We Have a King
The Gospel in Focus: Part 3
In our ongoing series of posts looking at the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have given ourselves principles to better understand and describe this message. In our last post, we reviewed different common gospel descriptions— many of these were incomplete or inaccurate.
Today, I would like to offer an alternative description of the gospel— one that I believe reflects all five foundational principles well and honors how the New Testament defines the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Emphasis of the Gospel
When we reviewed other gospel descriptions, there was a common trend that elevated the results of Jesus’s death on the cross— it was a substitutionary sacrifice for sin, we have forgiveness because of it, etc. On the other hand, Jesus’s resurrection and enthronement were largely underappreciated or absent.
For many who look at the key moments in Jesus’s life— particularly his crucifixion, resurrection, and reign as king— the cross is the central picture of the gospel of Jesus. The good news of Jesus is that he died on the cross for you. The other elements become secondary or unnecessary.
But I am not sure this is where the Bible places its emphasis of the gospel. Don’t mishear me: the cross is integral to Christianity and our understanding of Jesus. Jesus’s death on the cross is a point of emphasis when it comes to questions related to atonement, salvation, obedience, and life posture. It is entirely appropriate that we do have the cross as a central image of the Christian faith.
But this is not true when it comes to the good news of Jesus. When it comes to describing the gospel, the authors of the New Testament include the cross as merely a part of the message. Instead, the New Testament teaches that Jesus’s kingly reign is the emphasis of the gospel. Consider the following evidence:
Jesus’s most common title is “Christ,” the Anointed One or Messiah: “Jesus, God’s Anointed King.” “Christ” is used 528 times in the New Testament, each time reemphasizing Jesus as God’s king. When the New Testament authors speak of Jesus, they affirm and want their audience to know that Jesus is the Christ, the reigning king. If they wanted the central image of Jesus to be on the cross, they’d call him Jesus the Crucified. Instead, we have the picture of a triumphant king.
The people of Israel had Messianic expectations for centuries— they were waiting for God’s king to arrive. For the king to finally arrive would naturally be good news indeed! This is why the Samaritan woman awaits the Messiah (John 4:25-26) and shares this new good news with others when she has discovered him, and they respond in belief (John 4:39-42).
The big question the Gospels are answering is, “Who is Jesus?” Their dominant answer: Jesus is the awaited Messiah, God’s Son, from the lineage of King David, heir to the throne (Matthew 1:1; 16:16; 27:17; Mark 1:1, 8:29; 15:32; Luke 1:32; 2:11; 4:41; 9:20; John 4:25-26; 11:27; 20:31; bolded verses relate to the authors’ purposes for writing). They are delivering a message that the saving king of the world is Jesus!
As we noted in our first post, the Greek word euangelion (“gospel”) was often used in royal-political contexts. It’s a kingly announcement.
Paul’s shorthand for the gospel in 2 Timothy 2:8 doesn’t even include the cross— the focus is on Jesus being the risen Christ!
Here is my point: the cross is not what we should emphasize in the gospel! Instead, our focus should be on Jesus as the awaited king from God.
When Jesus as king is our gospel emphasis, what actually happens is not that the cross gets mitigated. Instead, the cross and the empty tomb play their roles in the gospel story perfectly as the supporting cast.
In the film industry, there are certain people known as character actors. These are individuals who play distinctive, often quirky, characters in a movie in a supporting role. But when they play their role well, they’ll steal scenes and elevate the film. Without character actors, movies would fall flat. (As an aside, this is a great video by Thomas Flight on character acting. Well worth a watch!)
One of my favorite character actors is John Carroll Lynch. He has appeared in various films like Zodiac, Fargo, Gran Torino, The Founder, and more. He has never carried “leading man” energy, but his roles are no less important. In fact, I think a particular scene of his in Zodiac might be one of the most memorable parts of the whole film!
For the gospel’s story, the cross and the empty tomb aren’t the leads— they’re supporting actors! They’re the dramatic, memorable parts of the story that elevate it. Consider what Jesus says as he is teaching people about the Messiah after his resurrection:
19bSo they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21But we were hoping that he was the one who was about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, it’s the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, 23and when they didn’t find his body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”
25He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Wasn’t it necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:25-27)
Did you notice what Jesus says? As some doubt that he is the Messiah (who would redeem Israel) because he died, Jesus actually says something fascinating: his suffering (death) was necessary in order for him to be the Messiah. He died so that he could be raised and enter his glory— his glory being his heavenly, royal authority as the Messiah.
When it comes to the gospel, the New Testament emphasizes the reign of Jesus as its central message: he is the saving, reigning King! When we get this right, the cross and empty tomb can effectively play their role as support characters that point to this good news!
The King Jesus Gospel
Maybe enough has already been said— when we share the gospel, we should point to Jesus reigning on the throne. This may be enough to help you reorganize the gospel.
But maybe not enough has been said on this subject! What does it look like to share a gospel that is:
Good news (about Jesus)
A royal-political announcement
A story
Jesus-centered
Defined by Scripture
…and pictured as a crown?
If someone were to ask me, “What is the gospel?” This could be answered in a number of ways. Below are three different-sized ways that I will describe the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Short Answer
Here is the most concise answer. Note that it does not include any details of the story, only the central emphasis of the story.
The gospel is the story that announces that Jesus is the awaited, resurrected, reigning King.
I will often describe the gospel in an even quicker shorthand (when I am preaching/teaching and want to reiterate this message):
The gospel is that Jesus is King.
For me, the shorthand of the gospel is not, “Jesus died for your sins” or “Through Jesus you can freely have eternal life.” Both are true statements, but neither is the core of the gospel.
