The Gospel According to Rev. McCarl

There was once a man who died and went to Heaven.  The man was fortunate enough to get a tour by none other then St. Peter Himself.  St. Peter took him around showing him where everything was.  "Over here are the methodists, there are the pentecostals,  here are the Catholics and there are the Episcopalians (Reformed Episcopalians to be precise)."  Soom Peter and the man came to a locked door.  The man asked, "what's behind this door."  She Peter said, "shhh...  that's where we keep the baptists.  They think they are the only ones here." 

Now we pick on the baptists, but truth be told we've probably all been guilty of such thinking at various times in our faith journeys.  There was recently a conversation on social media between some "reformed" Christian's in which it was suggested that Roman Catholics arent Christian's because they deny the gospel.  But is that true?  Do they? 

 It depends on how you understand the gospel.  If you define the gospel as the doctrine of Justification by faith alone, then yes they are rejecting the gospel and that would make their status as Christian's suspect in the very least.  But that's only if Justification and the gospel are in fact one and the same.  They are not though!  

Justification in modern evangelical churches has too often been conflated with the gospel, but to do that is problematic for a number of reasons.  

1. The early church fathers didnt have a systematic understanding of justification in the same way that we do.  Either that means that no one was saved between the time of the apostles to the time of the reformers.  Or it means that justification isnt as central to the gospel as some think.  

2.  By making justification by faith alone the object of faith, these Christian's are ironically denying the doctrine that they claim to be ardently defending.  By requiring a correct understanding of justification for salvation, they are essentially adding a theology exam to the ordo salutes.  That's works based righteousness friends.  

3. It excludes people who have faith, but are unable to Express that faith intellectually.  People who are handicap, small children and those who haven't had the benefit of a seminary education.  

4.  Jesus is the object of faith.  It is faith in Him that saves.  That is, at its core, what the doctrine of justification actually teaches.  So to say that people who believe in Jesus are damned because they dont get certain doctrines right is the pinnacle of absurdity and even possibly a denial of the doctrine itself.  

So what then is the gospel?  The gospel is best understood as the royal proclamation that the crucified and risen Christ, who died  for us and for our sins, is the risen Lord of all.  That's the gospel and to believe it is to submit oneself to the King.  "One day every knee will bow!"  

Justification by faith alone is completely true.  When we, in faith, bow the knee to Christ, we are declared righteous.  But it's the bowing of the knee that justifies, not the belief that by bowing the knee we are justified.  It's a subtle, yet crucial distinction.  

All of this I say because words have contexts outside of the meaning in which we give them.  Take the word gospel for example.  As N.T. Wright has pointed out in several places, the word gospel had a particular connotation in 1st century Roman culture.  The word gospel was used in that cultural context to denote a royal proclamation that a new King had been crowned.  It is no mistake that this word was then used to proclaim the good news of Jesus, because in the resurrection we learn that our new King has come and His name is Jesus.  He has conquered all His foes and by submitting to Him in faith we are being saved from the wicked world He came to put in order.  

That's the gospel!  Everything else flows out of the gospel.  Jesus is King and so now we can be justified because we believe in Him.  Do Catholics believe Jesus is King?  Absolutely!  So do baptists, presbyterians, pentecostals and especially Reformed Episcopalians!