Discern Daily
Ep. 24 – The Core of the Saving Gospel
Our discussion today centered around a tweet sent by Mark Dever. The Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church wrote, “I recently heard someone say ‘The core of the Gospel is God’s commitment to protect the vulnerable.’ What do you think?” What is at the core of the gospel message? What exactly is meant by the term vulnerable? Watch the episode and let’s seek the truth together.
Tweets Mentioned in the Video
https://twitter.com/MarkDever/status/1139009311173201920
Um, no. That elevates the state of Man and his posture to the Father without Christ. "Vulnerable" confers man is a victim. Man is rebellious and sinful, haters of God. Christ died for the rebellious haters of God in order to justify them all according to the will of the Father.
— Ethan (@ExFideHarde) June 13, 2019
Sir, I hesitate to reply, because I do not pretend that my little, insignificant thoughts should be valuable to you.
Nevertheless, at best, that statement is dangerously wrong.
The core of the gospel is God's committment to save (elect) sinners.
— Samuel Sey (@SlowToWrite) June 13, 2019
Your humility is sweet and refreshing. At the same time, your bold defense of the truth of Scripture is praiseworthy and vital. Keep showing us how it's done. Also, I think you can be assured that @MarkDever doesn't advocate the statement, just getting others to see what's wrong.
— Dennis D. Jackson (@dennisdjackson) June 13, 2019
https://twitter.com/ToddPruitt6/status/1139158747555782656
Tweets not showing? Want to view them on Twitter? Click here.
Episode Highlights
We’ve got new music for the show! Did you like it?
What the original tweet communicated to me was an underlying question as to whether or not we are victims or sinners — did something happen to us or did we cause something to happen?
The core of the gospel is not that we are victims; it’s that we are sinners, and Christ died to reconcile elect sinners to himself.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6-11)
Why does it matter to clarify that we are sinners? It reveals God’s love in a greater light. Which person is harder to love: someone who has been wronged or the wrongdoer? We have done wrong and God made a way to not only forgive us, but also make us righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.
Share Your Thoughts
What stood out to you in Mark Dever’s original tweet? What important truths do you see at the core of the gospel message? Which Bible verses come to your mind on this subject? Leave a comment below and share this episode on social media.
Responses