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Ever want just the gist of the Bible? After all, the Bible contains 66 writings—39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament—comprising 1,189 chapters that have over 31,000 verses. Is it even possible to sum up? Yes. It’s called the gospel.

The Christian gospel is like a seed of a tree which the Old Testament planted and from which all the New Testament grows.

If you don’t understand anything about Christianity, at least learn the gospel.

Even though none of the writers of the New Testament wrote: “Here’s all you need to know about the gospel, ‘Blah, blah, blah…,’” we can at least piece together enough statements to connect them like a puzzle…and the puzzle is not a blurry picture. Rather, it has sharp lines and distinct features forming a clear presentation.

The First Statement to Know

The first thing we need to know comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia—probably one of his first letters written in the AD 40s—approximately fifteen years after Jesus died and resurrected.
Paul said,

“For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11–12, ESV)

What Does the Word Gospel Mean?

According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the use of the English word gospel began in the Middle English period (twelfth to fourteenth centuries) and comes from the Old English word godspel used prior to the twelfth century.

Godspel consists of two Old English words—god which means “good” and spell which means “tale,” to mean “good tale” or “good story” or “good news.”

Translators of the Latin Bible needed to translate the word evangelium so they combined the two words to form godspel.

The Latin word evangelium translates the Greek word euangelion used by the Greek New Testament writers to speak of “good news.” In the Roman world, messengers traveled to publicly announce good news from their senders.

The Christians adopted this word to encapsulate the message of Jesus Christ that must be publicly announced as good news. So the word gospel in the Bible means “good news.”

Today, we typically use the word gospel to refer to the good news from Jesus Christ or as a title for one of the first four books of the New Testament documenting the life of Christ—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

For the World, But Not of the World

“…that the gospel preached by me is not man’s gospel….”

Paul says he didn’t receive his gospel from any person. When Paul wrote to the church in the Roman province of Galatia, the southern region of modern day Turkey, false teachers had spread throughout the church a gospel different from what Paul originally taught. They preached a message saying, “Embrace Jesus Christ and…” as opposed to Paul who said, “Embrace Jesus Christ alone.”

The false teachers learned Paul’s gospel and made it their own by adding to it layers of Jewish tradition, logic from human ingenuity, and fancy badges, metaphorically, to convey how they’re the true people of God. They thought the heavenly cake needed cream cheese frosting.

But this gave the gospel a souring flavor differing from the sweet teachings Paul gave to the Galatians.

The gospel preached by the early Jews of Jesus did not develop from their wise theorizing. Their history and schools of thought did not give them the training to contrive the good news they preached. It’s like saying Karl Marx developed socialism from reading Shakespeare.

The early Christians preached a story Jews would understand if they kept listening, but different enough to make many of the Jews stop listening. But those who did listen understood that the message indeed comes from the God of their fathers who raised up and brought down the nation of Israel.

Christians believed the God of the Jews had returned to restore not only the Jews, but the whole world to himself through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

So the gospel of Jesus is not another clever idea on par with the writings of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Plato, Gautama Buddha, or Thomas Jefferson. Yes, their writings may be interesting, even useful for many, but in the end, they’re developed by another person made of stuff like you and me.

The Gospel Comes from God

“…but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ….”

The biblical gospel comes from God—not originating from a human mind like yours and mine.

Paul did not invent the message he preached. He received it by way of revelation. God revealed the message to him. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, stands at the center of that message. The message not only came from Jesus Christ, but also consists of Jesus Christ. It’s about him. The message has a divine source with divine content.

After Pilate crucified him and Joseph of Arimathea buried him, Jesus Christ appeared in a new body to Paul while he traveled to Damascus.

Prior to that, Paul didn’t like the Christians. He didn’t like their message. He actually wanted to squelch their movement and kill the followers of Jesus of Nazareth, so called the “Christ.” That’s what Paul had done in Jerusalem and planned to do in Damascus.

