What is the Gospel?
Sometimes if a particular Bible verse sticks out to me in an especially potent way I will write it down on an index card and carry it around with me for a day. I'll refer back to it, sometimes memorize it, and meditate on its meaning, praying different aspects of it.
Yesterday I did this with the following verse from the book of Romans: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16) Awesome, right?!
Maybe it's because everyone around me lately has been talking about evangelism; maybe it's because I've been listening to Matt Chandler sermons non-stop, and he is quite gospel-obsessed; maybe it's just the Lord - but this verse grabbed me, and it continues to expand and build momentum the more that I think about it.
There is one question, specifically, that arises as I reflect on the truth of this Scripture. If Paul is not ashamed of it, and if it is literally the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, then what is this gospel?
Obviously I'm not the first to ask the question. In fact, in recent years I have noticed a resurgence of talk around this topic. Numerous books address this very question.
I haven't read any of those books, to be honest. But I agree with their authors that the topic is vitally important. According to the above mentioned verse, it is this authentic gospel alone, and not "a different gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:4), that carries with it the power to rescue people from wrath and escort them into the kingdom of God's beloved Son, if received with genuine faith.
So what is it? Well, here are some thoughts. Hopefully this blog is a jump start for your own journey into discovering (or rediscovering) the true gospel of Jesus Christ that saves sinners like you and I, and causes eternal joy in Jesus. I believe that once it touches out hearts in a fresh way, it will inevitably make its way through our actions and words to the people around us.
First of all, the Greek word for "gospel" in the New Testament means "good news." So the terms "gospel" and "good news" are interchangeable, as far as the Bible is concerned. The gospel, then, is not advice, or a set of principles, as both Timothy Keller and N.T. Wright have noted. It is news. It is the proclamation of something that has happened. Something that God has done. Something that holds tremendous implications for everyone who has ever lived.
My personal gospel breakdown includes several words that start with "c." Because if I can't have a list of words that start with the same letter, I'll never qualify as a real preacher.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of...
1. God's Character. To me, the message of who God is necessarily precedes the news of what He has done. The great capsule summary verse of the gospel message, John 3:16, begins with "For God..." The first verse of the Bible, which is the Book of God's grand redemption gospel plan, starts with the words, "In the beginning, God..." (Genesis 1:1) And the Lord's prayer, the most important instruction on personal communion with God in the whole Bible, commences with a focus on God's character before a single request is made: "Our Father in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9)
It is indeed news, and it goes like this: "There is a God, and He is totally set apart from anything you have ever seen or known! He is good, just, righteous, kind, patient, and awesome in power." The gospel begins with God.
2. Jesus's first Coming. This one needs some explaining. Why would God come to earth in such a personal way? The answer is disturbing, and it is vital to the gospel message. In the face of the good and beautiful God, all humanity has sinned - missed the mark. We consciously chose what we knew to be wrong. We were born into the world depraved, and as soon as we became morally accountable we continued to disregard our revelation of God and His ways. A righteous and just God can only respond to this injustice by a punishment that fits the crime: an eternal prison sentence away from God's presence in a place called hell.
But God is not only righteous and just, He is also merciful and kind. So He came. He joined Himself to sinful humanity and became one of us, eating, walking, growing, hungering and thirsting like any other normal person. We were desperately trapped in our sin cycles, and He did something about it.
3. The Crucifixion. Why is the bloody tortuous death sentence of the God-man part of the good news? Because this was the means of our rescue. Though He had never sinned, the good and kind God-man willingly subjected Himself to the murderous intentions of sinful people. In a surprise turnaround, this very gruesome death became our redemption. As Jesus was nailed to the cross in utter darkness, He absorbed all of our sins and sicknesses upon Himself. When He took His last breath, history shifted. The one thing separating man from God - sin - had been paid for in full.
4. The Conquering of Sin and Death. After His horrific death, Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, but He did not stay there. He rose. And in His resurrection every hope and dream of humanity was restored as well. The earth would continue to groan under the weight of evil, but there was now a Cure. This Cure is the message that a righteous and kind God (character) looked upon broken and hopeless humanity and did something about it, sending His own Son (coming) to die for our sins (crucifixion) and be raised for our new life (conquering). This is the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and then to all the rest of the Gentile people groups.
Jesus ascended into heaven, victorious over sin and death, to sit at the right hand of the Father. He now lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25), leading His church to grow up into maturity by fulfilling the Great Commandment to love and the Great Commission to make disciples.
5. Jesus's Second Coming. The news that we are called to herald is more than just a past tense news. Not only is it yesterday's headlines, it is tomorrow's headlines. This same Jesus is coming again. When He comes, He will complete what He started at His first coming. This is an essential part of the message. For those who respond to the gospel cure, this is glorious news. Our salvation will be consummated, and we will live forever with the beautiful God, His pure and perfected family, in a restored paradise on earth.
But for those who reject the gospel cure, it is troubling news. The Lamb who came to save them will come as a Lion to trample them. For there is only one salvation, and that is His salvation.
This is the news. This is what has happened, is happening, and will happen. All we can do is respond with faith and repentance. A good life cannot save us. We must believe in the Son of the beautiful God, Jesus, and what He had done for us on the cross (faith), and we must turn from our old mindsets and ways (repentance). Thus begins our adventure of new life with Jesus.
The gospel is Jesus. It is His character, His coming, His crucifixion, His conquering of sin and death, and His coming again. Only Jesus can save.
