The Gospel As Center: Renewingour Faith Andreformingourministry Practices

The Gospel as Center

The Gospel as Center: RenewingOur Faith andReformingOurMinistry Practices

PublishedbyCrossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4335-1561-3

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1562-0

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1563-7

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-1867-6

Library ofCongressCataloging-in-Publication Data

The Gospel ascenter : renewingourfaithandreformingourministrypractices / D. A. Carson and Timothy Keller, editors.

p. cm.

Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindexes.

ISBN 978-1-4335-1561-3 (hc)

1. Gospel Coalition. I. Carson, D. A. II. Keller, Timothy J., 1950–

III. Gospel Coalition.

BX6.G67G67 2012

230'.04624—dc23 2011026425

Crosswayis a publishingministryofGood News Publishers.

L B 2 1 2 0 1 9 1 8 1 7 1 6 1 5 1 4 1 3 1 2

1 5 1 4 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Preface 9

When The Gospel Coalition was founded, themembersofthe Council workedhardtoproducewhatwecalledour “FoundationDocuments.” These consistof a one-pagepreamble, a statementoffaith, and a theologicalvisionofministry. Theyare, wehope, fullofGod-centeredjoy, abounding in a delightedconfidence in thegospelof Jesus Christ anditsentailmentsforhowwethinkand live. These documentsareeasilydownloadable, in severallanguages, fromourwebsite (thegospelcoalition.org) andcan also beviewed in theappendixofthisvolume.

It was not longbeforevariouslocalchurchesandorganizationsaskedtoadoptthemastheirown, andofcoursewearealwaysdelightedwhenthistakesplace. Alongwiththeserequestscame a risingnumberofsuggestionsthatweunpacktheFoundationDocuments in a seriesofbookletsordownloadablefiles, eventuallyputtingthesetogetherto form onebook. So weasked a numberofour Council membersandoneortwootherstocollaboratebywritingfourteenchaptersthatexplainthetheologyreflected in theFoundationDocuments.

The resultiswhatyouareholding in yourhands. The individual chapters, availableasbookletsandfiles, havenowcometogether in thisbook.

Weallowedsomediversity in formwhiletryingtomaintain a moreor-lessconsistentlevelofaccessibility. Attheplenarysessionsofour national conferences, wehavegotusedtoexpositorswhovaryenormously in theirstylesastheyexpoundthe Word ofGod; indeed, wedelight in thefreshnessofthediversity. Something ofthe same diversityisreflected in thesechapters, andwearegratefulfor it.

Onceagain I am deeplyindebtedto Andy Naselliwhohelpedwiththeeditingandtheindexes. Crossway’scollaboration in thisprojecthasbeencharacterizedbytheirusualpatience, competence, andcourtesy.

—D. A. Carson

1Gospel-CenteredMinistry[[Content logosres:2fcf1cb23f089f20b2df86370f8cdea6;art=r4;off=4]] 11

D. A. Carson and Timothy Keller

2 Can WeKnowtheTruth? [[Content > logosres:e69559d9cc45cc8c32ae9486116e7134;art=r6;off=4]] 23

Richard D. Phillips

3 The Gospel andScripture: Howto Read theBible[[Content > logosres:f490cf53ba3bd7e49676c6cc26644801;art=r6]] 41

Mike Bullmore

4 Creation[[Content > logosres:a7b70a90e0d80abd78444142537f5bcb;art=r6;off=13]] 55

Andrew M. Davis

5 Sin andthe Fall[[Content > logosres:720b1ab92fd88cbcad4d9712c30f1ebc;art=r6;off=4]] 77

Reddit Andrews III

6 The Plan [[Content > logosres:e772bf9969e9d1f3b76438f448a5d2d3;art=r6;off=4]] 89

Colin S. Smith

7 What Is the Gospel? [[Content > logosres:ab20dcbfba81af228477ecff2152cb0d;art=r6]] 115

Bryan Chapell

8 Christ’sRedemption[[Content > logosres:2e5f5c954a071c6d35b69b93647c48ad;art=r6]] 135

Sandy Willson

9 Justification[[Content > logosres:870ec196dfd30d8677b57e9852b36cc3;art=r6]] 151

Philip Graham Ryken

10 The Holy Spirit [[Content > logosres:1ca4ca3dd3095f8f38c884912a7d29dd;art=r6;off=4]] 171

Kevin DeYoung

11 The KingdomofGod[[Content > logosres:0d9cab0010e0236eabbabb5462067ac7;art=r6;off=4]] 191

Stephen Um

12 The Church: God’s New People [[Content > logosres:f16bc1b4d1c649c3768707280b7ce306;art=r6;off=4]] 209

Tim Savage

13 BaptismandtheLord’sSupper[[Content > logosres:df117b2a975ca69211777f20d8ed0821;art=r6]] 231

ThabitiAnyabwileand J. Ligon Duncan

14 The Restoration of All Things [[Content > logosres:11a54dd813e056d6c673b6434ea66120;art=r6;off=879]] 253

Sam Storms

Appendix: The Gospel CoalitionFoundationDocuments[[Link > logosres:fndtnldocs;art=title]] 273