What Is the Gospel?
Whether you are Christian or not, you may have come across this word ‘gospel’ several times. If you are a Christian, you may have seen it in the bible, read it in books, heard it in sermons, or even in songs. You may have heard or seen gospel churches, gospel songs, or preachers of the gospel. But despite all this, one question remains, what is the Gospel? It is one of the words many Christians are familiar with and yet so few can explain what it means biblically.
Gospel in Summary
The word Gospel comes from the Greek word euangelion from which English words evangelist, evangel, and evangelical, which means ‘good news’ literally. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. Simply put, the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, son of God, died for our sins and rose again for our justification so that there is no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus for salvation.
Keywords: Total Depravity, Gospel, Good News, Jesus Christ, Savior, Sin, Commandments, Adam, God, God the Father, Salvation, God the Son, wrath, Justice, Holy, Righteous, Cross, Penalty, Eternal punishment, Grace, Faith, Not by works, Holy Spirit, Believe, Mankind
What Is the Wrong with Mankind?
There is God, only one not two not many, whose name is Yahweh. He is Triune; One God, Three Persons namely God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God created man perfectly. There was no blemish nor sin with mankind when God made them. Just like everything that God created, mankind was ‘very good’ (Gen 1:31).
Adam was given authority over everything God had created. Adam and Eve lived in a perfect garden that had everything they needed. They lived in a perfect world. God gave one commandment to them. They were free to eat the fruits of the trees of the garden except one tree; the tree of the good and the evil. God told them that on the day they ate it they would surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17)
It was not long in the garden that the Devil came and tempted Eve to disobey God. Eve ate fruit and gave it to Adam who also ate (Genesis 3). That way they sinned against God’s command. The moment they transgressed God’s Holy Law, sin entered into the world. Everyone born from the seed of Adam is a sinner (Romans 5:12).
The sin of Adam did not affect Adam and Eve alone but also their descendants. Since we are their seeds, sin corrupted them such that everyone who would be born would be a sinner. Every faculty of man; his thoughts, speech, and actions have been marred by sin. In other words, man is totally depraved. Total depravity does not mean that we are as wicked as we can be but that every part of man is tainted by sin.
We are All Sinners
Because of our inability to keep God’s law perfectly, we have sinned against our Holy and just God. God demands perfect obedience to his Law which we have failed to obey. God does not weigh our good against our bad to make a choice. He demands that we must be Holy as He is Holy. But we are wicked, our thoughts are corrupted and our hearts are deceitful.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
We have broken every God’s commands either by actions, thoughts, or words. On the sermon on the Mount, Jesus explained how high God’s standard is. God said we should not kill. But scripture teaches that killing is not just the physical ending of one’s life but also being angry at anyone without a cause. We may look from the outside but God knows our hearts and will judge our thoughts too.
The Bad News: Sinners before a Just and Holy God.
The main problem is not that we are just sinners but that we have sinned against a Holy and Just God. The idea of holiness is ‘separation.’ God is separate or cut off from anything that is sinful and evil. God is not just a bit holy but totally Holy. This attribute has the seraphims and cherubims singing Holy, Holy, Holy (Isaiah 6:3). But what is man? A sinner, wicked, evil, defiled, etc. God being holy also means that he cannot look upon that which is evil (Habakkuk 1:13).
Now God has commanded man to be holy because He is Holy (Exodus 19:6). But man has defiled himself with sin. God will not tolerate sin because He is holy. God will judge sin.
God is just. He is the perfect judge who will give to each man according to what he has done. God will not show partiality in his judgment (Acts 10:34). Now God says that the soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:20). Therefore if God be just, the judgment of God for all of us is inevitable. Because of the sins we have committed, there is nothing we can do or say to change his perfect judgment. God cannot just forgive us because that will make him a liar and unjust.
We Deserve Wrath
Because of our sin against the Holy and Just God, we deserve God’s wrath. We do not deserve anything good for sinning against such a Holy and Just God. We deserve eternal punishment in a place called hell. Justice simply means you get what you deserve.
Good News of Jesus Christ
Though we have sinned against the Holy and Just God, our God is loving and merciful. God the Father sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to come and save us from our sins. Jesus Christ, being God took on the human flesh, thus becoming fully human and also without ceasing to be God. He was born of a virgin and lived a perfect life that we could not obey. He was tempted like us in every way but he did not sin. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. It pleased God to crush him for us sinners. Although Jesus was crucified under Roman Rule, it was God’s plan to save mankind.
His blood shed on the cross was for the redemption of many. On him was laid the sins of us all (Isaiah 53). Jesus died and rose on the third for our justification. Justification means being declared righteous. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, we would still be in our sins because our debt would not have been paid. Christ Jesus being raised from the dead is sure proof that he has paid for every sin of those who believe in Him.
The good news is that Jesus has paid for every sin committed by every sinner who believes in him for salvation. Jesus did not pay our sins partly but wholly. No matter how greatly one may have sinned, the blood of Jesus is able to cleanse all sin. As Charles Spurgeon, “Even if our sins be like mountains, Christ’s blood shall be like Noah’s flood which covered every peak.”
The good news of Jesus is that the Gospel is universal. Salvation is free to all people, both Jews and Gentiles. People from all nations, tribes, and tongues, without respect to social classes, gender (male or female), race and age can access freely this salvation in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ is ready to receive anyone who is willing to be saved.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone without the works of the law. Christ Jesus has satisfied the wrath of God and therefore we stand justified by Christ Jesus based on the Righteousness obtained by faith through Christ Jesus and not from dead works.
The Good news is that our salvation is eternal. The Holy Spirit has quickened our hearts (Ephesians 2:1), making us totally a new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus blood has paid for every sin and therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We have the assurance that we cannot lose our salvation.
What if I reject the Gospel?
If you reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will perish. The Bible says that those who believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. It follows that those who refuse the gospel and believe in Christ Jesus will perish. (John 3:16)
Those who reject Jesus Christ meet God without a mediator. They will eternally be punished in hell. Because of their sins, the wrath of God will be poured on them. Salvation is only in Christ Jesus alone.
Can I live the way I Desire once I believe in Christ Jesus?
No. Since you are redeemed from the bondage and dominion of sin, how can you go back to the chains you were once entangled in? It will be a proof that you may have not really been born again.
You were set free to obey God freely, the Holy Spirit helping, to love God and man. Before you could not obey but now you are freed and empowered by God to desire all that is good and lovely. You hate that which you once loved – sin, and you love that which you once hated – God.
Holy Spirit works in our hearts always conforming us to the image of Christ Jesus and this should be our desire daily; To depart from evil, walk as Jesus walked, to be blameless.
