God is the Gospel: A God-Centered Gospel

This post is very related to the previous two (one, two) in this series on John Piper's God is the Gospel. It really only requires a short word of introduction, and then Piper can speak for himself.

The last two posts considered what love isn't and what love is. We talked about how most people have imbibed a practical definition of love that is man-centered, and yet God's definition of love -- whether He's doing the loving or people are doing the loving -- is God-centered.

Well, closely related to the love of God is the Gospel of God. The love of God is displayed most clearly in the Gospel. But what is the Gospel, exactly?

There is so much talk today about what the Gospel is, essentially. How should it be defined? What should be included under the heading, "The Gospel"? Is our understanding of the Gospel too limited? Is our Gospel too small? Should it include things that it doesn't? Or is our understanding of the Gospel too broad? Is our Gospel too big? Are we including things under the heading "Gospel" that are really just effects or results of the Gospel?"

Those are valid questions. "If anyone preaches a different Gospel, let him be..." what? "Accursed!" What we do and don't call Gospel is a big deal.

In God is the Gospel, Piper doesn't make you guess at his definition. In it, though, he's not necessarily talking about a way we present the Gospel in evangelism; he's talking about the way we understand the Gospel, which then necessarily affects us, our lives, and how we present it when evangelizing. The Gospel of God, just like the love of God, is God-centered.

Well, how should we define the saving love of God? What makes the Gospel good news? What is a good summary-definition of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ?

The saving love of God is God's commitment to do everything necessary to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying, namely Himself. (p. 13)

The gospel is good news because it announces to us that God has acted in Christ not just that we may have heaven, but so that we may have God. "Everyone who ... does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God" (2 John 9). The greatest good of the gospel is "having God" as our treasure forever. (p. 148)

The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of His Son's life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy -- namely, Himself. (p. 121)

If, in our presentation of the Gospel, we misrepresent what God was ultimately after in sending His Son Jesus, we misrepresent Him and His Word that He's revealed to us. Though the Gospel is good news to sinners, and though we sinners saved by grace receive unspeakable benefits and mercies and gifts because of Christ's atoning death and triumphant resurrection, we sinners are not the end of God's work in the Gospel.

That sound weird? What I mean is, the Gospel is presented as if man were the end, or goal, of it. We hear things like, “God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us so He could have a relationship with us.” Like I said, it's true that God demonstrates His own love for us in the death of His Son for sinners (Rom 5:8). However, the Bible presents God Himself as the end of His saving work, and not us.

Yes, God loves sinners. Yes, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1Tim 1:15). Amen! But the question we have to ask is, "Is there in Scripture any reason given for why He came to save sinners?" Why did God send His Son to die so that all who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life? The answer is: to magnify His own worth by displaying the manifold perfections of His character. In saving sinners, God is ultimately after glory for Himself.

• Isaiah 43:25 – I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake And I will not remember your sins.
• Ephesians 1:5-6 – In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace.
• Titus 2:13, 14 – …our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Why does He wipe out our transgressions? To what end did He predestine us to adoption as sons? Why did Christ give Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed?

The God-centeredness of God is the good news of the Gospel.

Consider that last quote from Piper again:

The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of His Son's life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy -- namely, Himself. (p. 121)

God's end is to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy. And what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy: God Himself. And when we're happy in Him, He's honored by that. When we're enthralled with Him, He gets glory as the One who's worthy enough and delightful enough to enthrall people.

That's what God is after in His Gospel, dear friends. You, then, be after that same thing when you present His Gospel.

I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake.
- Isaiah 43:25 -