This We Believe

Much confusion can ensue when the Gospel is not faithfully proclaimed or when it is not communicated with clarity.
Failing to understand the Gospel, we can easily slip into listening to the siren calls of false gospels and not even realize it.

Moreover, even if we are believers, we may miss out on enjoying the marvelous hope the Gospel affords. Our familiarity with the Gospel may dull our sensitivities to such a point that we no longer appreciate and stand in amazement at the unique power of the Gospel to bring about salvation and to transform lives (Rom. 1:16).The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration
Sensing the need for a fresh articulation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a number of evangelicals determined to draft a wide-ranging statement. They included J. I. Packer, John N. Akers, Timothy George, John Ankerberg, R. C. Sproul, Harold Myra, David Neff, John Armstrong, Tom Oden, D. A. Carson, Scott Hafemann, Keith Davey, Maxie Dunnam, Erwin Lutzer, and John Woodbridge. In June 1999, Christianity Today published the fruit of their reflection, "The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration." The statement has also been translated into a number of languages.

Those who drafted "The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration" hoped that the statement would not only foster unity among evangelical believers but also help us all to understand the Gospel better, including one of its central components, the doctrine of justification by faith alone.The Purpose of This Book
The purpose of this book is to help us all understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ better. Whether we are pastors or laypersons, educators or homemakers, businesspeople or farmers, nurses or teachers, single or married, there is hardly anything in life more important for us to grasp than how God has graciously provided for our salvation in Christ Jesus.

Each chapter, written by a leading evangelical Christian, unpacks a key theme related to the Gospel and refers to discussions of this theme in the Statement. In this way the book serves as a commentary of sorts on the Gospel statement. The Statement itself can be easily consulted at the back of the book.

You will also find in each chapter a brief story about how the Gospel transformed someone’s life.

The chapters follow a certain progression of thought. Ravi Zacharias opens the discussion by responding to a very important question, often on the minds of many moderns: Is there any meaning to life? J. I. Packer explains that for us to grasp the Good News of Jesus Christ, we must first understand the "bad news" about who we are: We really are born rebels. Kevin Vanhoozer helps us to understand who Jesus Christ is according to the witness of the biblical writers. His discussion should bring us an even greater sense of how majestic and loving Jesus Christ is, our wonderful Savior and Lord, whom we worship and serve. Then Scott Hafemann explains why it was necessary for Christ to die on the cross.

Tom Oden provides compelling evidence that Jesus Christ did, in fact, triumph over death through the resurrection. He also makes the intriguing proposal that if we viewed the resurrection of Christ the way the first-century Christians did, it would transform the way we live out our faith. Ajith Fernando addresses head-on the important question, What difference does it make that a person is a Christian or not, anyway? He argues that Christianity is the only world religion that gives its followers true love, joy, and peace. The question he tackles is an especially significant one for him, a citizen of Sri Lanka, a nation in which evangelicals represent a very small percentage of the population. Maxie Dunnam explains that the believer is not alone in attempting to live the Christian life; the Holy Spirit empowers believers and provides all the resources needed to face the temptations and trials of life. Joni Eareckson Tada gives us a wonderful description of what heaven is like and how our hope of heaven should influence the way we live now.
Tite Tiénou answers the vexing criticism suggested by some that Christianity is a "Western religion" and therefore should not be proclaimed throughout the entire world as Christ commanded. Tiénou is an African Christian leader who has personally had to wrestle with this criticism raised in many quarters of the world. Lee Strobel offers very practical advice about how we might more effectively tell others of the Good News of Jesus Christ. His chapter constitutes an extraordinary mini-manual on evangelism. Joseph Stowell helps us understand that we belong to a wonderful family of believers who affirm the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He rightfully proposes that evangelical unity can only be based on this truth.

Finally, Timothy George demonstrates that the Gospel of Jesus Christ as expressed in John 3:16 gives world history its ultimate meaning. In some ways, George’s closing chapter serves as a matching bookend for Ravi Zacharia’s opening chapter; both chapters give a resounding affirmative answer to the question, Is there any meaning to life? This meaning is found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for the world.

It is our hope that after you have reflected upon the Statement and have read this book, you will have gained a more profound love for Jesus Christ and his Gospel. You will be stirred afresh by the marvelous hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ affords. You will gain a renewed appreciation of the power of the Gospel to changes lives (Rom. 1:16). You will know more about how you can experience the power of the Holy Spirit in living the Christian life. You will sense that you are not alone but belong to a large international family of like-minded believers who are our brothers and sisters in Christ.A Post Script

How might this book serve as a resource in helping all of us gain a better understanding of the Gospel?

1. Pastors, elders, and other leaders of churches may wish to study this resource book together, reviewing in particular "The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration."

2. The leaders of parachurch organizations might wish to assign this resource book as a part of a staff training program.

3. Members of Sunday school classes and Bible study groups might wish to use this resource book on the Gospel together. The twelve chapters constitute a three-month curriculum. The study questions at the end of each of the twelve chapters can facilitate the group’s discussion.

4. Individual Christians may wish to reflect on this book in personal devotions or with a prayer partner.

5. The leadership of churches and parachurch ministries might wish to reflect on their own statements of faith in light of "The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration."