What is the Gospel?

I use the word gospel often. I’m a pastor. It’s in my vocabulary. If you talk to me long enough, I’ll talk about the gospel in some way or another. The church I pastor uses this word often, too. Christian authors, theologians, speakers, leaders, and pastors throw this word around frequently. But what is the gospel?

The term gospel simply means ‘good news.’ This word is not unique to Christianity, however. In ancient times, there would be gospel riders, individuals tasked with bringing the good news of victory from the battlefield. But when we’re talking about the Christian gospel, we are referring to the good news of God reconciling sinners to Himself through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That may seem like a simple sentence, but it’s packed with profound truth. When I think through the gospel, I think through these four (4) elements: God, Man, Christ, and Response. I want to look at these individually.

God

First, the gospel is the good news about God. The gospel reveals a lot about God. The gospel tells us who He is, what He’s like, His standards, and requirements. God is our creator and Righteous ruler. The Bible begins, “In the beginning, God… (Gen. 1:1).” The Bible opens with history’s most basic statement about reality. God created, sustains, and rules everything that exists. Everything starts from this point. If we get this wrong, we get everything else wrong, too. How does God create? He creates through His Word. What did God create? Everything. Even you and me. What does that mean? You and I are no accident. He made us to know Him and His love.

Because God created us, He has the right to tell us how to live. Because God created everything, He has the right to rule over everything. God is the source and maker of all that lives. The gospel starts by telling us that we—as creatures—are absolutely dependent on God, and as our Creator, He has an absolute claim on us. God created us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. But that’s not the reality that we see today, is it? What happened?

Man

Second, the gospel is a message about sin. I know sin is not a word cherished by many. Nevertheless, it’s a reality. The gospel shows us that everyone has fallen short of God’s glorious standard (Rom. 3:10, 23). Everyone has failed God. The world is full of people rebelling against God’s beautiful and good standards. In Genesis, man chose to disobey God. That choice had consequences for the rest of humanity. The Bible tells us that we were, by nature, children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).

Because of sin, we are separated from God. God is Holy and Righteous. We are rebels. We cannot make our way to God. We cannot save ourselves. I’ve heard people illustrate salvation as if someone was drowning and Jesus jumped in to save them. That seems nice. It’s not Biblical. We weren’t drowning. We were dead. Sin left us spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1). Because of sin in our lives, we are entirely unable to save ourselves. Because God is just and righteous, He must punish sin. The Bible tells us about a place called Hell, which is reserved for those who reject God in this life. If we are spiritually dead, unable to save ourselves, what hope do we have?

Christ

Third, the message is about Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer. He is our Rescuer. He is our Savior. He is our Substitute. This is good news. God desires to save sinners. Christ came to seek and save that which was lost. How? Through His life, death, and resurrection.

To be right with God, you need to be perfect. We’ve already established that we’re not perfect. Everyone sins. So, what hope do we have? Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live. Jesus is perfect. He took our place. He is our representative. But not only did Jesus live the perfect life, He died in our place. The punishment for sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Jesus died in the place of sinners. He satisfied the wrath of God as He hung upon that cross.

He died on that cross and was buried in a tomb. But three days later, He rose victoriously from the grave, proving that death, sin, and Satan have no hold on Him. He is God in the flesh! After 40 days, He ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He now lives to make intercession for His people and will one day return to retrieve His bride into eternal glory with Him.

This is excellent news. What are you going to do about it?

Response

The Bible tells us that we must repent and believe to receive this salvation. What is repentance? Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of action. Repentance involves understanding that you have sinned against God, confessing that before Him, and seeking His forgiveness. Everyone is commanded to repent (Acts 17:30). Repent and believe. We are to believe in the one God has sent (John 6:29). This is Jesus. We are to believe in Christ and Christ alone for our salvation.

Only Christ can save us (Acts 4:12). We must repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is our obligation. This is what we must share.

Conclusion

This is not an exhaustive outline of the gospel. There’s much more that can be said about this. There’s more to be studied. Perhaps I’ll get there in a later post. But for now, this is an easy outline. I hope to answer common objections against the gospel in my next post. But for now, let’s rejoice in the good news of God reconciling sinners to Himself through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Josh Chambers

If you would like to stay updated on new content, fill out the subscription form below. Thanks for reading!