The Gospel in Ten Words or Less

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened the morning by setting aside his planned message on Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer and returning to something he had preached at First B almost exactly seven years earlier, on February 16, 2016. The question he put to the congregation was simple: what is the gospel in ten words or less? He gathered answers from the first service by text, let them pile up, and then walked...

Read together

1. Romans 1:16 anchor verse: 'I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek'
2. 1 Corinthians 1:18 the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but the power of God to those who are being saved
3. 1 Timothy 1:15 'the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'
4. Isaiah 30:15 'in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it'
5. Psalm 23:1 offered as an Old Testament gospel example: 'the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want'
6. Jude 23 'save others, snatching them out of the fire', cited alongside a response about God's plan for salvation
7. Acts 16:31 'believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved'
8. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 'Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to Cephas and then to the twelve and then to five hundred'
9. 1 John 5:12 'he who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son does not have life'
10. John 3:16 cited on exclusivity and inclusivity: 'whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life'
11. Romans 1:17 'the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, the righteous by faith shall live'

Talk about it

1. Ray talked about C. S. Lewis's idea that if you cannot put your faith into plain, ordinary language, you may not fully understand it or truly believe it. Do you agree with that? Why or why not?
2. Isaiah 30:15 says, 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength,' and then adds, 'but you would have none of it.' Where do you see that same resistance showing up in your own life?
3. Several people answered the 'gospel in 10 words or less' assignment with a single word, 'Jesus,' or two words, 'Jesus, man.' What do you think a one- or two-word answer gets right, and what might it leave out?
4. Ray pointed out that Romans 1:17 can be read two ways: 'the righteous by faith shall live' meaning faith is how you are declared righteous, and also meaning faith is how you then live that righteousness out. How have you experienced both of those in your own walk?
5. What would your 10 words or less be, and what did working through that bring up for you about what you actually believe the gospel is?