The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ (9Marks Building Healthy Churches Series)
Overview
In this timely book, Pastor Ray Ortlund makes the case that gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. In too many of our churches, it is the beauty of a gospel culture that is the missing piece of the puzzle. But when the gospel is allowed to exert its full power, a church becomes radiant with the glory of Christ.
Top Highlights
“The Greek text of John 3:16 literally says, ‘whoever believes into him should not perish.’ Real belief takes us into Jesus Christ. Real belief destroys aloofness. It moves us from self-completeness into Christ-completeness. We stop treating him as a religious garnish to be placed on the side of life. Rather, we find in him our all. He becomes our new sacred center. We gladly lose ourselves in who he is for desperate sinners. Theologians call this radical reorientation ‘union with Christ.’ It’s that profound.” (Page 33)
“Left to ourselves, we will get it partly wrong, but we won’t feel wrong, because we’ll be partly right. But only partly. Truth without grace is harsh and ugly. Grace without truth is sentimental and cowardly. The living Christ is full of grace and truth (John 1:14).” (Page 22)
“Not one of us has ever had a single thought about God that was fully fair to the magnitude of who he really is.” (Page 24)
“But the one thing the gospel never does is nothing.” (Page 96)
“Culture, a word borrowed from sociology, means the public lifestyle that expresses a shared mindset and convictions held in common. A church’s culture should be orthopraxy expressing orthodoxy. It should look like self-giving love for others that in turn reflects the sacrificial love for us of Jesus Christ our Savior and our Lord.” (Pages 13–14)
Compelling. Convicting. Encouraging. Probing. And most of all, entrancing. What a beautiful vision of what the church can be through the power of the gospel.
Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Ortlund weaves together profound biblical reflection on how gospel doctrine must lead to gospel culture with choice quotations from great saints in church history. A must read for any church that wants to help rather than hinder the lost in being attracted to Christ.
Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary
In this incisive book, Ortlund does the necessary and compelling work of connecting the life-giving gospel to the lived experience and witness of the church.
Stephen T. Um, Senior Minister, Citylife Presbyterian Church, Boston, Massachusetts
- Title: The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ
- Author: Raymond C. Ortlund Jr.
- Series: 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2014
- Logos Release Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Jesus Christ › Person and offices
- ISBNs: 9781433540837, 9781433540868, 9781433540844, 9781433540851, 9781950396719, 1433540835, 143354086X, 1433540843, 1433540851, 1950396711
- Resource ID: LLS:GSPLHWCBTYCHRST
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-19T04:01:47Z