The Gospel
Fundamentally, our Lord’s message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He Himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, “I am the Bread.” He did not come merely to shed light; He said, “I am the Light.” He did not come merely to show the door; He said, “I am the Door.” He did not come merely to name a shepherd; He said, “I am the Shepherd.” He did not come merely to point the way; He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (J. Sidlow Baxter)
The centrality of the gospel is the very person of Jesus Christ. In other words, He is the good news. The good news is not the message in and of itself, but the very person and work of Christ. As Baxter points out “our Lord’s message was Himself.” It is Christ who is to be treasured and loved and it is Christ who alone should be the object of our adoration and worship.
We hope the resources below will help you understand the Gospel with greater clarity.
The English word gospel means good news. It is derived from the Old English gōd-spell, which quite literally means "good news" or "glad tidings". It comes from a word-for-word translation of the Greek compound word euangelion (eu- "good", -angelion "message").
So, gospel means good news/tidings/message. The gospel of Jesus Christ is indeed good news for the world. It is a message of good tidings to a lost world void of light and hope. And the good news is this: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).
“…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15)
The gospel of Jesus Christ is this: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Source: Lake Road Chapel. Visit www.lakeroadchapel.org
THE CHARACTER OF GOD
GOD IS HOLY
You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong (Habakkuk 1:13)
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)
GOD IS JUST
For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. (Psalm 11:7)
God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day. If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow... (Psalm 7:11-12)
THE DEPRAVITY AND CONDEMNATION OF MAN
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6)
YOUR GREAT DILEMMA
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord. (Proverbs 17:15)
Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25)
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” (Galatians 3:10)
GOD’S RESPONSE TO YOUR DILEMMA
MOTIVATED BY LOVE
God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:8-10)
THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26)
THE RESURRECTION
Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
MAN’S RESPONSE
REPENTANCE
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. (Psalm 51:3-4)
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15)
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, (Isaiah 1:16)
WHAT IS FAITH?
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:21)
FAITH BASED ON THE PROMISES OF GOD
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31)
MARKS OF A GENUINE BELIEVER
Who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3)
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? (Matthew 7:16)
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5)
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)
ARE YOU SAVED? TESTS OF BIBLICAL ASSURANCE
1 John 1:5-7 (Walking in the Light), 1 John 1:8-10 (Confession of Sin), 1 John 2:3-4 (Obedience), 1 John 2:9-11 (Love for the Brethren), 1 John 2:15-17 (Hatred for the world), 1 John 2:24-25 (Perseverance in Doctrine), 1 John 3:10 (Righteousness), 1 John 4:13 (Spirit’s Testimony), Hebrews 12:5-8 (Discipline)
The Character of God and the Nature of Man
God is holy and just. He is pure and perfect and hates sin. You have sinned against God by breaking His law. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Because God is a good and just judge, He must punish you. If He didn’t, He would be a corrupt judge. You are guilty and deserve hell as a just punishment of God’s wrath towards you.
God’s Response to Man’s Dilemma
However, motivated by the depth of His great love for you, 2,000 years ago, He became a man and died on a cross as a payment for your sins. Jesus Christ, the God-man, laid down His life for you. He took upon Himself your sins and the punishment that you deserved, in order that you might be forgiven and saved. You are loved.
There is no greater love story than what Jesus Christ did for you. He voluntarily laid down His life for you. You broke the Law, He paid your fine. He came for you. He died for you. He didn’t just talk about loving you; He demonstrated it by dying and shedding His blood on your behalf. He loves you with an eternal, passionate and unconditional love that you will not find in anyone, anything or anywhere.
Man’s Response to God’s Action
As a response to what God has done, you must turn from your sins (repent) and believe (faith) in the Lord Jesus Christ as your only hope. This means that you must recognise and confess what God says about you is true; that you are a guilty sinner in need of forgiveness and mercy.
If you repent of your sins and place your trust in Christ the Saviour, God promises to forgive you of all your sins and grant you salvation through everlasting life with Him.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
The Four Historical Facts of the Gospel
- Christ died for our sins;
- He was buried;
- He was raised on the third day;
- He appeared.
The heart of the gospel is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. (C.H. Spurgeon)
Let it be a settled principle in our minds that the first and chief business of the Church of Christ is to preach the Gospel. The words of Paul ought to be constantly remembered – “Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel” (1 Cor. 1:17). (J.C. Ryle)
There is no doctrine more excellent in itself or more necessary to be preached and, studied, than the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and him crucified. All other knowledge, how much soever it be magnified in the world, is, and ought to be esteemed but dross, in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. (John Flavel)
The gospel is so simple that small children can understand it, and it is so profound that studies by the wisest theologians will never exhaust its riches. (Charles Hodge)
Fundamentally, our Lord’s message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He Himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, “I am the Bread.” He did not come merely to shed light; He said, “I am the Light.” He did not come merely to show the door; He said, “I am the Door.” He did not come merely to name a shepherd; He said, “I am the Shepherd.” He did not come merely to point the way; He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (J. Sidlow Baxter)
This, then, is the gospel we are to proclaim: That Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, humbled Himself to die on our behalf. Thus He became the sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty of our guilt. He rose from the dead to declare with power that He is Lord over all, and He offers eternal life freely to sinners who will surrender to Him in humble, repentant faith. This gospel promises nothing to the haughty rebel, but for broken, penitent sinners, it graciously offers everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). (John MacArthur)
The Gospel is a fact, therefore tell it simply; it is a joyful fact, therefore tell it cheerfully; it is an entrusted fact, therefore tell it faithfully; it is a fact of infinite moment, therefore tell it earnestly; it is a fact about a Person, therefore preach Christ. (Archibald G. Brown)
The summary of the gospel is that our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Son of God, has revealed the will of His heavenly Father to us, and with His innocence has redeemed us from death, and has reconciled us with God. Therefore, Christ is the only way to salvation for all those who have been, are, and will be. (Ulrich Zwingli)
The gospel by itself does not save, but God through the gospel saves a person in Christ. (F.W. Grosheide)
To preach the gospel is really to unfold the heart of God, the person and work of Christ; and all this by the present energy of the Holy Ghost, from the exhaustless treasury of Holy Scripture. (C.H. McIntosh)
