GETTING THE GOSPEL RIGHT

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CORNELIS P VENEMA

Every generation of Christian believer faces the challenge of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ with integrity and in conformity to the teaching of the Scriptures.

But what do the Scriptures teach with regard to the central message of the gospel? Were the Reformers correct to insist that the good news of God’s gracious and free acceptance of guilty sinners, on the basis of the obedience and atoning sacrifice of Christ, lies at the heart of the gospel? Or are we to accept the ‘new perspectives’ on Paul’s teaching, which have been advocated in recent years by those who have made a fresh study of the relevant historical sources?

Since the new perspectives challenge some of the basic features of the traditional Protestant understanding of justification, they require careful study and thoughtful evaluation. Nothing less than the shape of the evangelical church’s proclamation of the gospel today is at stake.