About the Gospel of God

Setting the Scene

“Darkness. Water. Wind. The curtain goes up on a darkened stage. A voice is heard. Then a brilliant light blankets the landscape and dazzles the eyes. The cosmic drama of salvation history opens with an awe-inspiring display of theatrics. The palpable excitement and anticipation is pregnant in the text, available to all… God irrupting into chaos to establish his rule over every- thing…” (opening lines of The Gift of the Cosmos, Old Testament Theology, Dr. Bruce Waltke)

The “gospel of God” is the story of salvation; a story which materializes (literally) in God’s creation of the world and humanity on that world. As one of the lines in a favorite song of mine states, speaking of God, “Before all time you had in mind salvation!” (Sovereign Lord, Saul Seibert, Christ Community Church) In the opening lines of the Bible, as Dr. Waltke artfully demonstrates, God’s masterful creation by the power of his word is the utter beginning of a cosmic drama of salvation.

At the “fullness of time”, Paul tells us in Ephesians, the mystery of God’s will, according to his purpose, is a plan which is set forth in Christ, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. God’s gospel, his story of salvation, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and He becomes the very crux of this cosmic drama. Paul opens the epistle to the Romans identifying himself as one who is “set apart for the gospel of God” and this too is the calling of all believers; to bear witness to the climax of this epic theo-drama, this cosmic drama of salvation.

If this story of the gospel of God is true, it should be the framework through which all of life should be understood. What follows are my thoughts and interactions with theological ideas, philosophical inquiries, and all other odd topics. Leave a comment; I’d love to dialogue.