(Essay submitted for MN-5430 Intro to Pastoral Ministry at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary).
“If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself” – Augustine.[1]
Introduction
The concept of gospel-centrality has significant implications for pastoral ministry. First, we must recognize the paramount importance of the gospel in Christianity and identify what it is. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul states the gospel in its clearest and simplest form, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” [2]
So, the gospel sets the basis for the world, and believing in the gospel, by the grace of God, is the only way to salvation for humanity. I will provide a biblical basis for gospel-centrality, how it equips and prepares pastors, and how it connects to the pastoral qualifications we find in the Bible. This knowledge will enlighten and equip us to understand the importance of gospel-centrality in pastoral ministry.
Biblical Basis
The biblical basis for gospel-centrality begins with the presupposition that the Bible is the inspired, authoritative, and infallible Word of God—sola Scriptura. Now, the gospel is alluded to or prophesized throughout Scripture. The Old Testament (OT) speaks of God’s redemptive plan to come, while the New Testament (NT) tells of God’s redemptive plan being fulfilled by Christ. The gospel is beautiful and glorious. “It announces a multitude of blessings and riches in and through the person of Christ Jesus—forgiveness of sins, the imputation of His righteousness, spiritual union with Him, adoption into His family, reconciliation with the Father, and indwelling by the Spirit.”[3]
Most agree that God’s announcement in Genesis 3:15 is the first biblical text indicating the gospel. Incidentally, this happened immediately after Adam and Eve committed the first sin, which brought a need for a Savior for all humanity. Genesis 3:21 provides the next indication of the gospel: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness (sin) through their own works, which could only be completed by the supernatural power of God sacrificing something. Staying in Genesis, Abraham is justified by his faith in the one to come: “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (15:6; cf. Rom 4:22-25). Thus, Abraham was saved by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
Isaiah prophecied that all of us have turned to “his own way; and the Lord has laid on [Christ] the iniquity of us all” (53:6). Here, Isaiah is foretelling the gospel about 700 years before the crucifixion of Christ Jesus. Also, it would be remiss not to mention Joel’s prophecy, another OT prophet, that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32). Before His crucifixion, Jesus preached about himself from the OT. Jesus tells the Jews in John 5:39 that they seek eternal life in the Scriptures, but the Scriptures “bear witness about [Jesus].” Scriptures in this context are synonymous with the OT because the NT did not exist then. Luke tells us that Jesus interpreted “in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” from Moses and all the Prophets (Luke 24:27).
The NT contains several passages of the apostles using a gospel-centered ministry after Christ’s crucifixion, especially the Book of Acts, not to mention the four Gospels dedicated to Jesus’ life, ministry, and death: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 contains the central text of the gospel and is considered the primary gospel-centered text in the Bible.[4] At the same time, 2 Corinthians 3 is the second place to find the gospel-centered concept.[5] Thus, we can see that the entire Bible is gospel-centered and points to our Lord Jesus.
Equip and Prepare
Knowing that Jesus is the primary through-line in the Bible, pastors can confidently use a gospel-centered ministry. Based on this knowledge, gospel-centrality will equip and prepare the pastor for the major components of congregational leadership, such as preaching, discipling, care, and counseling. The pastor will be able to bear his tasks with wisdom, assurance, gentleness, and love. “The cross redirects one’s life from the desire to be served to the desire to serve.”[6]
One aspect that gives the pastor confidence in his ministry is that the gospel is a historical announcement. Our Lord Jesus has fulfilled it. It is not advice or instructions but an announcement—a proclamation to the world. However, pastors must remember that the Bible is not an ethical manual, a history book, or a volume of inspirational quotes. The Bible is an excellent source for these things, but pastors should use it as God intended. Pastors must teach and preach it as it ultimately and most fulfillingly points to Jesus Christ.[7]
In 1 Cor 15:1-2, Paul reports, “the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved.” This short text describes the gospel as a past event, a present event, and a continuous event. Therefore, gospel-centrality is a versatile concept the preacher can use for many aspects of his ministry.
Jared C. Wilson shared in this week’s lecture that every pastor is trying to help people change. How will all of the services you provide help people become more Christ-like? How will your congregation become better disciple-makers, more in awe of Jesus, or experience spiritual growth and sanctification? You preach and teach the gospel every chance you get or have it intertwined with the message or lesson you are preaching or teaching.
Growth and sanctification require the supernatural ability of the Holy Spirit because we cannot do it ourselves, as Scripture and man have demonstrated. Therefore, the gospel is needed because it reveals God’s holiness and fulfills it, which shows us the glory of the Lord. “Behold, the Lord God comes with might” to give you protection (Isa 40:10). The pastor can shepherd his flock knowing the Lord is shepherding him. 2 Peter 1:3-4, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.”
Qualification Connections
Gospel-centrality allows the pastor to behold the glory of the Lord. Seeing the glory of the Lord more often gives everyone the power to be more like Jesus. How does this happen? In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul tells us that we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” because we behold the glory of Christ Jesus. And this magnificent transformation is done by the Lord, who is the Spirit. How does this transformation happen? Titius 2:11-12 tells us the grace of God trains us to renounce “ungodliness and worldly passions” and to live “upright Godly lives in the present age.” Thus, the Holy Spirit, by grace, empowers the pastor to live a righteous life that meets the qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3, Titus 3, and 1 Peter 5.
Titus 3 tells us that pastors need the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit because “we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing the days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” However, we can be “washed of rejuvenation and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” and by the mercy of God, we are saved. However, this only happens with the appearance of God’s “goodness and loving kindness,” which can only be seen through the gospel. Now, all of this is to remind pastors of the qualities they are to uphold so that they can devote themselves to good works for the glory of God. 1 Peter 5 explains the good works pastors are to do and how they are to do them. They are to shepherd the congregation that God gave them, not the congregation they desire. Pastors are to be willing and eager to exercise oversight of the flock, not by coercion or for shameful gain. The congregation is to be shepherded by example, being Christ-like, not by overpowering rule. Again, the pastor can accomplish his shepherding duties by beholding the glory of the Lord through a gospel-centered ministry.
[1] Erik Raymond, “Gospel Quotes,” Thegospelcoalition.org, May 20, 2006, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/gospel-quotes/
[2] Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version (ESV) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016).
[3] Jared C. Wilson, Gospel-Driven Ministry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), 34.
[4] Jared C. Wilson, lecture notes for M-MN 5430 Introduction to Pastoral Ministry, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, July 2024.
[5] Ibid.
[6] W. Aubrey Aslobrook, “The Coat of Arms and the Shield of Faith: Reflections on Pastoral Ministry,” Quarterly Review 13, no. 2 (Summer 1993), 73. PDF Viewer (EBSCOhost).
[7] Wilson, lecture.
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