Piano Guidance
Photo by Anete Lusina Pexels Logo Photo: Anete Lusina

Why is it important to understand the gospel?

It is the best news of all—ever. It is important that both our understanding and communication of the gospel come from the biblical text itself, and it is important that we continue to communicate and advocate for the one true gospel. Jesus died and rose again so that our sins would be forgiven.

What is the happiest chord progression?
What is the happiest chord progression?

The happiest chord progression is the I-IV-V progression which, at one point, was also the most common progression in popular music. What makes it...

Read More »
Which is the hardest musical instrument to play?
Which is the hardest musical instrument to play?

The 7 hardest instruments to learn, play, and master Oboe. Even if you don't think you know what an oboe sounds like, you've heard it more than you...

Read More »

By Dr. Gentry Sutton

In Luke 24:45–47, we read about the risen Jesus succinctly communicating to the disciples the message of the gospel before his ascension to be with the Father: “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations’” (emphases added). Jesus also references this message to be preached to all the world at the end of the Gospel of Mark, and there he calls it the “good news” (Mark 16:15). In 1 Corinthians 15:1–4, we read about the Apostle Paul communicating this same gospel in his own words: Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” (emphases added) We see three overlapping elements in both Jesus’s and Paul’s iterations of the “good news”: (1) The Christ died, (2) The Christ rose from the grave, and (3) The Christ’s death and resurrection were for the forgiveness of our sins. While the concept of repentance that appears explicitly in the Luke passage is absent from the 1 Corinthians passage, we know that repentance was indeed a part of Paul’s theology of salvation (see Acts 17:30–31, Acts 20:21, and 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, for example). Bible scholars generally agree that Paul was restating an early creed that had been recited within the Christian community when he defined the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15. This fact is important because of the early date of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, believed to have been written just over 20 years after Jesus’s death. In other words, as the passage indicates, Paul had preached this gospel to the Corinthians some years earlier, and the fact that Christ dying and rising again for the forgiveness of sins had been “creed-alized” so soon after Jesus’s death contrasts with the popular worldly notion that the words of Jesus were “distorted” by the early disciples. Quite to the contrary, it seems that the early believers were, in fact, so committed to preserving the true definition of the gospel that they put it in creedal form precisely so that later disciples would not manipulate its meaning. Professor and scholar Justin Bass establishes this argument well in his 2020 book titled The Bedrock of Christianity: The Unalterable Facts of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection. Unfortunately, just as was true in Paul’s time, today a number of other issues are being conflated with the gospel. I hear frequently that [fill in the blank] is a “gospel issue.” Usually, the blank is filled in with “social justice” or one of its aspects. However, in no biblical iteration of the gospel is social justice or any aspect of social justice a part of it. As evidenced by the passages above, the gospel is about Jesus dying and rising again for the forgiveness of people’s sins. Period, full stop.

What is Beethoven's easiest song?
What is Beethoven's easiest song?

Beethoven: Easiest Piano Pieces Allegretto, WoO 61. Bagatelle In A Major, Op. 119, No. ... Bagatelle In A Minor, Op. 119, No. ... Bagatelle In...

Read More »
How many key piano is best for beginners?
How many key piano is best for beginners?

For a beginner, 66 keys are sufficient for learning to play, and you can play most music on a 72-key instrument. For anyone interested in playing...

Read More »

Given that Jesus does not separate repentance from forgiveness of sins when he talks about the good news (Luke 24:47), I will acknowledge that social justice issues are “gospel issues” in the sense that any heart or behavioral evil related to them should be repented of. In this same sense, though, every sin would be a “gospel issue,” and it is curious that we do not hear about marital unfaithfulness, gambling, drunkenness, cheating, lying, or stealing being referred to as “gospel issues.” Moreover, repentance is a condition of the gospel, not the gospel itself. Perhaps the fact that we hear of only certain things being “gospel issues” and not others should be a greater topic of conversation within the Christian community. But addressing that concern is beyond the scope of this essay, and I digress. An accurate definition of the gospel is important for at least five reasons:

Can you learn piano on YouTube?
Can you learn piano on YouTube?

Even if you are a complete beginner, YouTube can teach you the notes on the piano, how to read bass and treble clefs, and more. You can't...

Read More »
What RPM should you shift from 1st to 2nd?
What RPM should you shift from 1st to 2nd?

To ease the transition into second gear, bring the engine speed to roughly 1500-2000 RPM. Without revving the engine up slightly, you'll have a...

Read More »
What does Fn and F9 do?
What does Fn and F9 do?

With a single-color keyboard backlight keyboards, FN+F9 mutes the audio. With a multiple backlight colors (RGB) keyboard, FN+F9 adjusts the repeat...

Read More »
Does voice Matter in rap?
Does voice Matter in rap?

The way you project your voice as a rapper is all important. It's one thing having good lyrics, but if you can't get your voice out there properly,...

Read More »