Every Christian will claim that they know the gospel of Jesus Christ. But then they should have absolutely no hunger or thirst left – in other words, no unfulfilled longings or needs. Unfortunately, everyday pastoral care looks very different. Do Christians really know the true gospel?
The Lord Jesus Christ makes a crucial statement to the Samaritan woman at the well: "If you knew God's gift ..." (John 4:10). What exactly did the Lord mean by God's gift? After all, our entire quality of life obviously stands or falls with our practical experience of this gift.
The New Testament recognizes a true gospel and a false gospel. Ultimately, it is the tension between grace and law – between an overflowing life and a life blocked by law. Since most Christians still live under the law, they cannot know God's gift. These crucial connections are carefully worked out theologically and presented very clearly in the lecture.
The true gospel – we call it the gospel of Christ – has three central concepts: grace, gift, and faith. Those who have correctly understood these basic spiritual elements and, above all, apply them constantly in their daily lives, have abundant life. They are truly in Christ – and Christ in us is both the reason for the inner source that bubbles up into eternal life and for the streams of living water that flow from our bodies.
How this source comes into being and why streams of living water will then inevitably flow out of us is explained in the lecture, along with many practical tips. The story of the thirsty Samaritan woman is ideal for illustrating basic spiritual principles. One person knows God's "gift" and spreads divine life to those around him every day, starting in his own home. The other, on the other hand, is constantly busy drawing water. In doing so, he will exhaust himself and never know or spread the overflowing life that is promised to us in Christ.
Do you want to know the true gospel? Then examine these explanations and put them into practice in your everyday life!
A brief and concise summary of this lecture can also be found under the category "Study Topics" - If you knew the gift of God - John 4:10 (html/pdf)
The lecture was filmed afterwards and is available to watch and study on Bruno Schaer Ministries' YouTube channel: 
