The Biblical Theology Gospel Tool

The gospel is simple. You can explain the good news of Jesus to a child in one sentence: Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. But the gospel is by no means simplistic. Scholars have written volumes unpacking the richness of what God has accomplished in Christ. This distinction between simple and simplistic is an important nuance, one we should not confuse [1]. Yes, we should reject simplistic caricatures of the gospel such as the cross being a form of “cosmic child abuse,” but let us also uphold and defend simple gospel truths such as, Jesus bore God’s wrath for sinners, in the process.

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Simple gospel truths can be confused with simplistic caricatures when we disconnect the gospel from the biblical storyline. For example, penal substitution, when divorced from the story of Scripture, distorts into something unbiblical such as the caricature mentioned above. For this reason we should tether our gospel presentations to the biblical storyline. When we do so, it allows us to integrate the gospel’s simplicity and depth in our explanations.

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If the gospel is the good news of what God has done in the person of Jesus, supremely his death, resurrection, and ascension, it is right to ask: what exactly has Jesus accomplished? Understanding God’s work in Christ through the lens of the biblical storyline provides a substantive answer to this question. When viewed within the frame of the biblical story, we can better see the gravity of the gospel, and we can also incorporate simple gospel truths.

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The following diagram visualizes the gospel through the lens of the biblical story by integrating the:

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1. Promise-fulfillment paradigm of the biblical narrative.
2. Centrality of the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return of Jesus in the biblical storyline.
3. Relationship between justification, sanctification, and glorification within the two-ages worldview of the biblical authors.

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The benefit of this tool is that you can utilize it in evangelistic conversations and discipleship relationships [2]. It is basic enough to explain simple gospel doctrine to someone with little understanding of Scripture, but it also provides a framework to explain how growth in Christ is not adjacent to the gospel but vitally connected to it. There are five major components of this tool: creation, rebellion, promise, fulfillment, and consummation. As I outline these major components below, I include drawing instructions, a brief explanation, and Scripture references to learn.

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1. Creation

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Instructions: Begin by drawing a circle and within the circle write the word, creation.

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Explanation: Genesis underscores the sovereignty of God, the goodness of God’s creation and the uniqueness of humanity. God creates Adam and Eve in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26-27) to exercise “dominion” over the world as his representatives. Genesis 1-2 likens creation to a cosmic temple with Adam and Eve dwelling in the holiest place in God’s presence. In Eden, the first couple live in harmony with God, one another, and creation.

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Scripture References: Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:7; Psalm 8

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2. Rebellion

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Instructions: Draw a jagged line and an arrow from the circle.

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Explanation: Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden is an act of rebellion (Gen 3:1-7). Instead of living into their identity as image bearers of God, Adam and Eve believe the lie of the serpent desiring to rule on their own terms. They want to be gods themselves which is idolatry. As a result, God casts Adam and Eve from his presence. Although they do not cease to be image bearers, they do not image God as they are supposed to. Their relationship with God is severed, their harmony with one another is distorted, and creation groans. But within this bleak narrative, God casts a glimmer of hope by making a promise that he would put things right by crushing the offspring of the serpent (Gen 3:15).

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Scripture References: Genesis 3; Isaiah 14:13-15; Romans 3:9-20

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3. Promise

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Instructions: Adjacent to the red jagged line, draw another circle and within the circle write the word, promise.

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Explanation: The Old Testament period is the age of promise structured around covenants and redemptive events. Although not exhaustive, here are the most significant persons and events in the age of promise:

1. Abraham: God establishes a relationship with Abram (Abraham), and promises that he would make his name great, and bless the nations through him (Gen 12:1-3).
2. Exodus: God’s people end up in Egypt and are in slavery for 430 years. God raises up Moses to lead his people out of slavery in Egypt into the land of promise. Prior to entering the land, God gives the law through Moses which outlines life under God’s rule.
3. Temple: God provides a provisional sacrificial system to deal with the sins of his people (Lev 16).
4. David: God promises that David would have a son on the throne forever (2 Sam 7:13-14) and that this son would rule over the nations (Ps 2).
5. Exile/Return: God leads his people out of exile in Babylon back to the land of promise.
6. Prophets: The prophets draw upon imagery from each of these moments in redemptive history as they anticipate God’s saving act in the future. The events and promises are shadows–evidence pointing forward to the substance of God’s saving work in Christ (Col 2:17).

