Believing the gospel is necessary to salvation. Most Americans and Europeans have been warned as much is true. But what is this “gospel”? With so many denominations within Christianity and the allure of the “truths” of other religions it can be hard to sift through the messages to get down to facts. What is required for one to be saved? And what are you being saved from or to? I hope to present a basic understanding of what the gospel is and isn’t in this blog. Please note that the depths of the gospel and its implications are worth a literal eternity of study. I just hope to share with you the general message and give some helpful boundaries.

For the nonbeliever, the ones seeking truth, I wrote this so you can hear and consider the message, have the opportunity to respond, and have clear direction on how to sort through the various anti-gospels. For the believer, I have written this as an example or guide for sharing the gospel with others. I have tried to include Scripture references to memorize and carry with you as you share the hope you have within you whenever you are blessed with the opportunity to do so.

THE GOSPEL IS THE GOOD NEWS

In it’s most basic form translated from the Greek word we have been given to reveal it to us the gospel is the “good news”. By implication that means there is something that would not be good news and both the good and not good news would come from a simple presentation of the news. Let’s quickly define all three.

            The News

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. John the Baptist proclaimed this prior to Christ’s ministry beginning. Christ Himself also proclaimed this truth. What was being said is that the promise found throughout all of Scripture (also known as the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible) had come to pass. Since Adam’s sin or fall in Genesis 3 mankind had been waiting on the promised restoration of the cohabitation of God and man. Man had been sent out of the special home of God, the Garden of Eden, to live in the wilderness because of the danger of eternal life in a sinful and fallen state. The kingdom of God was going to return to rest on earth. God and man would again be face-to-face and within arms reach of each other.

            The Bad News

The kingdom of Heaven, the home of God, has returned to earth and man is now in reach of God and face-to-face with Him. That is a scary thing when you realize the same sin and disobedience that led to the punishment, the separation, to begin with is clearly present in every man, woman, and child. Couple that with the fact that we are talking about a perfect and holy God who is also a perfect and holy King and a perfect and holy judge, and you have a terrible predicament. As a just judge, sin must be judged and punishment must be ascribed. Sin cannot remain unpunished. Sin is a plague on all it touches. It brings forth death, chaos, disorder, dysfunction, and suffering to all it meets. It also replicates and spreads wherever it goes just like a virus or plague. We want sin to be wiped out. To wipe out sin is to wipe each of us out through eternal punishment for the crimes we have committed against each other and thus against our king.

            As King, God has the power and authority to enact the necessary decrees to protect and preserve the rule and law for man’s and all created order’s good. This is a good thing unless you must be dealt with because you are the rebel who has brought chaos and destruction against men, the created order, and ultimately against the King who rules the kingdom. We are traitors and deserve the exile and corporal punishment we have been warned would come. Our hearts have told us this when we sinned. We felt the shame, fear, regret, and brokenness. Then we began to love it. He knows all things. Nothing is hidden from God’s sight.

            He also does not accept an offering of “good deeds” to make up for our sin. We can’t tip the scales. We are unrighteous or not trustworthy. Our word is useless. Our actions prove we cannot be trusted on our own. To beg and plead and boast of the weight of the good we have done is not an acceptable exchange for the evil we have committed. Just as a murderer must be punished for the murder they committed and not acquitted simply because they have lived an otherwise seemingly kind, generous, loving, good life, so we must be punished for the sins we have committed independent of whatever “good” we may think we have done as a counterbalance. God is perfect. His creation will be perfect. He cannot and will not settle for less. This is a good thing really, but that means we won’t be a part of it short of a miracle. We have to receive the promised punishment or God cannot be trusted. He can be trusted. He keeps His Word. He came back, right? God’s trustworthiness is a good thing. We want to be ruled by a pure and sinless, trustworthy all-powerful and unbiased God….that is unless we must be addressed.

            The Good News

God has kept His Word. He has made a way for God and man to cohabitate or live together again. Perfection is coming and the world will be purified and restored to its “good” state! But what about us, right? How will be saved from the wrath that comes with the presence of God? How do we escape the hands of an all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing God who keeps His Word and judges all wickedness and evil acts of rebellion? One Word: Love. You may have heard the following verse at some point:

““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”[1]

Let’s look at the next few as well:

“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”[2]

These two verses contain the gospel as well as a bit more. Let’s rightly divide the Word to see what the gospel really is.

 

THE GOSPEL IS A MESSAGE, NOT THE RESPONSE

The gospel is a message. God has kept His Word. He has brought the Kingdom of Heaven back to earth to live in peace with us. The result is conditional: It depends on believing something. Let’s carefully separate the message from the response.

            The Gospel Message

“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”[3]

This is one of the shortest and clearest gospel presentations in the Bible. Paul has already informed his audience that he is going to remind them of the gospel he told them. This is that gospel. After this verse he pleads with them to believe based on the reliability of the testimony of those who have witnessed this. So a quick summary of the contents gives us …categories to review and understand.

1. The Scriptures foretold of a Christ who would come
2. This Christ would die for our sins as was foretold
3. This Christ would be buried and raised from the dead as foretold.

