What is the Gospel?
Let's begin by stating what the Gospel is not. The Gospel is not that Jesus will make you happy or that Jesus will give your life meaning and purpose. It is not even that Jesus can give you a personal relationship with God. While all that may be true, it is not the Gospel. Before we can properly explain the Gospel, we must first understand that God is a God of perfect love and perfect justice. Though the "love" part seems to resonate well in our modern culture, the "justice" part is often overlooked. Justice demands a penalty for injustice, which can be defined as the breaking of God's law. More specifically, whenever God's law is broken (lying, stealing, adultery, etc.) there is an injured person. And while love and justice may seem contradictory, they actually work hand in hand for the simple reason that injustice denies the injured person love and respect while perpetuating the injustice. Put a different way, when you allow a criminal to go unpunished, you are showing more love for the criminal than the victim. Therefore, a God of perfect justice will demand a penalty of all those who have ever broken his law, with no exception. The Bible teaches, and experience confirms, that all of us have sinned and do sin (Romans 3:23). The Bible further states that the price or penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). We are all deserving of death and eternal separation from a perfect and holy God.
When Jesus came of age and walked into the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, He became the first man in human history to live without sin, flawlessly fulfilling God's law and the Mosaic Covenant. So unlike us, He was not deserving of death. Right before Jesus goes to the cross, during the last supper with his disciples, He establishes the New Covenant with mankind. A covenant is much like a marriage; everything I have is yours and everything you have is mine, the two become one. Under the New Covenant we are united with Christ (spiritually) taking on His life which was in perfect relationship to God, and simultaneously He takes on our life with all its sin, going to the cross to pay the price that we owe. Only in this astonishing act can we see the justice of God satisfied in that the price for sin is paid in full, and the love of God satisfied in that He paid the price on our behalf.
Therefore, the Gospel is the "good news" that Jesus died for our sins and through that death, the price for our sins is paid and we can restore a right relationship with God. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 states, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
What are we then saved from? We are saved from the wrath and judgement of God which will come upon all who sin. Why is this good news? Ephesians 2:9-10 states, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Salvation is freely given by God to all who believe. It is not based on our good deeds, rather God made it so that anyone of any age, income, generation, culture or education level can receive salvation by a simple act of faith.
The resurrection of Jesus and the fact that He is seated with God in Heaven with all authority given Him ensures that going forward I can live a life that is pleasing to God with power to overcome sin in the future. While His death takes my sin away, His place in Heaven ensures that sin no longer has power and authority over my life ever again. His death saves me from the penalty of sin, while His resurrection saves me from the power of sin.
How to Appropriate the Gospel Into Our Life
Let's begin again by stating what appropriating the Gospel is not. It is not some kind of agreement of the mind or something we pursue for self-interest or self-gain. It is not a self-help plan or even an investment plan as some have made it out to be. The Christian Gospel is unlike many other worldview claims in that belief must be genuine and come from the heart. The first step in appropriating the Gospel and salvation into our life is a genuine profound repentance (Luke 13:5). The word repentance means to turn around and go in a different direction or to change our mind and actions. Biblically, it is referring to sin and the deep anguish one comes to when they recognize their sinfulness. Repentance involves acknowledging who we are (sinful humans), who God is (the righteous and holy creator of all), and subsequently making a decision to forsake a life of sin and seek God and righteous living.
The second step is to trust fully in Christ (faith) and to surrender to Him as Lord over our life. Romans 10:9-10 states, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." True conversion that leads to salvation must come from the heart, which is to say it must come from deep inside our being. To make Jesus Lord is to give Him full dominion over every aspect of our life with a deep sense of trust which comes from a profound desire to please Him in every way. The final step mentioned here in Romans is an outward confession which is an expression of our new found faith in the life and death of Jesus. Going forward, the evidence of our conversion is a new life that seeks righteous living and rejects sinful living. It is evidenced by our love for others and a life devoted to helping those in need in whatever capacity we can.
