A few years ago, I was asked to write a paragraph on the functional centrality of the gospel. The following has become a defining mark in my life and ministry.
Beginning with the incarnation and climaxing in the cross and resurrection, the gospel is the glorious announcement of God’s victory over sin and death through the person and work of Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:1-4). We believe that the gospel should not only be the stated center for the individual believer and the life of the church, but also the functional center for both. In addition to assuring entrance into the Kingdom, the gospel seeks to inform and govern all of life, including thought, motive, and conduct (Gal. 2:14; I Cor. 2:2; Col. 2:6; Phil. 1:27; I Tim. 1:11). Furthermore, since all of our spiritual problems come as a result of a failure to apply the grace of God, we understand the gospel to be the instrument of all true spiritual growth (Rom. 12:1-2; Col. 1:5-6; Tit. 2:11-14). Churches are healthy to the extent that they make clear connections between the doctrines of Christ and a believer’s thoughts and actions, as well as how the gospel even relates to the seemingly mundane issues of life.
* The first time that I heard “functional” attached to the centrality of the gospel was from Mike Bullmore in “The Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Life of the Local Church” (2005, Sovereign Grace Ministries). Sermon presented at 2005 Small Group Leaders Conference West.