To say it another way, God has revealed to man that he was going to send one called the Christ to live a perfect life in our place, die for our sins (and not His own) in our place, go down into the earth in our place as has been promised, and be resurrected or raised from the dead so that we will also rise after death. This resurrection means He has also received his place on the eternal throne of David as the reigning Lord or King/authority over all men. This can be good or bad news as well because He is just like the Father in every way including His hate of sin and His means and way of judgment.

            The Gospel Response

So what does that information do? What thoughts, fears, hope does it produce? It is simply a message that is proclaimed. Like any message it can be accepted or rejected. Some will simply laugh it off or think it foolish. Others will respond by believing and may just ask, “Brothers, what should we do?”[4]

The response: “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”[5]

The appropriate response to the gospel message is to believe it. That belief will manifest in a change of mind that wants to correct its actions. If you believe you will be hurt by fire if you put your hand on it and you don’t want to be hurt, you will not put your hand on it. Fear of the LORD is the beginning of understanding.[6] Better yet, the Bible makes it clear what fear looks like: “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding."[7] Fear of the Lord is clearly expressed by “departing from evil.” Departing from evil could be what we call “repentance”. The first step of repentance is to obey the command of God to step into the “judgment waters” and be baptized.[8]

            The Root versus the Fruit

Often you will hear of benefits that come with belief in the gospel. Such is the case in our example above from Acts. Look at what follows:“Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”[9]

Here is an even bigger promise: “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says.  For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”[10]

Let’s simplify that verse: All of God’s promises are ours (those who believe the gospel message) in Christ. He has secured their fulfillment, or coming to pass. We have access to them. We own them. We will enjoy and experience them. That is good news too, right! Of course! But it isn’t the gospel message. It is the gift given to all who believe the gospel message.

The root of belief is in the message itself, not in the gifts. The gifts are good. God does not withhold any good thing from His children.[11] But receiving the gift depends on something: being a child of God. It is a natural overflow of God’s goodness in relation to His children. He simply pours out in goodness and gifts, but this is not the gospel message. It is not believe God and He will give you access to all the good things you want. No. That is the fruit of a relationship with God. If you are in the garden, you get the fruit that grows on the trees. If you aren’t in the garden, you don’t get the fruit. We aren’t in the garden and He won’t let those who are simply after the fruit get in to ravage the garden. He is preserving and protecting the garden for His family. We are outside of the garden. The Kingdom is at hand, but we don’t see God face-to-face yet.

            How Do You Become a Child of God?

We become children of God when we believe the gospel.[12] Point blank. Period. The natural thing to ask here is why even go into this then. Why not leave the blog on simply the gospel message? Good question! I’m glad you asked. Check your heart. What are you after? Would you come to God for access to the treasure chest and not for access to Him? Would you rather be sitting in the tree eating the fruit and hiding from this God who says He will punish the sin you cling to? Or do you genuinely fear the Lord and sit broken before His presence, before His voice calling you to step out of the bushes you are hiding in and come before Him to give account? Do you believe His goodness and power is worthy of obedience? Do you believe your brokenness is real? Your sin is evil and must be dealt with? Do you believe this is a good thing and it will take place? Now, do you believe God keeps His word not only in judgment, but in restoration and having sent His Son to die for your sins? To be punished on your behalf? Do you believe He died in your place? That He rose again and is in power having suffered under every drop of the wrath of God that was meant for you? Do you believe that cup of wrath is empty and every last drop is gone? All that awaits you is the forgiveness, acceptance, adoption, and all the other aspects of the love of God?

Then repent and thus believe the gospel. Step forward before your God in the judgment waters and die as you go beneath them and be raised with Christ as you come out of them in preparation for the death you will one day face and the welcome you will also simultaneously face as you cross from death to life as promised.

To offer any other gospel is to deceive and manipulate men to chase idols into judgment. You dangle the fruit before the eyes and don’t warn them of the God that guards the garden and destroys all the snakes that yearn to sneak in. You promise things God does not promise for this life and that will fail people time and time again. Your word is not trustworthy. Your knowledge is twisted and perverse as it is not in line with Scripture. You speak for God, but not in the words of the God Jesus Christ, but of your father the devil!

This comes in two forms in most American conversations:

1)     Jesus plus….

2)     Promise of something other than Jesus EX: best known version-Prosperity gospel

The Jesus plus something else option requires the likes of “good deeds or obedience to a religious system."[13] The promise of something other than Jesus option like the Prosperity Gospel promises wealth, health, and happiness all the time in order to lure fish into the nets. Where one can never be satisfied by Christ's work alone, the other entices using the idols men already worship. Both fail to see the infinite value of the finished work of Christ. They undervalue the very thing God has made most valuable--Jesus. That is why "gospels" that require more than belief in Christ's finished work or promise more than a right relationship with God now, in this lifetime, are false gospels. They are Satan’s gospels and he is known for dangling shiny things before the eyes of men to mislead them as he whispers lies that will kill them in their ears. Beware of any gospel message that requires Jesus….and anything else. Also beware any gospel that the good news is gifts rather than God, His Kingdom, and the trustworthiness of His word to judge sin and restore men to Himself through Christ.