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Scripture References: Genesis 12:1-3; Exodus 6:1-8; Leviticus 16; 2 Samuel 7:13-14; Isaiah 40:1-5; Isaiah 52:13-53:12

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4. Fulfillment

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There are three steps to the diagram under this section.

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1. Instructions: First, draw an overlapping circle and within it, write the word, fulfillment.

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Explanation: The promises in the Old Testament look forward to the coming of Jesus, the substance to whom the promises point.

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2. Instructions: Next, draw a downward arrow and an upward arrow. Draw a cross over the left edge of the fulfillment-circle. These represent the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

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Explanation: Through his life, and supremely through his substitutionary death, victorious resurrection, and authoritative ascension, Jesus brings justice to the nations, leads his people out of bondage to sin, pays for the sins of his people by bearing the wrath of God, rules over creation, and leads a new exodus into the new creation (see connections to previous section). Jesus begins to fulfill all the promises of God in his first coming. But we await their complete fulfillment. Because of this we live in the overlap of the ages also known as the already-not-yet.

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3. Instructions: Finally, write the word justified and sanctified, and another arrow to the right of the word sanctification.

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Explanation

• Justification is a legal declaration of right standing with God. One is declared right with God by grace through faith (Eph 2:9) because of the atoning substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus. It is substitutionary because he died the death–bearing the wrath of God–that we deserve (Rom 3:21-26). When one is justified, he or she is transferred “from the domain of darkness and transferred…to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col 1:13). One is justified because of Christ’s imputed righteousness. This means that one has a right standing with God–transferred to his kingdom–not because of one’s own righteousness but because of Christ’s.
• Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:9). His death and resurrection disarms (Col 2:15) and gets victory over the powers of the present age.
• Sanctification is the Holy Spirit-empowered process of putting to death the old self and putting on the new self (Col 3:5-17). Another way of speaking about sanctification is becoming conformed into the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).

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Our response to the gospel. It is imperative to distinguish between the gospel and our response to the gospel. The gospel is good news. It is the good news of what God has done in the person of Jesus. But the gospel calls for a response of repentance–turning from sin–and trusting in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31). Those whom God calls (Rom 8:29-30) receive new life so that they can respond in repentance and trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

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Scripture References: Matthew 1:23; Romans 3:21-26; Romans 5:1; Romans 5:12-14; Romans 8:1; 1 Cor 11:1; 1 Cor 15:3-11; 1 Cor 4:1-6; Gal 5:16-26; Ephesians 1:3-14; Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 2:1-11; Colossians 3:5-17; Titus 2:11-15; Hebrews 1:1-4;

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5. Consummation

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Instructions: Finally, draw a downward arrow and write the word glorified.

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Explanation: The final downward arrow represents the return of Jesus and the glorification of God’s people when they become fully like Jesus (Rom 8:30). Jesus is the last Adam who rules over creation as the first Adam was supposed to do. Unlike the first Adam who failed, Jesus succeeds. Although the first Adam was made in God’s image, Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). When Jesus returns, he will bring consummation to all things when the triune God dwells with his people just as he did in the garden of Eden. All of the promises of God will find their fulfillment and we will see his face (Rev 22:4).

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Scripture References: Titus 2:11-15; Romans 8:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 1 Peter 4:4; Jude 17-21; Revelation 21-22  

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Applications of this Approach

As I mentioned above, you can use this approach to articulate the gospel to those who have never responded to the good news of Jesus. I have outlined many more details than I would recommend sharing to one who has little understanding of the gospel. In these situations, draw the diagram, but limit what you share under the Promise section. Spend most of your time explaining why the gospel is good news and how the Bible calls us to respond in repentance and faith.

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The other benefit to this approach is that you can use it as a discipleship tool. This is why I have included Scripture references and details of the biblical storyline. By using this tool, you can:

• teach the relationship (and distinction) between justification, sanctification, and glorification.
• instruct that the power for change comes from the Holy Spirit who transfers us into the age to come.
• identify the insufficiency of self-help methods and tools because they belong to the old age have no power to save or transform.
• show the connections between the promises of God and the fulfillment in Christ

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Like any other tool, this will take persistence to become proficient. So, my encouragement is to work at drawing this tool. Learn the major components. Practice using this tool in discipling conversations. Finally, pray for opportunities to share the simple and weighty gospel.

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References

[1] Timothy Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 39.

[2] This tool is inspired by the diagram by G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd in, The Story Retold: A Biblical Theological Introduction to the New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2020), 17.