Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
So, what is the Gospel? In our last Blog, "Gospel Confusion," we talked about the fact that even among so called evangelicals there is a lot of doctrinal confusion and even theological error when it comes to the Gospel Message itself. How can we be eager to preach the gospel (Romans 1:15), if we’re not clear about what the gospel message is.
I believe that every Christian should be able to present the essential Gospel message in 90 seconds. Certainly every Elder, Deacon, Sunday School teacher, children’s and youth worker should know the clear gospel message as well as should baptism and church membership candidates. The purpose is not so you can just dump the message on someone and feel you’ve done your duty. The purpose is so that the essence of the Gospel message is so fixed in your mind and heart that it becomes part of who you so that it can be naturally shared.
The following gospel outline is designed for "gospel clarity". It is the simple message of the story line of the entire Bible. Of course you can add more bible verses or fuller explanations but this is the gospel in its essence. I wouldn’t suggest you try to memorize this but get the principles involved and key bible passages or verses.
FOUR VITAL TRUTHS - Answer 4 Vital Questions
Who made us and to whom are we accountable?
GOSPEL TRUTH # 1
1. GOD: The Righteous Creator
Many people like the idea of God but they don’t really understand who He is and why it matters. They often think of Him as good natured - low maintenance friend you call on in a jam.
* There are a few things we need to know about God in order to grasp the good news.
1. God Is The Creator
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Rom 1:19-20)
We are not alone in the universe. We are not autonomous and self-accountable. There is a Creator who has a right to reign in our lives. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) Therefore we are accountable to Him. If we get this wrong everything that follows will be wrong.
God Created By His Word. There Was Nothing and God spoked. He created you and you have a purpose and we are accountable to our creator. Because He is the creator, He has the right to reign over us. In essence, sin is a person’s rejection of God’s Creator rights to reign.
2. God Is Holy & Righteous
God is loving and good. He is compassionate and forgiving. But, we also have to understand that He is Holy. When Moses asked God to show Him His glory, God said, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, (Exodus 34:6-7). Now that part we get, but God also said, "Yet, He does not leave the guilty unpunished" (Exodus. 34:7b).
Some would say that God is a loving God and would not punish the wicked. That’s like saying God is the unscrupulous janitor who sweeps the dirt under the carpet. Sweeping our sin under the carpet so to speak would absolutely violate the God’ Holiness and Righteousness.
God’s love does not eradicate His Justice and Holiness. For indeed "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth (Romans 1:18).
Many modern attempts to redefine the Gospel leave out sin and rebellion and the wrath of God from which we must be saved. They ignore the fact that we have offended God’s holiness and come under His wrath. Anytime you see that being argued you know that is not the gospel once delivered unto the saints.
God is Holy and Righteous and He Will Not - He Cannot Overlook, Ignore, or Tolerate Sin.
What’s our problem? Are we in trouble and why?
GOSPEL TRUTH # 2
2. MAN: The Sinner
For although they knew God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, (Rom 1:21-22)
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. (Rom 3:19)According to the Bible, every last one of us is a sinner. The sobering conclusion then is that when we stand before God the Judge, every mouth will be silenced. No one will mount a defence. Not one excuse will be offered. The whole world, every last one of us – will be held fully accountable to God and will be found wanting.
1. Every Human Being Has Sinned
Adam and Eve
- Genesis 3
Adam and Eve demonstrate the disobedience of us all. In the garden God told them they could eat of every tree but the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They rebelled and ate the forbidden fruit. It was the rebellion in their hearts that separated them from God and sin entered the human race through them.
Sin
Sin is rebellion against God.According to the Bible, sin is more than just breaking some impersonal heavenly regulation. Sin is the breaking of our relationship with God and a rebellion against God’s reign and authority in our lives. It is the rebellion of the creature against the Creator.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
It is written: "None is righeous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)
For the mind that is on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; ndeed it cannot (Romans 8:7)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is full of stumbling stones, and this one is the largest. To human hearts that stubbornly think of themselves as basically good and self-sufficient, this idea that human beings are fundamentally sinful and rebellious is not merely scandalous. It is revolting" (Greg Gilbert - "What Is The Gospel" pg 51)
This is the offense of the Gospel and it is precisely what many of the modern definitions of the Gospel seek to either play down or even totally eradicate and when you do that, it is no longer the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. God Actively Judges Sin
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. (Rom 3:19)
For the wages of sin is death, (Rom 6:23)
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. (Rev 19:15)
The Bible teaches that the final destiny of unrepentant sinners is a place of eternal, conscious torment. Revelation calls it "the lake of fire." Jesus who spoke more than anyone about judgment called it a place of "unquenchable fire." It’s awful place to be and so let’s not make it sound more tolerable - less horrific than it is.
Judgment in the "lake of fire" however one might envision it sure doesn’t sound like Good News does it. The fact is however that unless you know how bad the "bad news" is, you’ll never appreciate how great the "Good New" is. And this is where the glorious hope of the good news comes into full view.
What Is God’s Solution To Our Problem? How Has He Acted To Save Us?
3. JESUS CHRIST: The Saviour
You and I were sinners destined to be condemned. But God Himself has acted to save sinners like us!
Jesus came not only to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, but also to bring sinners into it by dying in their place and for their sin, taking their punishment on Himself and securing forgiveness for them, ,making them righteous in God’s eyes, and qualifying them to share in the inheritance of the Kingdom.
1. The Word Became
The Word became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and came into the world so that we could be forgiven and made right with God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
2. The Lamb Of God
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)God in the person of Jesus Christ, became the sacrificial lamb who died on the cross in our place to take away the sin of the world.
3. The Heart Of The Gospel Penal Substitution
The mission of Jesus was not just to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, but to do so by dying as a substitutionary sacrifice for His people. Jesus was not just King, He was suffering King.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21)Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isa 53:4-6)
* This is the heart of the gospel message and cannot be left out and still be the gospel. Jesus didn’t just come to be our example or a great teacher but to be our substitute. To die in our place for our sin.
HE IS RISEN - He rose triumphant from the grave as proof that His sacrifice was sufficient for our sins and that He has the power of life over death and the power to forgive and give us new life.
How Can I Be Included In God’s Salvation? What Makes This Good News?
4. RESPONSE: Faith & Repentance
* Acts 26;18 - Paul recounts why Christ called him and sent him.to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in meA person is saved from God’s wrath when by faith they turn from their rebellion and trust Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for the forgiveness of sin.
FAITH
1. Reliance
Real faith is a rock solid, truth grounded TRUST in the risen Christ to save you from Sin
2. Righteous Verdict
Real faith is relying on Him to secure for you a righteous verdict from God the Judge
By virtue in you Faith in what Christ has done (1 Cor 15), you are declared "not guilty"
3. Faith Alone
Real faith comes through this kind of faith alone and excludes all self effort. It comes simply through faith in what Christ did for you.
REPENTANCE
Real repentance is more than just saying you are sorry, it is being sorry but it means turning from your rebellion against God’s rule in your life and surrendering yourself to His rightful rule in your life.
...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9)
The Good News is that God has made a way for you to be forgiven for your rebellion against Him and a new life as you live under His reign.
(Next blog, we’ll shorten this to just the skeleton that can be easily remembered and become the framework from which you build your own gospel presentation while maintaining the essential message)
Check out this excellent gospel presentation: "Two Ways To Live"
Two Ways To Live
http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/2wtlonline.html
