The Gospel Solution

After 55 years of being in churches, Lutheran, Missionary, Nazarene, non-denominational, charismatic, etc. I have never heard this explained before. Pastors, you need to read this book! Sunday School teachers, you need to read this book! It's profound and very simple, at the same time. No wonder Jesus seemed to preach one thing and the rest of the New Testament seemed to preach a different thing. I urge everyone to read this book; let God speak to your heart and you will be relieved to hear the truth. Mr. Weaver, we look forward to reading your next books.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writer utilizes an tool that is far too often missing in theology and exegesis. That tool is common sense. Those who disagree with the writer's methods and conclusions will no doubt seek to attribute his ideas to the bogeyman of "dispensationalism". The message of this book can not be explained away in such a simplistic manner however. Where does the Old Covenant end and the New Covenant begin? Somewhere between Malachi and Matthew? The basis for Weaver's "Gospel Solution" is that the two covenants meet at the cross, and that the purpose of Jesus' ministry prior to the cross, was not to lay down the rules for the New Covenant, but to prepare the people of the Old Covenant for the coming of the New. Alongside this book I recommend Philip Janowsky's "The Evangelical Essential".

Have you ever had problems with some of the sayings of Jesus in the New Testament? So have I. What was Jesus trying to say? The Authors of this great book explain why we have those problems with the hard sayings of Christ.I agree with what Tom Weaver and John Souter wrote in this book regarding Transitionalism. I will expain the four principles below.Principle #1 TransitionalThe ministry of Jesus is lived under the old covenant. While it prepared people for the coming new covenant, it was primarily directed towards those still living under the law.Principle #2 ConvictionThe purpose in the Lord's teaching ministry was to bring his people, the Jews, to a conviction of sin so that they could grasp their need for a savior and be ready for grace.Principle #3 Evocative (i.e. to call anew) Jesus meant to evoke (or even provoke) a response from his audience rather than just to clarify his meaning. The significance of what he said was often meant to dawn on his hearers with unexpected and subtle power.Principle #4 Interwoven ContextAny single passage with the synoptic Gospels should be viewed and understood in the light of the larger context of Scripture surrounding it. Adjacent passages are often interwoven together to interpret one another.This book is great in that it explains passages in Jesus Christ's teaching ministry that are hard to take ... i.e., if your right hand offends you cut it off; if you eye offends you, pluck it out, etc. I think Jesus' goal was to make folks realize that to follow law was so hard that the only way they could be saved was the need for a savior. How enlightening!!! 5 Stars!!!

This book underlines the fact that many have proclaimed for hundreds of years. Jesus is the greatest teacher ever. He did not try to impart everything He wanted them to know by direct instruction. He used the questioning method and allowed the disciple to hear and be disturbed or even confused enough to try hard to make sense of His words. He was not concerned that His followers immediately understood Him. He wanted them to make the new knowledge their own. This book will make you think and give you a freedom that you may never have realized. Jesus came to teach us how to love each other. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male or female, etc. Jesus taught as one who has authority because He is the Truth. Tom Weaver has found a simple key to the Gospel--understanding that Jesus words before His crucifixion were spoken to people who were still under the Old Covenant. This book explained how Jesus came to be the New Covenant and after His death and His resurrection He would be understood by those who had really "listened" to His teaching. Weaver spells out that He came to give us life more abundant not the law that leads to death, but grace that leads to life. Jesus healed people by forgiveness and teaching them forgiveness. Tom Weaver has put what most Christians already knew but could never quite express as well as he has. I have bought three copies of this book and have passed them on to people who have trouble with the hard sayings of Jesus, people who have had a major loss in their lives or people who think that Christians are hypocritical. It is common to man for us to see ourselves with grace and the other person with legalism. Reading this book is a humbling experience, but it gives you that satisfied feeling of finally something makes sense....

Ever start a book and know almost immediately that it may have something very important to tell you? "The Gospel Solution" struck such a familiar chord in me, and in such a very personal way, that I was quite skeptical about the author's ability to offer a real breakthrough, let alone a solution. But I think he did. When Tom Weaver, my Pastor, offered me a draft copy of this book to read, I was apprehensive. What if I didn't like it? What would I tell him? I began reading and my concerns quickly vanished as the text reached out and grabbed my attention. The difficulties I have encountered when reading the Lord's words in the Gospels, the guilt and confusion I have had, have been a source of discouragement since accepting Christ as my Savior. Missing for me was experiencing the joy and comfort of God's love and grace, always so keenly aware of the impossible things Jesus seemed to be demanding of me. If forgiveness for all sin was truly accomplished on the cross (which I believe it was), then how could the Lord say things like "But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins"...? This conflict was deeply troublesome. Tom Weaver offers a valuable tool, a method of interpretation, which dramatically opened things up for me. His contribution is "transitionalism," principles that provide the first step towards truly experiencing God's grace -- and freedom from the shackles of paralyzing misconceptions. To loosely borrow a phrase from the book -- "the significance of what he says resonates with unexpected and subtle power." He recognizes questions or concerns that readers may have ("Why hasn't someone taught this before?" "Will some Christians use this as a license to become flippant towards evil and fall into sin?") and addresses them more than adequately. I think he was a little hard on the Pharisees, painting them a bit more evil in their misguided arrogance than I would. Perhaps, to me, they are simply lost like the rest of us, although they're professional at it. Some may be uncomfortable with his frank observations regarding his own sin nature, giving up the safety of pretense. I was encouraged by it, as it challenges me to be as honest with myself. I found many things to think about further, and plan to go through this book again. I recommend "The Gospel Solution" and believe that the implications of what Tom Weaver presents can greatly enhance my walk with God. Basically, I like the way he thinks and the way he put those thoughts into print