Recovering the Real Lost Gospel: Reclaiming the Gospel as Good News by Darrell Bock (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010).
This is an excellent presentation of the gospel message that the grace that comes from God is more than a transaction, but a call for transformation. Bock's presentation is a biblical theology showing how the Gospel is rung throughout Scripture. It is the Gospel that holds our community together, and yet it is most often overlooked.
The gospel begins with promises of the Hebrew Bible look forward to the Jesus. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen 12:1–2) looks forward to a time when blessing will come to all people. The Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7:1–16) indicates that the promise will come through a line of kings. The New Covenant (Jer 31:31–34; Ezek 36:25–27) looks forward to the promise of the Holy Spirit, which will write the law on the hearts of the people. The New Testament picks up on these promises and points to their fulfillment in the person of Jesus. Luke 3:16, an often overlooked verse, ties these promises together. Peter's sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2) ties these themes together. This is just a sampling of the texts that Bock uses. The Gospel is often presented in a very Pauline light (and often limited to only Romans). Bock shows how most texts in the Bible point to the truth of the gospel.
The early church understood and reflected these promises through baptism and the Lord's supper. The two images emphasize entry into salvation (baptism), but also an ongoing relationship that we now have with God. In churches today, our ongoing relationship with God and with others are often underplayed in comparison to the entry that we have to our salvation. Throughout the book Bock investigates terms such as faith, repentance, turn, reconciliation, peace as they apply to the Gospel. In each instance the invitation is to an ongoing relationship.
Luke 15 is the picture of what God is asking from us. Luke 15 presents three stories of treasured and lost items. The first two stories are straightforward. The shepherd loses a sheep and a woman loses a coin. However, when they find what's lost, they invite their neighbors for a celebration. When we read the third story, we often shift gears and focus on the prodigal son, but the story follows the first two. The point of the story is (1) that God lost his most valued possession--you and me. (2) When God found it, he calls for a blowout type party. (3) This raises the question: will we celebrate with him when those who are lost come into relationship with him? Or will we, like the older son, remain outside upset and waiting for him to bring judgment on those who do wrong. God wants to rescue us to his own kingdom, but more than that he wants to have a relationship. As Bock states, its not a transaction, but a call to a transformed life in relationship with God.
The presentation is written for Bible studies. Each chapter ends with a list of study questions. It emphasizes the Bible, and as we have noted above it will stretch the reader to consider the gospel in the Hebrew Bible, Peter, John, Hebrews, Luke, Jude. The illustrations and writing style are geared for a wide audience, not just an academic environment. I'd be happy to come into my Bible study and find that we are working through it.
