The Necessity of Gospel Proclamation: If any religion is good enough for salvation, why should we preach the Gospel? Why did Jesus himself command the Apostles to preach the Gospel to the whole world and baptize those who believe in him? However, we should note the variant readings of this command in Mark, 16: 15-16, Matthew, 28: 19, Luke, 24: 47 and the special commission to Peter in John, 21: 15-17. What stands out in those passages is that belief in Jesus is the basis for baptism that is the beginning of the process of making disciples of Jesus, teaching them what the Apostles had been taught of which proclamation of repentance for forgiveness is a crucial element. Besides, love is the basis for leading the flock of Jesus who is the Good Shepherd. All these taken together constitute the goal of Gospel Proclamation, which is that everyone should have life in its fullness (See John, 10: 10) for which the Good Shepherd laid down his life. Anyone who proclaims the Gospel should also be ready for laying down his or her life so that all may have life in abundance. It is the same as empowering those ho need empowerment to the highest degree possible in the manner in which Jesus has shown us the way. The Gospel is not restricted to merely achieving subjective salvation of the devotees of religions, but is based on the objective salvation set up by God Himself. Therefore, Gospel Proclamation is not superfluous even though people are able to attain subjective salvation through the various religions they are attached to. .
Scope of Gospel proclamation: A step further, we must say that Gospel Proclamation is necessary in the manner of soteriological necessity. Here one should guard against any narrow definition of Gospel Proclamation , given the fact that even before the New Testament times God invited people to salvation through Gospel proclamation. An instance of this is seen in the declaration of the Gospel to Abraham, the father of all those who are justified by faith. "You may take it, then, that it is the men of faith who are Abraham's sons. And Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles through faith, declared the Gospel to Abraham beforehand. 'In you all nations shall find blessing'. Thus it is the men of faith who share the blessing with faithful Abraham" (Galatians, 3: 7-9). Genuine faith in the Word of God is the basis of justification of the humans before God. The Gospel message is always implied in the Word of God, response to which by faith constitutes justification for the humans. Thus the word of God perceived in different religions as word of God, stands as the basis of subjective salvation for the devotees of those religions. If the perceived word of God is genuinely coming from God, it is Gospel message and is the basis of the objective salvation for the whole community. In both the instances of subjective and objective salvation, faith is the response expected from the humans for justification and sanctification. In the case of Abraham himself, we have both objective and subjective salvation exemplified in his experience of the divine. When Abraham blindly believed the promises of God that were to come later, it was the Gospel message of blessing that constituted objective salvation. Abraham's obedience to God in the decision to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, constituted subjective salvation as it was a decision influenced by the prevalent practice of the times of child sacrifice. It was Abraham's thinking about the Will of God and his faith in Him that was counted as justification for him. It is clarified elsewhere that God Himself abhorred child sacrifices and had never commanded the Kings of Israel to follow this despicable custom of the Gentiles (See Ezekiel, 20: 31).
Genuine sacrifice: In addition, we should remember that the only genuine sacrifice acceptable to God is self-sacrifice, the paradigm of which is the sacrifice on the cross by Jesus Christ. All other sacrifices should have a relationship with this supreme sacrifice on the cross to merit the name of real sacrifice. The different kinds of sacrifices in the Old Testament were mere shadows of the reality to come later. They were meant for training and educating the people to sacrifice their own selves, which alone was acceptable to God. Mechanical repetition of animal sacrifices as well as other forms of worship including even prayers and incense offering are abhorrent to the Lord (See Isaiah, 1: 11-17; 66: 1-6). Gospel Proclamation is the means devised by God Himself to lead people to offering real and living sacrifices.
Self-Sacrifice: If Gospel means Good News, how does it become good news as it is meant to lead people to self-sacrifice that is acceptable to God but repugnant to the humans? The real happiness of the humans can come about only if one is able to realize his or her true self with all its potentialities that is already implanted in each and everyone as image of God. What is to be sacrificed by daily self-denial is the apparent self encrusted upon us by our interaction in the world through indulgences of our senses, mind, and the underlying sense of self called the "Ego" (See Ephesians, 4: 20-24). The art of living in the world without being of the world demands self-sacrifices through the practice of detachment from worldly things. Detachment teaches us to use things without being used by them and to be master of everything without being enslaved by our desires [See 'Detachment' in an earlier Post]. (To be Contd).
Scope of Gospel proclamation: A step further, we must say that Gospel Proclamation is necessary in the manner of soteriological necessity. Here one should guard against any narrow definition of Gospel Proclamation , given the fact that even before the New Testament times God invited people to salvation through Gospel proclamation. An instance of this is seen in the declaration of the Gospel to Abraham, the father of all those who are justified by faith. "You may take it, then, that it is the men of faith who are Abraham's sons. And Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the gentiles through faith, declared the Gospel to Abraham beforehand. 'In you all nations shall find blessing'. Thus it is the men of faith who share the blessing with faithful Abraham" (Galatians, 3: 7-9). Genuine faith in the Word of God is the basis of justification of the humans before God. The Gospel message is always implied in the Word of God, response to which by faith constitutes justification for the humans. Thus the word of God perceived in different religions as word of God, stands as the basis of subjective salvation for the devotees of those religions. If the perceived word of God is genuinely coming from God, it is Gospel message and is the basis of the objective salvation for the whole community. In both the instances of subjective and objective salvation, faith is the response expected from the humans for justification and sanctification. In the case of Abraham himself, we have both objective and subjective salvation exemplified in his experience of the divine. When Abraham blindly believed the promises of God that were to come later, it was the Gospel message of blessing that constituted objective salvation. Abraham's obedience to God in the decision to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, constituted subjective salvation as it was a decision influenced by the prevalent practice of the times of child sacrifice. It was Abraham's thinking about the Will of God and his faith in Him that was counted as justification for him. It is clarified elsewhere that God Himself abhorred child sacrifices and had never commanded the Kings of Israel to follow this despicable custom of the Gentiles (See Ezekiel, 20: 31).
Genuine sacrifice: In addition, we should remember that the only genuine sacrifice acceptable to God is self-sacrifice, the paradigm of which is the sacrifice on the cross by Jesus Christ. All other sacrifices should have a relationship with this supreme sacrifice on the cross to merit the name of real sacrifice. The different kinds of sacrifices in the Old Testament were mere shadows of the reality to come later. They were meant for training and educating the people to sacrifice their own selves, which alone was acceptable to God. Mechanical repetition of animal sacrifices as well as other forms of worship including even prayers and incense offering are abhorrent to the Lord (See Isaiah, 1: 11-17; 66: 1-6). Gospel Proclamation is the means devised by God Himself to lead people to offering real and living sacrifices.
Self-Sacrifice: If Gospel means Good News, how does it become good news as it is meant to lead people to self-sacrifice that is acceptable to God but repugnant to the humans? The real happiness of the humans can come about only if one is able to realize his or her true self with all its potentialities that is already implanted in each and everyone as image of God. What is to be sacrificed by daily self-denial is the apparent self encrusted upon us by our interaction in the world through indulgences of our senses, mind, and the underlying sense of self called the "Ego" (See Ephesians, 4: 20-24). The art of living in the world without being of the world demands self-sacrifices through the practice of detachment from worldly things. Detachment teaches us to use things without being used by them and to be master of everything without being enslaved by our desires [See 'Detachment' in an earlier Post]. (To be Contd).
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