Do not read the gospel relying only on a few quotations from here and there. That could be misleading, or even dangerous.
Reading quotations alone will not give you the context from which a specific idea or event arose. This would leave you uninformed about illuminating explanations in other parts of the scriptures related to the idea or event embodied in those quotations.
For instance, if you read Leviticus 24:20, "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth", but didn't read Luke 6:29, "And unto him that smite thee on one cheek offer also the other", your chances of finding valuable truths in other parts of the scriptures that would inform your interactions with your neighbors would be lost.
In addition, as we read the scriptures we should be able to distinguish between those times when Jesus is speaking to the physical person, and when he is speaking to the soul; for, being God, Jesus can see both the physical and spiritual persons at the same time.
For example, in John 3:3 Jesus was speaking to the soul when he said, "I say unto thee, except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Certainly, Jesus couldn't be telling grown men and women to re-enter their mothers' wombs to be born again. He was referring to the rebirth of the soul by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Again, in John 6:55-56 Jesus was speaking to the soul when he said, "For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him."
With this statement, Jesus was not inviting his followers to come after him with sharp knives, cut pieces of his flesh to eat, and drink his blood. He meant their souls should eat and drink the word of God to be saved from eternal damnation, as a physical person should eat meat and drink wine to avoid death from starvation.
Nothing is more important in Christianity than hearing, reading, speaking and practicing the gospel. All the other things we do as Christians are peripheral to our happiness here on earth, and our salvation hereafter.
When Jesus' work on earth was done, and about to ascend into heaven, he promised not to leave us as orphans. So he asked God (John 14:15-17), to give us the Spirit of Truth, and this spirit working through inspired authors gave us the gospel.
And as the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, so too after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Spirit of Truth became the gospel, so that by reading it daily, we would receive the divine wisdom and power of God to find happiness on earth and eternal bliss hereafter.
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