What is the Gospel? Justin Interviews Graeme Goldsworthy

To whet your appetite, here is an answer to one of Justin's questions to Graeme Goldsworthy:

We cannot go on from the gospel, only with the gospel.

I would define the gospel as the events, or the message proclaiming those events, of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This is not simply to tell the events in order, but to allow the Bible to give its interpretation of those events.

It is important that we don't confuse the gospel (the objective events of 2,000 years ago), with a lot of things that we might include in an evangelistic talk or sermon. Thus things that are NOT the gospel include:

Our need for the gospel.
Our predestination to be beneficiaries of the gospel.
The effects of receiving the gospel.
The effects of not receiving the gospel.

Thus, contrary to some inexact Christian pious talk, we cannot live the gospel. We can, and must, seek to live consistently with it, but only Jesus lived, and died, the gospel.