The gospel

"I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry" Don Carson

"We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross."
David Prior

"Our consistent pursuit has always been to keep the gospel central in everything we do. We never assume that there's already sufficient understanding, appreciation, and experience of "Jesus Christ and Him crucified." C J Mahaney

"The gospel cannot be preached and heard enough, for it cannot be grasped well enough.... Moreover, our greatest task is to keep you faithful to this article and to bequeath this treasure to you when we die." Martin Luther

"Now I would remind you brothers of the gospel I preached to you .... for I delivered to you as of FIRST IMPORTANCE what I have also received: that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS"
Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church

I grew up learning much of the periphery around the cross. In fact, I thought the gospel was a very basic doctrine that had to be learnt and after which moved on from. But the past few years in particular had been particularly intense simply because God allowed me to see my error and had mercifully corrected me. I am now convinced that the gospel is indeed, of first importance- to be preached again and again until the day i die. Everything else should be expounded according to its relationship with the center. I am fully convicted of the fact that the deepest and most precious thing we learn about Christianity is the first thing we learnt about it upon conversion - that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS.

I believe that we would discover almost everything about eschatology(Revelations and all that) but we would spend our whole lives marvelling at the grace of God upon the cross. The cross will still demand eternal amazement and our hearts will learn an infinity about its beauty at every moment and yet realise that there is still so much more.

I was brought up with the periphery for much of my teenage life. As you might then suspect, I became really angry with the fact that no one taught me about the gospel. For so long I was taught to admire light emitted from light bulbs. No one put me through the bible to gape in wonder at the sun. It was by grace that I was led to the gospel, not just as an item of salvation but as the center of all theology. Till today, this alone, this illumination has made all the difference and I am exceedingly glad in Christ.