It is to this Jesus, and His gospel, that I want to gladly give my life.
Yesterday I did this with the following verse from the book of Romans: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16) Awesome, right?!
Maybe it's because everyone around me lately has been talking about evangelism; maybe it's because I've been listening to Matt Chandler sermons non-stop, and he is quite gospel-obsessed; maybe it's just the Lord - but this verse grabbed me, and it continues to expand and build momentum the more that I think about it.
There is one question, specifically, that arises as I reflect on the truth of this Scripture. If Paul is not ashamed of it, and if it is literally the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, then what is this gospel?
Obviously I'm not the first to ask the question. In fact, in recent years I have noticed a resurgence of talk around this topic. Numerous books address this very question.
I haven't read any of those books, to be honest. But I agree with their authors that the topic is vitally important. According to the above mentioned verse, it is this authentic gospel alone, and not "a different gospel" (2 Corinthians 11:4), that carries with it the power to rescue people from wrath and escort them into the kingdom of God's beloved Son, if received with genuine faith.
So what is it? Well, here are some thoughts. Hopefully this blog is a jump start for your own journey into discovering (or rediscovering) the true gospel of Jesus Christ that saves sinners like you and I, and causes eternal joy in Jesus. I believe that once it touches out hearts in a fresh way, it will inevitably make its way through our actions and words to the people around us.
First of all, the Greek word for "gospel" in the New Testament means "good news." So the terms "gospel" and "good news" are interchangeable, as far as the Bible is concerned. The gospel, then, is not advice, or a set of principles, as both Timothy Keller and N.T. Wright have noted. It is news. It is the proclamation of something that has happened. Something that God has done. Something that holds tremendous implications for everyone who has ever lived.
My personal gospel breakdown includes several words that start with "c." Because if I can't have a list of words that start with the same letter, I'll never qualify as a real preacher.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of...
1. God's Character. To me, the message of who God is necessarily precedes the news of what He has done. The great capsule summary verse of the gospel message, John 3:16, begins with "For God..." The first verse of the Bible, which is the Book of God's grand redemption gospel plan, starts with the words, "In the beginning, God..." (Genesis 1:1) And the Lord's prayer, the most important instruction on personal communion with God in the whole Bible, commences with a focus on God's character before a single request is made: "Our Father in heaven..." (Matthew 6:9)
It is indeed news, and it goes like this: "There is a God, and He is totally set apart from anything you have ever seen or known! He is good, just, righteous, kind, patient, and awesome in power." The gospel begins with God.
2. Jesus's first Coming. This one needs some explaining. Why would God come to earth in such a personal way? The answer is disturbing, and it is vital to the gospel message. In the face of the good and beautiful God, all humanity has sinned - missed the mark. We consciously chose what we knew to be wrong. We were born into the world depraved, and as soon as we became morally accountable we continued to disregard our revelation of God and His ways. A righteous and just God can only respond to this injustice by a punishment that fits the crime: an eternal prison sentence away from God's presence in a place called hell.
But God is not only righteous and just, He is also merciful and kind. So He came. He joined Himself to sinful humanity and became one of us, eating, walking, growing, hungering and thirsting like any other normal person. We were desperately trapped in our sin cycles, and He did something about it.
3. The Crucifixion. Why is the bloody tortuous death sentence of the God-man part of the good news? Because this was the means of our rescue. Though He had never sinned, the good and kind God-man willingly subjected Himself to the murderous intentions of sinful people. In a surprise turnaround, this very gruesome death became our redemption. As Jesus was nailed to the cross in utter darkness, He absorbed all of our sins and sicknesses upon Himself. When He took His last breath, history shifted. The one thing separating man from God - sin - had been paid for in full.
4. The Conquering of Sin and Death. After His horrific death, Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb, but He did not stay there. He rose. And in His resurrection every hope and dream of humanity was restored as well. The earth would continue to groan under the weight of evil, but there was now a Cure. This Cure is the message that a righteous and kind God (character) looked upon broken and hopeless humanity and did something about it, sending His own Son (coming) to die for our sins (crucifixion) and be raised for our new life (conquering). This is the gospel, the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and then to all the rest of the Gentile people groups.
Jesus ascended into heaven, victorious over sin and death, to sit at the right hand of the Father. He now lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25), leading His church to grow up into maturity by fulfilling the Great Commandment to love and the Great Commission to make disciples.
5. Jesus's Second Coming. The news that we are called to herald is more than just a past tense news. Not only is it yesterday's headlines, it is tomorrow's headlines. This same Jesus is coming again. When He comes, He will complete what He started at His first coming. This is an essential part of the message. For those who respond to the gospel cure, this is glorious news. Our salvation will be consummated, and we will live forever with the beautiful God, His pure and perfected family, in a restored paradise on earth.
But for those who reject the gospel cure, it is troubling news. The Lamb who came to save them will come as a Lion to trample them. For there is only one salvation, and that is His salvation.
This is the news. This is what has happened, is happening, and will happen. All we can do is respond with faith and repentance. A good life cannot save us. We must believe in the Son of the beautiful God, Jesus, and what He had done for us on the cross (faith), and we must turn from our old mindsets and ways (repentance). Thus begins our adventure of new life with Jesus.
The gospel is Jesus. It is His character, His coming, His crucifixion, His conquering of sin and death, and His coming again. Only Jesus can save.
It is to this Jesus, and His gospel, that I want to gladly give my life.
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