Defense of the Gospel
Bible Based Book Reviews
What is the Gospel? Could you
adequately defend the gospel in our modern day of skepticism? FF Bruce
helps us defend the Gospel in disbelieving times.
The Defense of the Gospel in the New Testament
by FF Bruce
William B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI: reprinted
1989. 107 Pages, Paperback.
What
is the Gospel? In this book F.F. Bruce is defining the
Gospel. He covers the how the cross and the "euangellion"
or the "good news" permeates every aspect of life in the New
Testament. He uses the Biblical record in order to show how the
early Christian communicated this good news to their culture. He
demonstrates the threats and obstacles which the early Christians, by
the power of God, needed to overcome, and aided their Jewish and Gentile
contemporaries in the revealed knowledge of God that Jesus Christ was truly
the Messiah long awaited and prophesied about in the Hebrew Bible.
He explains the various characteristics of the New Testament witness;
for example, Jesus often spoke about how he is designated the "Son
of Man" and the writer to the Hebrews spends much time in his anti-neoplatonic
defense of Christ as truly God's Son, as well as highlighting Christ as
the once for all sacrifice and His Priest of the New and better
covenant. The purpose of the book is clear and concise, and is a
worthy read for anyone being introduced to the overall idea of the
Gospel theme through the NT.
Some
of the chapters he discusses are "the meaning of the Gospel",
"The Gospel according to Jesus", "The Gospel and Paganism",
and "The finality of the Gospel."
Some
Quotes:
"If
the proclamation of Christ crucified was a scandal to pious Jews, it was
foolishness to sensible Gentiles and especially those Gentiles who were
self-consciously the heirs of Greek culture. To them the cross of
Christ was not a theological problem, but was a practical obstacle in
the way of their taking the Gospel seriously."
"One
reason for the change in situation between the fifties and the sixties
was that it became increasingly difficult for Christianity to share the
recognition which Judaism enjoyed at the hand of Roman Law."
"However
the Gospel may be defended, it cannot be defended by concessions which
deprive it of its essence or detract from our Savior's title to be
called The Word of God. Christian witness today, as in the first
century, must echo the affirmation, "I am the way the truth and the
life; no one comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6)." |
