Immerse | A Journal of Faith, Life, and Youth Ministry

How do you define the gospel?

This, say Kara, Brad and Chap in their article, “The Sticky Gospel,” is the question of questions. Students come to church, maybe even read their Bible, but how do they answer this seemingly simple but uniquely difficult question? Whether an oversimplified gospel of sugar and caffeine that fizzles out long before it should (what they call a “Red Bull gospel”) or a gospel of a removable jacket students can wear or not wear as they see fit (what they call a “Jesus jacket”) or a gospel of a list of virtues for behavior management (what they and Dallas Willard call a “gospel of sin management”), something is sticking; only, we’re not sure if it’s truly the gospel.

If not Red Bull, Jesus jackets and sin management, what is the gospel?

What It Isn’t

Making the “gospel is not” list is simple. And this article does that quite nicely. (I could add to it; the gospel is not Santa Claus, consumerism, capitalism, a magic lamp or the oh-so-common Moral Therapeutic Deism[1].) But I find myself reading between the lines to find the answer to this question of questions and coming up empty. Kara, Brad and Chap, how do you define the gospel?

I appreciate the tips and tricks you give me: Explain my terms, teach the larger context, case studies, trust and recovery/repentance, but they don’t tell me what the gospel is. They bring me closer, but I’m still not there yet. We live in a world of un-Colas and protests, defining themselves by what they’re not. In order for the gospel to stick, we need to know what it is, not what it isn’t. We need to know precisely what is sticking. Which brings us again to this question of questions: How do you define the gospel?

Words, Words and More Words

Growing up, I was taught that the gospel is information I simply believe in order for my barcode to be scanned differently. If I think Jesus died on the cross to take away my sins hard enough, I turn from sinner to forgiven. Reading Paul’s epistles more closely, I see him continuing to use three simple words to define the gospel: “Jesus is Lord.” This politically loaded statement carries an implicit “and Caesar is not,” defying the imperial cult and inviting me into a new kind of insurrection.

When preaching the gospel to students today, I typically find myself using language of new creation, inviting students to see God’s ongoing work in the world, constantly solving the problem of Adam. From Abraham to Israel through exile after exile, God empowers God’s people to be this new creation presence in the world.

Finally, in Jesus we are shown this true humanity, modeling suffering and celebration, culminating in resurrection. This is the “it is finished” of our exile; it is Jesus leading us on a new creation. And it is this new creation that we are invited to be a part of, embodying the risen Christ as we join God and God’s people everywhere in bringing the new creation of God’s future into our present.[2] (Can I get an amen?)

But these are just words, as fond of them as I might be. And the gospel is more than words, words and more words. Which again leads us to the question of questions that got us started in the first place: How do you define the gospel?

An Encounter

The gospel is an encounter. It is something we experience. It is the faithful presence of pastors and parents and youth leaders, telling students, “This is what God looks like; this is how God loves you.” It isn’t just a slick prop or sexy statement that might stick for a week or two, only to fizzle out like flat Red Bull or lie dormant in the corner like an old Jesus jacket. It’s not a list of dos and don’ts watching over students like an ominous Big Brother. The gospel is the unequivocal and unwavering love of God for all people everywhere. And this gospel is meant to be encountered.

This past summer I led a trip to Guatemala with a dozen parents and students from our church. This trip was about more than building homes for widows and their families. It was about seeing God at work in this culture and encountering the gospel in our lives. From airports to bus rides to an occasional tuk-tuk, I sat with students and talked with them about the disparity and hope they were seeing. I saw parents and students hammering nails, painting benches and sharing conversations over fresh guacamole, talking about God’s love for the orphans and widows in Guatemala and encountering this love firsthand. I saw students pray with widows, dedicating their new home in the name of Jesus, the whole room in tears over this immeasurable gift.

Our time in Guatemala was more than just a mission trip; it was an encounter with the gospel. This experience, shared with peers, parents and pastors, helped transform the gospel from a proposition to an experience. You don’t just think about the gospel; you encounter it. Dr. Tom Boogaart, a professor at Western Theological Seminary, once said, “Scripture isn’t really about information. It is about encounter. It empatterns you to see God in the world.” And a gospel you encounter is a gospel that will stick.

You, Me and Youth Leaders Everywhere

Every student has specific needs in his or her life. And it is the role of you, me and youth leaders everywhere to help bring God to these specific needs. We join with parents and teachers and coaches and mentors to model incarnational fidelity[3] rather than perpetuate systemic abandonment. We go to their “world beneath”[4] because we are the gospel our students will encounter.

As Kara, Brad and Chap say, the gospel is “more caught than taught.” While I might remember the things I teach (which makes sense, since I’m the one who spent hours preparing for it), my students will remember the person who taught it. They will remember me long after they remember the words I said. The gospel can never be contained by the words I say but by the trust-centered faith I show my students.

What kind of gospel am I showing my students? And how can I help my students encounter the gospel? And most importantly, how do you define the gospel?