Summary
The Gospel is the "good news" that Jesus died for my sins and in so doing, my sins which distanced me from God in the past are now taken away. I no longer face the judgement of sin or the separation from God that was the result of that sin. Having done this for me, I can now have a right relationship to God without the alienation that came with sin. Finally, His resurrection and place of authority can ensure that sin no longer has power over my life in the future.
Articles
What is the Gospel? J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M
What is the Gospel? Faithfacts.org
Personal Evangelism 101; Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ John MacArthur
When Jesus came of age and walked into the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, He became the first man in human history to live without sin, flawlessly fulfilling God's law and the Mosaic Covenant. So unlike us, He was not deserving of death. Right before Jesus goes to the cross, during the last supper with his disciples, He establishes the New Covenant with mankind. A covenant is much like a marriage; everything I have is yours and everything you have is mine, the two become one. Under the New Covenant we are united with Christ (spiritually) taking on His life which was in perfect relationship to God, and simultaneously He takes on our life with all its sin, going to the cross to pay the price that we owe. Only in this astonishing act can we see the justice of God satisfied in that the price for sin is paid in full, and the love of God satisfied in that He paid the price on our behalf.
Therefore, the Gospel is the "good news" that Jesus died for our sins and through that death, the price for our sins is paid and we can restore a right relationship with God. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 states, "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
What are we then saved from? We are saved from the wrath and judgement of God which will come upon all who sin. Why is this good news? Ephesians 2:9-10 states, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Salvation is freely given by God to all who believe. It is not based on our good deeds, rather God made it so that anyone of any age, income, generation, culture or education level can receive salvation by a simple act of faith.
The resurrection of Jesus and the fact that He is seated with God in Heaven with all authority given Him ensures that going forward I can live a life that is pleasing to God with power to overcome sin in the future. While His death takes my sin away, His place in Heaven ensures that sin no longer has power and authority over my life ever again. His death saves me from the penalty of sin, while His resurrection saves me from the power of sin.
How to Appropriate the Gospel Into Our Life
Let's begin again by stating what appropriating the Gospel is not. It is not some kind of agreement of the mind or something we pursue for self-interest or self-gain. It is not a self-help plan or even an investment plan as some have made it out to be. The Christian Gospel is unlike many other worldview claims in that belief must be genuine and come from the heart. The first step in appropriating the Gospel and salvation into our life is a genuine profound repentance (Luke 13:5). The word repentance means to turn around and go in a different direction or to change our mind and actions. Biblically, it is referring to sin and the deep anguish one comes to when they recognize their sinfulness. Repentance involves acknowledging who we are (sinful humans), who God is (the righteous and holy creator of all), and subsequently making a decision to forsake a life of sin and seek God and righteous living.
The second step is to trust fully in Christ (faith) and to surrender to Him as Lord over our life. Romans 10:9-10 states, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." True conversion that leads to salvation must come from the heart, which is to say it must come from deep inside our being. To make Jesus Lord is to give Him full dominion over every aspect of our life with a deep sense of trust which comes from a profound desire to please Him in every way. The final step mentioned here in Romans is an outward confession which is an expression of our new found faith in the life and death of Jesus. Going forward, the evidence of our conversion is a new life that seeks righteous living and rejects sinful living. It is evidenced by our love for others and a life devoted to helping those in need in whatever capacity we can.
Summary
The Gospel is the "good news" that Jesus died for my sins and in so doing, my sins which distanced me from God in the past are now taken away. I no longer face the judgement of sin or the separation from God that was the result of that sin. Having done this for me, I can now have a right relationship to God without the alienation that came with sin. Finally, His resurrection and place of authority can ensure that sin no longer has power over my life in the future.
Articles
What is the Gospel? J. Hampton Keathley III, Th.M
What is the Gospel? Faithfacts.org
Personal Evangelism 101; Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ John MacArthur