'The gospel is Jesus Christ'

A friend of mine is the youngest chaplain in the British Army, so they have sent him to train with the Parachute Regiment because he’s young and fit enough to keep up with them.

The unit he supports call themselves "the tip of the spear" because if there is conflict, they will be going in first.

That got me thinking: what is the tip of the spear when it comes to sharing the gospel this Christmas? We all love John 3v16, "For God so loved the world…" some use the Two Ways to Live model. Someone once wrote: "The needle of the law must penetrate before the thread of the gospel can follow." So they start with God’s law. All this is very good, but these are not the tip of the spear.

This month almost every church will feature Isaiah’s famous prophecy: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…” (Isaiah 9v1-7). It is worth reflecting on that stupendous passage. It describes a world sunk in darkness and violence which is transformed into one blazing with light and peace.

The transformation happens through a Person: “Unto us a child is born…” (v6). In other words, the gospel is not a doctrinal statement, or a bullet point list of essential truths, or even a clever diagram. The gospel is a Person; the gospel is Jesus Christ.

Paul said as much to Timothy: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, this is my gospel.” This is the tip of the spear, the gospel is Jesus. Jesus is the gospel.

Of course, it is important to get the right Jesus, the One who was raised from the dead and descended from David.

This is what the gospel says to people struggling with low mood or anxiety. Life is full of trouble and troubles get you down. But Jesus has conquered death and our biggest fear is dealt with. Medical advice, professional therapy, and self-care are all important, we should never encourage people to neglect those. But to trust (believe) the gospel means that a person is at a new beginning, learning how to deal with our fears by trusting God.

I prefer the word trust to the word believe. Trusting involves putting your whole weight on something – like an abseil rope. Believing feels more cerebral – like sizing up the rope and thinking: “Yes, I think that would hold my weight.” To trust the gospel means to put the weight of your life on Jesus. That is the moment we are saved and the new journey begins.

Trust is a skill. Paul wrote about his own worries, that they were teaching him to trust God more in difficult circumstances (2 Corinthians 1v8-9). As we learn to follow Christ, that is how it works for us too.

So what does Jesus’ ancestry tell us? Isaiah explains: “He will reign on David’s throne… from that time on and forever.” God has a plan, Jesus is the King, and that plan is working out. When you trust the gospel, you become a servant of this King, and your life takes on a significance it never had before.

The Bible’s answer to trouble is trust. Trust Jesus Christ who has conquered death (do you have a bigger fear than death?), trust in the King who has a plan and become part of that plan (that’s the meaning of life, by the way).

This Christmas, when we get the chance to share the gospel with so many, lead with Jesus. The creeds are important, so is substitutionary atonement, and there are plenty more things we need to talk about in due course. But lead with Jesus, He is the tip of the spear. The gospel is Jesus!