The Medium Answer
If I were to expand my above answer, I would say this:
This is the gospel: The Son of God took on human flesh, lived a life of obedience to God, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and then three days later God raised him from the dead. His resurrection was his royal coronation, and now the awaited King Jesus reigns on a throne in heaven over all things!
Of course, this medium-sized answer could be expanded by a few sentences. What is missing is a stronger connection to the Israel story. This could easily be included in the “life” section. We also don’t include the eyewitnesses to the resurrection as seen in 1 Corinthians 15. Overall, however, I think this description gets the point across in a concise manner.
And, compared to other descriptions, notice that I have not yet included what this message means for us. That is not part of the gospel because the gospel is strictly the story of Jesus.
The Long(er) answer
I will refrain from giving an entire gospel “presentation” here, but here might be how I’d expand the gospel into a more comprehensive description:
Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh. During his life, he lived a life that announced he was Israel’s Messiah— God’s anointed king from the lineage of David who would one day rule as king and bring redemption, restoration, peace, justice, and victory. He taught that the kingdom of God was arriving, and he taught others how to be obedient to God’s ways, just as he was obedient to God’s ways. He also performed miracles, signs and wonders that affirmed the message he taught and pointed to his authority.
Jewish authorities rejected him as the Messiah, and the Roman authorities condemned him because his claims of royal authority were a political threat. Jesus was executed by crucifixion and was buried in a tomb. But his death was not merely an execution; Jesus died for the sins of humanity as part of his messianic responsibility. Jesus died in obedience to God.
Because of his obedience, God raised Jesus from the dead after being in the tomb for three days, and this is affirmed by the many people who saw him. Not only was this miraculous, but both his crucifixion and resurrection fulfilled messianic expectations in the Scriptures. By dying and rising from the dead, Jesus was proven to be worthy of the title “King.”
Jesus now reigns as God’s Messiah, and he rules his kingdom from his heavenly throne. King Jesus will one day return, totally establishing his kingdom and eternal reign and bringing triumphant victory over all things evil once for all.
A few details to observe: in this gospel description, Jesus is the main character of the story. While I note that Jesus died for our sins, I don’t feel pressured to expand on that idea because it isn’t the emphasis of the gospel story. Instead, this is a story where each movement brings us a step closer to the coronation of King Jesus.
What About that Other Stuff?
But what about all of those other things that so many people want to include in the gospel? What about justification by faith, a restored relationship with God, eternal joy, etc.? What do we do with that?
Much of it is tangentially related to the gospel, even if we can’t say it is the gospel. This is where the works of Scot McKnight and Matthew Bates have been invaluable for me. They give language to precisely categorize elements related to the gospel that aren’t the gospel.
Plan of Salvation
Scot McKnight gives helpful categories that separate elements of the Christian faith. The gospel is the story of Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s story, and then he gives another category called “Plan of Salvation.”1 While this is not the gospel, the Plan of Salvation flows out of the gospel story. It is here where we’d put elements like:
Our sin and need for salvation
How Jesus atones for sin
God’s grace and justice and holiness
How humans receive salvation
Justification by faith
How works relate to salvation
Again, these things are by definition not the gospel. But they do flow from the gospel story.
Results and Benefits of His Reign
Matthew Bates prefers to use the language of “gospel benefits.”2 This is a similar category to McKnight’s, but it is broad enough to include other theological doctrines like:
Personal justification
Forgiveness of sins
Eternal life
Reconciliation
Redemption
Gospel benefits also include general benefits like physical healing and assistance to the poor, all of which happen due to Jesus establishing a kingdom of loyal citizens that embody his ways.
I think “gospel benefits” works really well. I have also used “results of the gospel.” I won’t include what is listed in McKnight’s or Bates’s categories, but here are additional considerations. Because Jesus is now King…
Order is being brought into all the cosmos
No evil king will ever be in power again because Jesus is a good king who reigns for eternity
All people have access to enter God’s community regardless of ethnicity, gender, or status— we are no longer alone
We receive the Holy Spirit as God’s intimate presence who works in us and through us
His citizens receive eternal life— a flourishing life today that does not end
Responding to the Gospel
A third category that Bates uses (which I was coincidentally using before interacting with his work) is what he calls “gospel response.”3 Any announcement of news implies a response. In hearing that Jesus is King, what are we provoked to do now?
I will not draw out what I think this response looks like here— we will do this in a few posts from now. Instead, I am flagging this as a category to say that it is here where we can fit certain elements that people incorrectly add as the gospel, like trusting in Jesus or repenting. Responding to the gospel is necessary, but it is not part of the content of the gospel.
Good News, Really?
The question that we, as modern listeners, might ask is, “Why is Jesus being king good news?” For those of us who have heard that the gospel is forgiveness of sins and avoiding hell through Jesus, it might not be clear why “Jesus is King” is good news in itself.
But rest assured, King Jesus is good news. I have already hinted at this in the above bullet points. But there are some who have objected to a King Jesus gospel. In my next post, I will interact with some of these objections and give my defense for why “Jesus is King” is not only good news, but it is better news than other gospel descriptions.
Find the next post in this series here!
Questions to consider:
How is this gospel description similar or different to what you have heard before?
Why do you think the New Testament seems to emphasize Jesus’s kingship above all else?
What is your assessment of my gospel description? Have I added elements that shouldn’t be there?
Do you think the gospel’s emphasis is a crown instead of a cross? Why or why not?
Scot McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 37-41.
Matthew Bates, Gospel Allegiance: What Faith in Jesus Misses for Salvation in Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2019), 116.
Bates, Gospel Allegiance, 115.
And that to say that I am really appreciating this series.
I came across McKnight's KJG 2-3 years ago. Really good. A book that should really change one's way of thinking of the gospel.