Do You Know the Gospel

The radios blare, the televangelists shout and froth, and the false teaches abound around the land, but do they really know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel, or better yet, the Good News, seems to have been lost among many of the biggest names and loudest voices selling their wares and prostituting the pulpit. What is the Good News, why is this news important, and what is the normative means by which this news is spread?

The Good News

It really is quite simple when one thinks about it. This is it:

The good news of God’s redemption of sinful humanity through the life, death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ.

Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).

The beauty of the Gospel is in its simplicity. That is not to say that every doctrine in Scripture is equally clear, for who has fully comprehended the majesty of the Trinity or plumbed the depths of the Incarnation of the Eternal Son? However, we must not confuse the deep things God with the message of salvation as told upon the pages of the Bible. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 lays out the Gospel for us in terms that we can all comprehend:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

For our Sins

Sin is a very unpopular word in today’s society, even among those who stand in the pulpit and sit in the pews. It is often labeled as mistakes, little white lies, bad judgment, but sin is rebellion against God, our refusal or failure to obey His commands, and is understood as one having missed the mark. Sin is the universal problem among the fallen posterity of Adam: We are all born into sin Psalm 51:5, our hearts are wicked continually Genesis 6:5, and in Adam we were made sinners Romans 5:19.

Paul makes this more than clear in Romans 3:22

For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Sin comes from out of our heart (desires) and is a part of our nature. Jesus speaks directly to this in Mark 7:20-23

And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man

as does the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2: also letting us know that we are dead in sins and trespasses

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

If you think “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” does not apply to you, just ask yourself some simple questions. Have you ever lied? Stolen something? Committed adultery in your heart? Fornicated? Been angry without cause? If you answered yes to any of the questions then you are indeed guilty, separated from God, and worthy of the just judgment that is awaiting you.

The Gospel and Christ’s Death

Christ died for sins. Every vile stain and blemish. Every act of rebellion against God: past, present, and future. He died for our sins, according to eternal decree and foreknowledge of the Triune God: John 6:37-40 John 10:11 Ephesians 1:3,11 Romans 8:29-34. Have you trusted in Christ? Repented of your sins? Come before Him as the only Savior? Then Christ has died for you and His death is efficacious.

Isaiah wrote centuries before the birth of Christ in Isaiah 53:5-6

5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He paid the debt we could not pay. He lay down His life that we may have life and He rose again for our justification.

Rose Again according to the Gospel

As sinners, we have no right standing before God. We are lost and undone but Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose again for our salvation. In rising from the dead He proved to everyone that He is the I AM, that His sacrifice was accepted Romans 1:4 and that the means of justification for His people was complete Romans 4:25.

The death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is good news and is received by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 lets us know that we are saved by grace through faith and not of works, it is the gift of God. It is not by our works, our righteousness, or our good intentions. It is the unmerited favor of God bestowed upon unworthy sinners received by the empty hand of faith that justifies us. Yet it is Christ that justifies us, faith is the instrumental means of receiving that justification. We, as sinners, must believe in the finished work of Christ; the normative means of coming to faith is the preaching of the word.

All those who call upon the Lord shall be saved, but how can they call upon the one of whom they have never heard? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Romans 10:14. Just before that verse Paul informs us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in heart that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved Romans 10:9-10.

Sinner, today is the day of salvation. Do not harden your heart, but repent and believe the Gospel for the forgiveness of your sins. There is no other way, for there is no other name given under heaven whereby men must be saved. That name is the name above every name: the name of Jesus Christ.