What is the gospel? Answering Protestants

  • Thread starter Thread starter safa92
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

safa92

Guest
I’m in a conversation with some anti-catholic protestants and they keep asking me what the gospel is. Why does that even mean?
 
1846 The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners. The angel announced to Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1846.htm
 
TheLittleLady said:
The angel announced to Joseph: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Click to expand...
No, this is not what Protestants mean when they talk about the gospel.
 
Thank you for the link. I thought it was going to be a Catholic response but I get what you are saying
 
Last edited:
hope said:
Thank you for the link
Click to expand...
The trouble you will have in dialogue with evangelicals is that the meanings of the Words have changed. For Catholics, to be “in Christ” means to be obedient to Him, and remain in a state of grace. For them, to be “in Christ” means one has prayed the sinners prayer.

Depending upon how much they have been contaminated by Calvanism, they may espouse OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) by which they understand that there is no longer any sin that can separate the believer from God. They believe that all their sins, past, present, and future have all been taken care of by the death of Christ on the Cross.
hope said:
I thought it was going to be a Catholic response but I get what you are saying
Click to expand...
There are some very good Catholic Responses to the TULIP, which is a collection of heresies developed by Calvin and espoused by some current evangelical Christians.

One cannot have productive dialogue until one can identify how evangelicals use words differently than Catholics.
 
Last edited:
In short, Protestants say that Jesus is enough, nothing else will do. His work is all sufficient. There is no other way to heaven except through this man, the Son of God. The Kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel.
So surprisingly, this is in agreement with Catholicism in essence. But Protestants’ gospel implies the rejection of everything else. Just the believer and Jesus. No communion of saints whatsoever, no gifts, no graces, no Eucharist.
 
Very true and thank you for taking the time to explain more. Once I had a discussion for two hours when we finally defined terms and discovered we really were saying the same thing. Yes you have to understand where the other persons reference is.
 
Gospel is based upon an old English word, which translated literally I means “Good News”.

What is the good news of the Gospel? Here’s a start…

From John 3:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave[g] his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn[h] the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

From 1 Corinthians 15:

Now I would remind you, brothers,[a] of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

Merry Christmas to all!!
 
“Gospel” is only something that the Emporer can propagate throughout his territories.

“Your wife had a baby boy”, though good news, IS NOT Gospel.
“The Third Legion conquered Spain!” IS Gospel. It is official royal news of the Empire’s, of the King’s, success or victory.
When Caesar conquered Israel his armies road through the towns proclaiming, “Gospel, gospel, Caesar is now your emperor; gospel, gospel, good news, good news.”

The Gospel of (the King) Jesus Christ is proclamation by an official representation that He conquered, and the representative is here to give citizenship to all who desire (he will baptize them, giving them the Holy Spirit); He will then teach them so they can be confirmed in the Faith and join in the virtuous witness of the official witness to the victory of our Lord, our King, our Brother.

John Martin
 
Last edited:
Hold on again people. We’re lumping all Protestants into one bucket again. I’ve yet to meet any Protestant who does not recognize the Gospels as anything other that Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Lutheran position is, in basic terms, that salvation of God freely given; it is yours to lose. It’s the idea that we are then obliged to share that love in response and that sin is in not doing it.

Certainly the Lutheran position (which was essentially the original Protestant position) requires life long dedication. This is certainly at odds with being “saved”; to me this is a transnational relationship with God. While clearly Lutheran theology is at odds with the Catholic one, I think both are a call to life long commitment to faith and that can be a common experience.
 
As a former Baptist, if anyone asked me what is the Gospel, I would have answered the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - the message contained in these books.
 
Let’s say I meet someone who was raised by their parents, grandparents, generations back until there was no concept of mathematics, to believe that 2+2=5

When I meet them, they ask me “what is 2 + 2” should I then answer “5” simply because they have not heard that truth?

We all need to be able to answer these questions from the position of the Truth.
 
Every non Catholic Christian I have ever met, and most Catholics, know there is a distinction between “The Gospel” (the good news of the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners) and “The Gospels” (the first 4 books of the New Testament). The 4 Gospels tell of the Gospel.
 
Last edited:
TheLittleLady said:
We all need to be able to answer these questions from the position of the Truth.
Click to expand...
Were you thinking I was suggesting otherwise? The OP wanted to know the reference point of the question, not the Truth!
TheLittleLady said:
The 4 Gospel s tell of the Gospel.
Click to expand...
Yes, of course, but the persons quizzing the OP are most likely looking for that nutshell version. Anti-Catholic protestants don’t believe that Catholics know what the “good news” really is. They are taught a great many errors about what we believe.
 
guanophore said:
. Anti-Catholic protestants don’t believe that Catholics know what the “good news” really is. They are taught a great many errors about what we believe.
Click to expand...
Thus the need to be able to speak the Catholic position with accuracy. As Scripture says, always be prepared to answer 🙂 It is not difficult to remember “The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God’s mercy to sinners”.
 
True this. The question is - why have most evangelicals been taught the “four spiritual laws” at some point in their life? Generally speaking, it’s not because they think that the Gospel IS the four spiritual laws (“FSL’s”). Let me try and explain with an illustration.

Anyone in sales knows about the “elevator pitch”. Imagine you sell copiers. You find yourself in an elevator with somebody in a suit. You start a conversation, tell them you sell copiers, and they respond that they need one. You now have a few seconds to sell them on your brand - the “elevator pitch”.

Now - imagine you’re in that same situation, except your pitch is about your faith. How do you introduce the Gospel succinctly in a very short period of time? The FSL’s certainly aren’t perfect - however, if you’re looking for a model - an outline - of pitching your faith to someone, I would argue they’re not terrible (and they can be easily modified to fit a Catholic theological construct).

Merry Christmas!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top