Ownership
I wonder what would go through your mind if the preacher on Sunday used the expression “My gospel”. Have you ever noticed that this is exactly what the apostle Paul has done in his letters? This doesn’t seem to be an accidental turn of phrase because we find that he has used this same expression in three places: Romans 2:16 & 16:25, and 2 Timothy 2:8. In case you are wondering, this is an accurate translation of the original Greek, literally “the gospel of me”.
Did Paul have his own version of the gospel? Why did he feel it necessary to refer to what he preached as ‘his’ gospel? And, would it be appropriate for you or me to refer to “my gospel” when we are sharing gospel truth with other people?
Someone will no doubt suggest that Paul had a special status; he authored a large part of the New Testament after all. Not to mention that he received a very clear commission from Jesus directly to be the messenger of the gospel to the non-Jewish peoples, the Gentiles.
However you look at this, Paul was a very significant character in his day, and also hugely important for our own understanding of salvation and of the Kingdom of God. But I suggest that we need to consider what Paul meant when he referred to “My gospel”, and whether this phrase has any bearing for us individually today.
Only one gospel
It seems clear to me that Paul used the expression to refer to the message that he proclaimed, rather than to suggest that he had a different gospel from other people. There is, of course, only one gospel. That said, there were then, and certainly are today, those who preach a different message, whether outright heresy, an easy-believism version, or a message that is soiled by compromise with worldly values. Perhaps Paul was right to refer to the message that he preached as his gospel, and if so, might we be free to do likewise?
Different voices
Just as Paul’s ministry was not always accepted by others who identified as followers of Jesus, so we today seek to declare the mind of God to a world where there are different voices claiming that their message is Christian. It can be difficult to state that a certain thing is what Christians believe, because we are aware that some think differently and would contest what we declare. We might resort to stating, perhaps lamely: “…. this is what I believe”. If we say that, then surely we are declaring that this is “My gospel” – could we be right to do just that?
It is abundantly clear when reading Paul’s letters that he had a thoroughly thought-through understanding of the gospel message – and I don’t just mean the ‘how to become a Christian’ part; the gospel is far broader and deeper than that. Paul declared the whole council of God.
Being clear
Some people don’t much like Paul because of certain aspects of his teaching, but we pick and choose what parts of the New Testament to accept at our peril. If, like Paul, we are to stand firmly and boldly for the truth, then we need to be clear in our own minds what the message of the gospel consists of. And when we have understood this, from the written word and the witness of the Holy Spirit, then surely we must own that message, maybe even going so far as to think of it as “My gospel”.
Most are happy with the idea of “My testimony”, meaning the story of how we experienced receiving forgiveness and becoming reconciled to God – maybe that in itself amounts to “My gospel”, at least in a rudimentary form.
Firm ground
It isn’t as though we all have to understand everything, but we do need to have a sufficient grasp to stand for what we believe, and to argue for what we are prepared to declare. This starts with an appreciation of the fundamental aspects of the message of God’s love, of our sinfulness, and the forgiveness and reconciliation that we can have through the atoning work of Jesus when he gave his life on the cross.
This is what every born-again Christian stands upon; the grounding for our individual salvation testimony. The apostle Peter, in his first letter, tells his readers to always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks what is the reason for the hope that they have [1 Peter 3:15].
We need to own the gospel message such that we, too, can argue convincingly for the ground upon which we stand, and thereby be equipped to boldly proclaim ‘our’ gospel.
*** For the avoidance of doubt, please note that the image at the top of this post isn’t of me! ***