So it makes sense that something drastic must have happened to Paul to impel him to claim that Jesus resurrected from the dead and for to him worship Jesus as the God of Israel.

Paul not only saw Jesus, but received Jesus’ commission to proclaim the gospel. Paul says he went to Jerusalem to ensure the message he received from Jesus, and had proclaimed to non-Jews, aligned with the message received by the leaders who knew and followed Jesus during his lifetime.

Paul had the same content as they had—sourced from heaven and about the man from heaven who died and was raised, Jesus Christ.

So It Came from God, What’s the Big Deal?

First, the gospel of Jesus contains specific content about the person of God, the purpose of life, and the goal of history.

More on the specific content later. For now, this means that no other message—that contradicts, adds to, or takes away from what the first century apostles put forward—adequately represents what God wants us to know about these things. Chocolate milk tastes like chocolate milk and is called chocolate milk because it’s not orange juice.

Whether it be a new scholar, a dreamer of dreams, or a new movement, if the message contradicts, adds to, or takes away from the gospel according to the Bible, then God did not give it because humans invented it. Often, people invent different gospels based on the real gospel.

Second, we should learn about the purpose of life, the person of God, and the goal of history through the gospel.

Don’t you hate the constant flow of ads that promise to reveal the one decoration your living room is missing or the one investment no one knows about that is making people rich? They just want you to look there…or to click here…or to enter this door. Often, they don’t actually care about adding value to your life. They just want your attention and money without providing a quality service or product.

Not so with this gospel.

God doesn’t want us to invent our own purpose for life, nor contrive our own thoughts of how God should be or what God should do, nor stake all of our hope in human cunning to progress our race.

If the true God has spoken to us through the gospel, then he obviously wants us to know something. That the gospel means “good news” indicates that God wants us to benefit from the news he’s given.

He wants us to have words in our mind that stem from thoughts in his. He wants us to understand the meaning of the events he performed. He wants us to know his plans. Not all. But what’s pertinent to us, and our well-being, God has shared with us.

Third, the gospel should receive an ample amount of our effort, time, and attention.

Nothing else worth knowing compels us to know it more than the gospel.

That a home exploded on seventh street, or the prime minister of France met with the prime minister of England, or the Dow went down two percent, or Beijing’s smog has increased, or receiving education for a career, or even learning that a loved one has passed away…none of this can affect us more than what God wants us to know through the gospel. It sounds extreme because it is extreme, eternally so.

The gospel invites us into a story far more captivating than Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. It contains events stranger than any fiction, knowledge deeper than any philosophy, and power that works better than any self-help guru—especially Tony Robbins…though I find some of his stuff useful.

The gospel’s importance bids us to enjoy its richness often.

Bibliography

1) The Lexham Hebrew Bible, 2012
2) The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 2016
3) Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 2003
4) The Lexham Theological Wordbook, 2014
5) The Lexham Bible Dictionary, 2016
6) Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger, Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition, 2012
7) William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 2000
8) Timothy George, Galatians, 1994
9) F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Galatians: A Commentary on the Greek Text, 1982

C. S. Lewis torqued his brain by thinking demonically to write letters as an older demon, Screwtape, instructing a younger demon, Wormwood. Screwtape wants to teach Wormwood how to ruin the life of his human patient. This intriguing idea, combined with Lewis’ brilliance, still commands a wide readership since its first publication in the 1940s. With an informed imagination, Lewis pulls back the curtain of the physical world to engage the psychology of spiritual evil that we all may gain wisdom for living a meaningful life. The Screwtape Letters is filled with helpful lessons for everyone—whether you’re a Christian, Buddhist, or agnostic

I’ve read the book a few times wanted to share six takeaways with you which I’ve found useful for my journey.

1. Think About What You Think About

In chapter one, Screwtape encourages Wormwood to cause his patient to focus upon only what his sensory experience brings to mind. Screwtape thinks one of the worst things that can happen to people is that they begin to focus upon cosmic realities—upon big ideas concerning what is good, true, beautiful, and meaningful.

