What Is The Gospel? – Another blog in a series on essential doctrines of Jesus-followers.
The Gospel has done more for mankind than anything else; economic, medical, political, musical, literary. Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, left his disciples with a commission that is repeated at least six times in the New Testament. “Go into all the world and preach the good news (gospel) to all creation” (Mark 16:15). It is imperative that we have clarity about this transforming message that we are to preach.
And yet even during the time of the apostles, the gospel was being perverted. Paul wrote to the Galatians; “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned” (Gal. 1:6-8). Confusion about the gospel is damning.
So, let’s clarify. Because of its summary nature John 3:16 is helpful. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This verse states several fundamental new covenant facts: God loves the world, God gave his one and only Son because he loves the world, people are perishing but they can have eternal life, and receiving eternal life is contingent upon believing.
This raises several questions. Why is the world perishing? The world is perishing because of the Fall as a result of which “all (every single human who has ever lived) have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). What does perishing mean? Sin estranges us from God and dooms us to everlasting death in hell. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom 1:18). Jesus often warned of hell. “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). Hell is a place of eternal torment and separation from God.
Who is Jesus? He is God’s only Son, and as established in earlier chapters in this series, he eternally existed as God but embraced humanity through being born of a virgin, he lived a perfect life and died upon the cross for our sins. In this sense God gave his Son to die as the atoning sacrifice for our sins and empowered him to rise the third day.
What response must people give to the gospel? Rescue requires belief that one is perishing and bound for hell as the consequence of one’s sin, faith in who Jesus is, and what he came to do. That belief rescues the believing person from doom. He receives salvation.
Verse sixteen of chapter three of John is but a part of the explanation Jesus makes to Nicodemus about what is necessary to “enter the kingdom of God”, that is, the spiritual kingdom where God rules or the society over whom Christ reigns as Lord. During the course of that conversation Jesus explained to Nicodemus that he must be re-born, that is, regenerated. In later posts we’ll consider the meaning of regeneration.
But let’s further clarify the gospel by considering Paul’s description in his epistle to the Corinthians. “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.…for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared …to more than five hundred of the brothers as the same time, most of who are still living” (1 Cor 15:1-6).
Let’s summarize the gospel:
We need salvation from our sins for our sins break God’s laws and incur real guilt that requires punishment.Christ died for our sins. His death upon the cross atoned, or paid the penalty that our sins incurred before the bar of divine justice.Christ really died and was buried for three days. He did not merely faint or lose consciousness.Christ rose bodily from the grave. He was seen alive after his resurrection by many.To be saved from one’s sins one must receive as true these historical facts.Belief in this gospel also leads us to affirm as true the Scriptures which predict and describe the coming, life, death and resurrection of Christ.Belief in this Gospel leads to living a life as prescribed by the Scriptures, affirming its truth, and standing firm upon this belief over the remaining days of our life. (See perseverance of the saints in a following post.)The gospel, then, is the message that all of us are sinners who can only be saved from the consequences of our sins by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, particularly his death to pay the penalty for our sins, his burial, and his resurrection on the third day.
The gospel includes an appeal. Note how Jesus began his ministry. “Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has some,’ he said, ‘the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (Mark 1:14,15). Paul explained his ministry to the leaders of the Ephesian church. “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).
The gospel calls sinners to respond with repentance and faith. Repentance is a confession of our sinfulness and a turning from a sinful lifestyle to embrace a lifestyle that pleases God. The 1689 Confession describes it as being characterized “by godly sorrow, a detestation of the sin.”
Faith is an affirmation of our belief in who Jesus is and what he has done for us along with a belief that he can save us from our sins. It is a turning from doubt to trust in God.
Responding to the gospel by repenting and believing leads to conversion. Steven Lawson of Ligonier Ministries describes conversion as: “a spiritual turning away from sin in repentance and to Christ in faith. It is a dramatic turning away from one path in order to pursue an entirely new one. It involves turning one’s back to the system of the world and its anti-God values.”
Converted sinners reject their old way of life and turn in a new direction. Following conversion, repentance and faith continue to characterize the believer’s attitude towards God because converted sinners are not perfect but subject to continuing temptations. But a sinner’s repentance and faith commences a wonderful new beginning that leads onward towards heaven and rescues us from going downwards toward hell.
Clarity about the gospel is a matter of spiritual life and death. Unfortunately, just as in the days of the apostles, many proclaim a false gospel. But any message that denies the deity and humanity of Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for our sins is anathema. Any proclamation of “easy believism” that fails to call for repentance is a false gospel as is “decisionism” that emphasizes saying a set prayer for conversion or simply belief in Jesus without an emphasis on turning from sin and an ongoing walk of discipleship. So is any denial of human depravity and the reality of an eternal hell.
The chapters in a projected book, of which these blogs are part, further delineate the dimensions of genuine belief.
(Let me know your thoughts on this subject. If you appreciate this blog, please pass it on. If I can help you spiritually, let me know. Further articles, books, and stories at: Facebook: Eric E Wright Twitter: @EricEWright1 LinkedIn: Eric Wright ; Eric’s books are available at: https://www.amazon.com/Eric-E.-Wright/e/B00355HPKK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share)
