Earnest Hemingway: The Gospel in Six Words

Legend has it that Earnest Hemingway had a bet with his friends that he could write a compelling story in just six words. They didn’t believe it was possible and made the bet. Hemingway came up with:

“For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn.”

Those six words drip with mystery, suffering, and the unknown.

Now much ink has been spilled recently searching for proof that these six words originated with Hemingway. You can read here if interested in finding out more. However, what I’m interested in is taking this same seed and planting it in the garden of the gospel story.

How would you describe the gospel in six words? Surely the gospel cannot be fully summed up in six words but we can implant expectancy, mystery, and history into those six words. These six words should compel the hearer to want to know more.

Here are a few of my own ideas:

• Slaves transformed into sons of God.
• God as man saves the world.
• Condemned justified by blood of Man.
• Man who changes everything has come.

So how would you tell the story of the gospel in six words?