what should be the main goal of all Christian believers? What should be our first thought each morning? Answer: We should be seeking ways that we can share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others - in a Simple and Straightforward way.
"Interesting, Bill, but who are these 'others' with whom we should be sharing the Gospel?" Glad you asked.
Who needs to hear the Gospel? The most obvious answer would be - the lost of the world, the non-believers. For they are the ones most in danger of dying without Christ in their hearts, who will be lost for eternity if they leave this mortal body while still denying Him. They need the Gospel served to them - on a platter of love, with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
And, I am sure that the Holy Spirit will lead us to at least one person today who is seeking to know more about God, more about His Written Word, the Bible. This dear person may only be curious at this time, or he/she may be standing at the door - almost ready to open the door and invite Him to come in to be Lord and Savior of his/her soul. Just maybe, you sharing the Gospel today will help him/her take that final eternal step, open the door of his/her heart, and be embraced by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into eternal life.
Then we who are more mature in God's Word should be sharing with the new believers, that they will gain a greater understanding of His Word and therefore strengthen their walk with Him and their witness to more "others."
And finally, being in dialogue with other believers, both new and mature, being in the Word of God and discussing the Word of God - will help us become more knowledgeable of His Written Word, it will help us to grow more mature in His Word, and will strengthen our Christian walk. We are told in Proverbs 27:17, "Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another."
And that is the effect of Christian brothers and sisters gathering to study His Word, to have open discussions of His Word, and to share new insights into the Word of God. We call that Bible Study, where 2 or 3, or 30 or 40, or more gather to talk about, chew on, and absorb His Word.
This is my K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology - Keep It Simple and Straightforward - and share the Gospel with the world.
We who are believers should adopt this K.I.S.S. Gospel Theology in the workings of our local churches, in our Sunday School classes, and in our Bible studies. It always weighs upon my heart when I see churches get so caught up in "marketing pizzazz" - i.e., what new catch words, new catch phrases, new music, or new "gotcha" ideas of the world can we adapt to our church - to lure more people? I know. Let's not call our Bible study a Bible study. Let's come up with some catchy new name for it - and then, folks will not realize they are in a Bible study until it is too late.
My Friends, I am firmly convinced that a local church is like a three legged stool. One leg is the Worship service and sermon, another is an effective Sunday School, and the third is a Bible study where the Bible is studied and discussed - and not the latest popular book from the Christian book store.
Remove one of these legs, which many churches have begun to do by not having Sunday School, and the stool is wobbly. Remove the second leg, Bible study, or change the focus of that Bible study away from actually studying and discussing the Bible verse by verse, to discussing a trendy topical subject, or the latest Christian book - and that stool, i.e., that local church - is wobbly, often near impossible to keep standing.
This has been a burden upon my heart - that I am beginning to see so many one legged church fellowships.
If you agree, or find this in any way useful, why not begin by sharing it with your Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors - all your FRANs. Let's all keep sharing the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the world - until He returns.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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