'GENESIS 3 CHRISTIANITY'

Introduction

Have you ever wondered if our grasp of the Christian faith and its gospel is too small? Years ago J. B. Phillips wrote the challenging little book which he entitled Your God Is Too Small. Some time after reading that book I gave a lecture, with my title’s theme obviously borrowing from him. My title made a related and corresponding challenge—Your Gospel Is Too Small. And I recognize that this present writing has come as a logical maturing in the process of developing such thoughts. Indeed, the story of my life seems to be the continually growing awareness that our perspectives of God and his gospel have never yet been fully appreciated, apprehended, and applied. Our standard paradigm is too small. I would like to see all of Jesus’ disciples begin a new quest to discover more accurately all that our heavenly Father desires and intends to accomplish through Jesus in this present eschatological Church Age. To that end it will be necessary for us to redefine the gospel of salvation to really include, in both theory and practice, more than just the remedial and redemptive works of the atonement-reconciliation of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It must include the victories that followed with the Ascension and Pentecost as the vital works of preparation for a glorious consummation at Jesus’ Parousia. It will be necessary then to critique, fairly but honestly, the familiar history and dogma that led to the development of that simple and commonly recognized salvation gospel of ‘Genesis 3 Christianity’. When we at last realize some of the unfortunate results of holding only to things too small, our longing will be to discover a salvation gospel much higher and more effective for God’s purposes and glory. For me that journey began long ago when I was much younger. It caught me unawares at the time. But, out of gratitude and love for Jesus, I was desirous to know Him rightly. And the Quest thus begun has never yet been fully completed. If you have ever felt a concern that your perceptions of God and your understanding and experience of his gospel have been too small, let me share some of my faith travels with the hope that you too will be desirous to know him in the full awe of who he really is.