Like bookends, Jesus begins His ministry with an explanation of the Gospel, and ends His ministry with an explanation of the Gospel. What is “Gospel?” Simply put, it’s God’s “good news.” So what are the bookends?
Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Mark 16:15-16: “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
At the beginning of His ministry, Gospel is clearly defined in “social” terms. At the end of His ministry, Gospel is defined in “salvation” terms. Are these mutually exclusive? Why must progressive Christians embrace only the first part of the Gospel, and why must conservative Christians embrace only the second part of the Gospel? Both are part and partial to the whole Gospel!