Whether your hectic life contains a full schedule, gobs of email, and a dirty counter or you were brought up to think only about the now, this lesson encourages us all to take time to think about more than what our eyes see and ears hear. Lewis, from the very beginning of this crafty book, bids you and me to elevate our thoughts above the corporeal into the cosmic.

And while we can’t dwell there but must live in the now, I think we can gain clarity for our priorities and do what matters more often if we only take a moment to think. So how can we do this? Think about what we think about in order to be more intentional about what we think about. Then we can do what matters more often.

2. Tune In To Your Tone

Chapter three contains one of my favorite takeaways—tune in to your tone…especially at home. Wormwood’s patient, a young man, lives with his mother. Screwtape encourages Wormwood to bring his patient’s attention to his mother’s particular tones of voice and countenance that express irritation.

The longer people live together, the more easily each one notices those expressions of disgust in the other. Then each learn to use these expressions to annoy the other which creates a toxic home. No thank you.

You can counteract this toxicity by tuning in to your expressions to notice how you respond to your roommate, and then you can ensure your expressions are encouraging and affirming rather than repulsive and condemning. Something as small as your tone of voice produces massive consequences in the long haul of your relationships.

3. Be You Wherever You Are

This important idea comes from chapter ten when Screwtape encourages Wormwood to tempt his patient into being his pretend-self. Most of us enjoy being the normal one in the group and we don’t enjoy being the oddball—the elephant among ostriches. So we pretend to be who we aren’t to be like who we are with.

Screwtape mentions that all people tend to become who they’re pretending to be. If this is true, then we should, at the very least, pretend to be someone we would like to become and not pretend to be someone merely for the sake of being the normal one in the group—if there is such a thing.

However, it’s probably better to simply be ourselves—our best selves, I might add.

4. Do What You Enjoy Because You Enjoy It

This point is the twin brother to the prior point—but they’re not the same (check out chapter thirteen). Screwtape chastises Wormwood for allowing his patient to read a book which the patient actually enjoyed and to take a walk which the patient actually liked. Screwtape wants Wormwood’s patient to engage activities with only a sense of duty and no sense of pleasure.

This is like working out because it is good for us instead of actually enjoying the workout. Or reading a book because it is in vogue rather than having a sincere interest in the story or content. To engage life with a strict sense of duty rather than duty mingled with joy will sap the life in your days. Seriously.

This does not mean we all should only do what we enjoy, but seek for joy even in the duties of life—because the duties of life like our relationships, vocation, niceties, the DMV, etc. are the stuff of life. Since we will be miserable if we avoid them, we might as well embrace them with gratitude, intentionality, and joy. Life is easier this way even though life isn’t easy.

5. Live As If You Don’t Own Yourself

The notion of ownership, while necessary, creates a false reality. In chapter twenty-one, Screwtape wants Wormwood to induce his patient into thinking he owns more and more areas of his life—more than he really does.

Even though each of us own belongings and each purchase private property, our ownership of it does not capture the fact that it could cease to be ours at any moment by some force stronger than we. Then we carry the notion of mine to our bodies and our time which cause us to see misfortunes to our time and bodies, especially those caused by others, as a violation of our right to ownership. And to live with this deep sense of rights concerning ourselves elevates our self importance…and then makes us irritable from those perpetual misfortunes. We gain enemies and high blood pressure while relief and ease eludes us.

Demons know what they’re doing…at least Lewis’ constructed demon does. Many inconveniences begin with our perception. So how should we move forward?

We find the sweet spot through exercising responsibility and taking ownership of our lives—and by maintaining the belief that the hands gripping and controlling our lives are not our own because we don’t truly own ourselves. Just as Screwtape hints: all time which comes to us is not from us—it is a gift. We are stewards of this gift of time, not owners.

