The Gospel

What Is the Gospel?

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which 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 according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;” (1 Corinthians 15:1-6, NASB95)

Gospel Defined

The gospel is a term you may hear mentioned quite often, but many fail to understand what the word really means. One of the most concise biblical statements of the gospel is found in the passage quoted above. Take a minute to read it again and think over what it means.

Good News

Simply, “gospel” means good news. It is a compound word in Greek that means good message. In Scripture the word “gospel” is not just referring to any “good news.” It is referring to THE good news of Christ’s death for our sins and His resurrection. Before you move forward with the good news, we need to understand the bad news.

Bad News

Are You Sick?

Imagine for a moment if you had to go to the emergency department.  Why would you go? You would go because you were sick. Only when a person acknowledges that they are sick will they seek medical care.

Are You a Good Person?

In the same way, until you realize that you are spiritually “sick” (actually the Bible says we are all spiritually dead) you will not understand your need of the good news, the gospel.

In fact, most of us look pretty good on the outside. Most people are, for the most part, moral. The problem is God doesn’t require us to just be moral; He requires us to be perfect.

Often when we compare ourselves with others, we don’t look so bad. The problem is that we are using the wrong standard. The standard of “goodness” is God Himself. Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone (Luke 18:19).” God’s goodness is put on display in His law.

The standard God has set is very high. It is not enough to be “good”, as compared with others. God’s standard is perfection. That is spelled out in Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

 The Problem

The problem is none of us are perfect. You might say, “Surely God doesn’t really mean that we have to be perfect.” Yes, He does. Do you start to understand the bad news now?

Test Yourself

If you are in doubt as to whether or not you are really “sick”, in the sense of being sinful, then try the test below.

The Test

The law of God diagnoses our problem; we have broken His law and are proven to be sinners. Test yourself against God’s law to see how you measure up. The following questions will allow you to find out if you are a good person.

Have You Ever Lied?

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) Have you have ever told a fib, white lie, or any deviation from the truth?  If so, you have broken this commandment.

Have You Ever Stolen?

“You shall not steal.” (Exodus 20:15 NASB95) Many people balk at this one, but theft of anything, no matter how small, is still stealing. Not working while on the clock is theft from your employer. Still not convinced? Check your file “My Music”. Is there anything in it that you did not acquire honestly? What about your entertainment center at home? Are there any movies that you copied?

Have You Ever Committed Adultery?

“You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) You may say, “That’s ridiculous! I have always been faithful to my spouse.” But is God pleased when you have avoided the physical act of adultery but have committed it in your mind? Is God pleased when you view pornography or look with lust at another person? Jesus made this very clear when He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28, NASB95) How are you doing so far with the test?

Have You Ever Coveted?

“You shall not covet…” (Exodus 20:17 NASB95) This one gets us all if you really think about it. Who has not thought, “I hope she puts on 20 pounds over the holidays. She eats whatever she wants and never gains a pound.” Or, “I’m so glad he messed up. I’ve never been able to be as successful as him.” Or, “Look at that luxury car! Why am I always the one stuck driving a clunker?”  Ouch, this one hits us close to home.

Worse News

Many say at this point, “OK, so I have sinned by breaking God’s laws, but that’s OK. Remember, God is loving and forgiving. He doesn’t care about all that. If I do my best, He understands and will forgive me.”

Would that work in court?

Imagine a convicted murderer using this logic. He would stand before the judge and say, “Judge, you are a good person. Surely you understand that I am very sorry for what I have done and will acquit me. As a matter of fact, I have done a lot of charity work to make up for it.” If such a judge acquitted them, they would be the opposite of good. They would be crooked! Why? Because a good judge must uphold the law.

God Is a Good Judge

Because God is good, He is loving, compassionate, gracious, and forgiving. But He is also holy and just. Because of His goodness, He must do justice. “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” (Nahum 1:3a, NASB95) Sin is any violation of God’s law. 1 John 3:4b says, “…sin is lawlessness.”

You Sin, You Die…Period

God makes the rules, enforces them, and sets the penalty for violating them. The penalty for breaking the law of God is death. “The person who sins will die…” (Ezekiel 18:20, NASB95) “The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23, NASB95)

Eternal Death

The death for sin is referring not merely to temporal physical death but to eternal death in hell. In the end, the Lord Jesus will return, “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power…” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10a, NASB95)

Want Good News?

I hope you are still with me. It is important to understand that all of us are sinners. The law helps us see that. We deserve death and hell. That is the penalty God has set for those who break His law. Having established this, I hope you are ready for the good news!

God Grants What He Commands

Augustine said, “Grant what you command and command what you will.” God’s standard is perfection. His standard is perfect goodness, and we are not good. But He is good. Read on!

Jesus Is God and Did What We Could Never Do

God took on a human body. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…”

We broke God’s law. Jesus kept it.

We have sinned. He is sinless.

We are not good. He is good.

We are unholy. He is holy.

We deserve hell. He deserves heaven.

Where Does His Goodness and My Badness Meet?

God has done for us in Christ what was impossible for us. The Lord Jesus has fully carried out all God’s commands and is perfectly righteous. We have broken God’s commands and are completely unrighteous. The two meet in God’s plan to save His people from their sins. The awful penalty for our sin was credited to Christ’s account. He bore the full wrath of God against our sin when he died on the cross. All Christ’s righteousness is credited to our account.  This beautiful verse makes this clear.  “He [God, the Father]made Him who knew no sin [God the Son] to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB95), brackets added

What Do I Do Now?

If you understand that you are a sinner (having broken God’s law) and understand that you need to be made righteous before God, then you need to have faith in Christ Jesus and repent of your sins.

Have Faith

The news that Jesus died for your sins, rose from the dead, and offers you His righteousness is the gospel (good news). Believe it. It’s true!

Repent

You must purpose in your heart to turn away from your sin and obey the Lord Jesus.

Grow

After justification comes the next phase of your Christian life, sanctification. This is the process by which we are made more and more like Christ. Whereas justification requires no work, sanctification requires work. “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” (Philippians 2:12, NASB95) One of the chief means of sanctification is by reading the Scripture. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17, NASB95)

Find a Good Church

Find a church that emphasizes God’s glory above all things and that focuses on clear teaching of the Scripture. Ask a Christian friend you trust about finding a good church or see the links on the Resources page for 9Marks.org. This website is a great way to locate a good church in your area.