What is “The Gospel”?

• What is “the gospel”?
  • The word “gospel” simply means “good news.” It is commonly understood to specifically refer to the good news of the Christian message of Jesus Christ: who He is and what He has done.
  • It is the power of God for salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16)

• What is the good news of who Jesus is?
  • Jesus is the Christ (the Jewish Messiah, the anointed one), the Son of God (Mark 1:1, John 1:41)
  • He is God in human form, the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1, 14)
  • He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)
  • He is the source of eternal life – salvation from the wrath of God – for those who believe (John 3:16-18, 36)
  • He is the savior of the world (John 4:42)
  • He is the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to God the Father (John 14:6)
  • He is faithful and just, willing to forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9)
  • He is our advocate before God when we sin (1 John 2:1)
  • He is gentle and lowly in heart, giving rest to the weary (Matthew 11:28-30)
  • He is compassionate for those who are lost, harassed, and helpless (Matthew 9:36)

• What is the good news of what Jesus did?
  • Jesus did what no human has ever done – He lived a perfect life before God without sin (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5)
  • He proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God while doing many miraculous healings (Matthew 4:23)
  • He forgave people’s sins (Matthew 9:2; Luke 7:48)
  • He died on a Roman cross as a sacrifice for us, paying the penalty for our sins against God on our behalf (Hebrews 9:26-28; 10:12; Colossians 2:13-14; Romans 6:23)
  • He took our sin upon Himself, satisfying God’s wrath (making propitiation) (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10)
  • He rose from the dead, defeating both sin and death (Mark 16:6; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; 2 Corinthians 5:15)
  • He secured other benefits for those who choose to confess their sins, believe in His resurrection, and submit to His lordship
    • He gives new life (2 Corinthians 5:17)
    • He gives a peace that the world does not give (John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-7)
    • He gives a hope for redemption and restoration of all things (Romans 8:15-25; Revelations 21:5)
    • He gives a joy that the world cannot take away (John 15:11; 16:22)
    • He gives us comfort during difficult times (2 Corinthians 1:5)
    • He gave us the Holy Spirit by whom we receive the love of God in our hearts (Romans 5:5)

• What is sin, and why is forgiveness of sin important?
  • Sin is classically understood as breaking God’s moral law and not obeying His commandments. The Hebrew word for sin means to fail or “miss the goal.”¹ Primarily, we sin when we fail to obey God’s commandments – to love God above all else with our whole being and to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:29-31).
    • What does it mean to love God?
      • Jesus, who is God in the flesh, tells us that if we love Him (i.e. God) then we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). If we are not striving to keep God’s commandments then we are not truly loving Him.
      • To love God is more than just obedience. It is also to desire Him and delight in Him (Deuteronomy 6:5) This is the meaning of the Hebrew ‘āhaḇ as found in this verse.²
  • Our sins against God causes a separation between God and us (Isaiah 59:2)
  • Because of our sin we must pay a penalty for our sin which is death (Romans 6:23). If we do not receive forgiveness for our sins, then we will have to pay the penalty ourselves which is eternal punishment and separation from God (Matthew 24:46)

• How can I be forgiven for my sins?
  • We must repent and believe in the gospel (Mark 1:15). We must believe in who Jesus is and what he has done. That He is the perfect Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world and is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins.
  • We must confess our sins, confess Jesus as Lord, and believe that Jesus rose from the dead (1 John 1:9; Romans 10:9-10)

• Is it possible to not need forgiveness? What if I go to church and do mostly good things?
  • No, unfortunately all of humanity has sinned and has fallen out of favor with God (Romans 5:12; 3:10, 23).
  • Because God is perfectly holy and pure, His standard of righteousness for us is also perfection. We are completely guilty even if we only break one part of His law (Matthew 5:48; James 2:10)
  • In addition to that, we are not saved by our works but rather by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)

• Is it possible to receive forgiveness without believing in Jesus?
  • No, Jesus is the only way to receive forgiveness for sins and salvation from God’s punishment (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5-6).
  • Since Jesus was the only human who ever lived a perfect life, He is the only one who could be a suitable substitute for us to pay the penalty of death that we deserve.

• Why must a personal belief in Jesus be necessary for salvation?
  • Entering into a right relationship with God has both legal and relational components. 
    • The legal comes from the fact that we have broken God’s moral law and Jesus alone has the credentials to make an atonement for our sins. Without Jesus’ death (shedding of blood) our debt against God cannot be forgiven (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:22).
    • The relational component is that God wants us to enter into a loving relationship with Him. We must therefore choose to enter into that relationship through Jesus who is the only way to the Father.

• What is the purpose of the Gospel? For what end did God save us?
  • To show God’s righteousness (Romans 3:25-26)
  • To restore our relationship with Him (i.e. to reconcile us to Himself) (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)
  • To bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18)
  • So that we may die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24)
  • So that we may become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  • So that we may live through Jesus (1 John 4:9)
  • So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin (Romans 6:6)

• How do I know that I am saved? How can I have assurance?
  • God’s Spirit testifies to us that we are His children (Romans 8:16)
  • If we have followed the outline for asking for forgiveness as given above and have chosen to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, then we can have confidence in our salvation (1 John 5:11-13)

• How do I know the Gospel is true? Where did the Gospel come from?
  • The gospel message comes from God Himself (Galatians 1:11-12), and God does not lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2)

• Are there any objections to the gospel? Why doesn’t everyone believe it?
  • Yes, there are many objections to the gospel message – the good news of the Christian faith. Rejection of the gospel can be attributed to many factors, and a list of potential reasons can be found here.
  • The reasons for why people don’t believe are often multifaceted and diverse

Endnotes

1. “H2398 – ḥāṭā’ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (esv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 2 Jan, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2398/esv/wlc/0-1/ ↩︎
2. “H157 – ‘āhaḇ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (esv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 2 Jan, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h157/esv/wlc/0-1/ ↩︎