6. Allow Space For Differences In Your Relationships

Though we all would agree with this as common sense, we feel its difficulty the moment we try to move from cerebral adherence into tangible practice. It’s just hard. In chapter twenty-four, Screwtape wants Wormwood to tempt his patient into self-righteousness—particularly by finding a small circle of friends who agree on the exact same issue and then, using this assumption, to categorize who can and cannot be friends. The circle becomes insiders and everyone else outsiders.

It’s easier to hang out with people who agree with our view of the world—whether it be chocolate over vanilla, republican over democrat, Dallas over Fort Worth, or whatever…. For some, this is easier for some than for others, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Times of bickering over our opinions chance us all, but we have the option to stay out of the dog fight.

Expect and embrace the differences by affirming you don’t have all the knowledge to make intelligible decisions in every circumstance, you aren’t the owners of others, and others are human just like you. Let them make their opinion.

If we don’t allow space for differences in our relationships, then a subtle form of pride creeps into our lives. The more the pride creeps, the more alienated we will become. The more this pride creeps, the more fragile all our relationships will be. And that’s no fun.

In this short article, I merely skim the surface of Lewis’ deep series of letters from Screwtape. The compact letters are worth a slow reading to internalize the core of Lewis’ argument and wisdom in each. I highly recommend it and hope this brief article whets your appetite. If you’ve read Screwtape Letters, I’d love to here your thoughts on it.

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While each person has a unique vision of his or her Good Life, certain core components exist that we can achieve no matter our circumstances which are necessary for the Good Life. Contentment is a core component. I did not consider the benefits of contentment nor learn that we can become content without having everything we want until I was about 20.

I centered my life around competitive golf until age 18. In high school, I would get up at 5:00am, listen to 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ album (unedited), and run three miles to gain an advantage over my competitors. While they slept, I worked. I would repeat to myself, “Good, better, best: never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.” Coach Balch taught us this. From my idols like Floyd Mayweather and Tiger Woods, I learned that it was good to have an insatiable appetite for winning and to let this drive you—even to the point of an unhealthy and imbalanced life. Then I had a change of heart and, a few years after that, I learned about contentment.

To some of us, contentment is a fuzzy and elusive idea. We know it’s desirable, but are unsure how it feels or how to get it. Here’s a condensed attempt to clarify what contentment means and how to find it.

Contentment and Action are Not Enemies

I formerly believed contentment meant we exist in peace and poise while in a tranquil and calm environment. I thought contentment meant an outward stillness where we don’t move, but simply enjoy our situation or scenery.

This is not true. Contentment is an inward feeling, first and foremost, without connection to our circumstances or movements. Of course, nervous anxiety expresses itself through our fidgety twitches, but contentment is possible in a busy, hectic life. Just as it is possible to be discontent, anxious, or scared in serene circumstances, it’s possible to be content in fast-paced or uncertain circumstances.

Check out Shakespeare’s quote, “Poor and content is rich, and rich enough.”

No one wants to be poor, but we can be poor and content at the same time—as we can also have an active life and contentment at the same time.

Contentment is Not Complacency

Some frown upon those with no ambition. Others frown upon those who seem to have too much ambition. It’s easy to see complacent people and think they are content. Wrong.

Complacency is contentment’s evil sister in the same way that dissatisfied perfectionism is contentment’s evil brother. Complacency comes from a hopeless heart finding no confidence that any action will improve the situation. It also comes from a stale heart that is not willing to try any other drink because it is just fine with the taste of misery or mediocrity.

Contentment is Not Happiness

Contentment is like happiness, but is not happiness. Sometimes happiness and contentment are used interchangeably. But to be knit-picky, happy typically refers to one having fortunate circumstances. The cause of happiness came from the situation, not the person. Winning $1,000,000 would make me an extremely happy person from my good fortune—I would build a staircase going nowhere just for show. Likewise losing $1,000,000 would make me isolate myself for a few days due to depression—especially because that would mean I’m $1,000,000 in debt. Both situations are circumstances impacting my feelings and desires causing me to be happy or sad.

