Christianity Today Bible Study: The Gospel Defined

Christianity Today Bible studies are available for download at ChristianBibleStudies.com. This one, "The Gospel Defined," is based on an interview with author and theologian Michael Horton.

Christianity Today has graciously allowed me to post the studies I have written to this site, usually one or two a month. If you would like to use them for anything other than your own spiritual growth, I ask you to download them at the CT Bible study site mentioned above.

The gospel of moralistic therapeutic deism is running rampant in the church. In an interview with Mark Galli,theologian Michael Horton says we are tempted to live a Christless Christianity because we are humancentered rather than God-centered. Conservative-leaning believers say, “These are God’s commandments. The culture is slipping away from us. We have to recover it, and you play a role.”

Meanwhile, others say, “You can be happier if you follow God’s principles.” But as good as following these imperatives might be, the gospel is not a matter of doing the right things or trying harder. Horton says, “The gospel isn’t ‘Follow Jesus’ example’ or ‘Transform your life’ or ‘How to raise good children.’ The gospel is: Jesus Christ came to save sinners—even bad parents, even lousy followers of Jesus, which we all are on our best days.”

Here is a link to the study for your personal, individual use. Your feedback is always welcome.

HT: Mary DeMuth for allowing me to use this link.