Contentment, on the other hand, refers to finding satisfaction within the situation. So feeling content is possible whether you win $1,000,000 or lose $1,000,000. The source of contentment comes from the person determining to find satisfaction in the situation irrespective of the good fortune or bad fortune from it.

Contentment feels like the opposite of nervous anxiety. Imagine leaving late to make a meeting and running into traffic only to make you later. Contentment knows that increasing your blood pressure, hitting the steering wheel, and losing your patience with your passenger doesn’t help the situation. Contentment sends a simple text saying, “I apologize for my delay. Left late and will be there ASAP.” It then let’s go of the inconvenience because it knows what it can control and what it can’t. Sitting in the car in traffic is too late to manipulate the situation to your favor. Contentment accepts the tardiness and continues preparing how you can make the most of the meeting. Then it adjusts in the future. As my wife tells me, “Aaron, we need to leave earlier next time.”

Contentment is a way of being mindful of your thoughts and desires and then controlling them. It corrects the negative thoughts and frames the situation with a better perspective. Contentment combats our insatiable nature knowing that it is just that—insatiable!

Contentment is Wealth

Socrates said, “Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”

Contentment is wealth because those without it find themselves driven by unstable desires that don’t even satisfy once it pushes them to finally fulfill them. While there are forms of discontent we all should have, discontentment generally pushes people away from people or uses people as objects for its own purpose—and that’s inhuman. No one likes feeling used.

Contentment is wealth because it means you have the ability to control yourself and not react to life’s vicissitudes. Yes—we have to react to what life throws at us. But we don’t have to react to what our desires throw at us. Thoughtful, steady responses produce a smooth life. And, remember, slow is smooth and smooth is fast—I love that quote. A content, smooth life is more satisfying in the long run than a reactive life—even if the reactive life produces more dopamine in the moment.

Gratitude is the Quickest Way to Contentment

Gratitude is contentment’s secret. It occurs when you become mindful of the good things in your life and choose to be glad over those rather than unhappy over what you don’t have. Often, contentment eludes us because we choose to focus on what is wrong or what we don’t have and then get down or angry due to our unhappy circumstance.

There’s not much else to say: gratitude is a choice of your attention and attitude. Gratitude is the decision to improve your circumstance by improving yourself—namely, how you think about the circumstance.

Christian Contentment is Unique

Since I’m a Christian, I can’t forgo comment on the unique nature of Christian contentment. That a good God exists, involves himself with the world, and actually cares about it fuels Christian contentment. This truth comes through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The peace this knowledge gives differs from the kind we experience through self-control and self-awareness only.

Contentment apart from Christian truth relies on acknowledging what we can control and what we can’t. It relies on an acceptance of the way things are. And produces the willingness to change what we know we can change. Most of the time, the main thing we can change in a circumstance is ourselves.

Contentment fueled by Christian truth gives additional knowledge of the one who does control what we can’t—God does. This is only helpful if that God is good—and he is. Furthermore, contentment fueled by Christian truth also gives a sure hope of defeating humanity’s number-one enemy. Death. If Jesus actually resurrected, then the world will not always be as it is—it’s moving toward God’s goal.

How does Contentment Relate to Improvement and Progress?

I hinted at this under “contentment is wealth.” Laziness and contentment are not equals. Contentment fosters level-headed planning, responses, and action in life. It allows you to examine your goals and desires, determine if their worth having, and then make the right moves to achieve them. Contentment acknowledges that our world and ourselves could be better and works vigorously to improve both. Here’s the secret: success in this work will make us happy, but our internal satisfaction does not depend on its success. That is how we know if we are operating out of contentment.

I’m not saying we will always be happy. Discouragement and sadness means we care. So they can be good things. A sense of tension exists in our lives. And it will probably never resolve itself— as we sway from contentment to discontentment back to contentment.

I’m curious to know your thoughts on this. Agree? Disagree? How do you view contentment?

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