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What is the Gospel?

The Gospel of God starts with God, is given by God, and completed by God, to the glory of God.

Starts:

One must first accept that all of the creation is a proclamation of a great Creator. From the intricate detail at the atomic level, to the incomprehensible expanse of the heavens, the glory, authority, and truth of God is plain to man. But man with utterly sinful, prideful heart has rejected the truth of God to pursue his or her own wrongful passions. “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1: 19-21) Man has rejected the worship and honor of God, so that we may worship and honor ourselves.

Yet it is God who deserves all worship and honor as he is the Creator who spoke all things into existence; by his breath alone he spoke nothing into everything. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1). Furthermore the Scriptures say “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16) The truth of God is that he is the great authority over all heaven and earth and made all things for him, namely his glory; this includes the creation of Man.

How did Man come to reject this truth? In the beginning God created man in His image that man would worship, enjoy and delight in God forever. God is perfect and without flaw, Holy, completely righteous, the creator of beauty, the source of pure love and joy, and the definer of goodness, if man is in right relationship with God than there is no other desired place to be found. As King David says in the Psalms, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

However due to the fall of creation caused by the first man and women, Adam and Eve, man is no longer in right relationship with God. He or she is at enmity with Him. For God gave man one command:

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”” (Genesis 2:16-17) Yet Adam and Eve being deceived by Satan, that they would not die, but rather be like God, ate of the fruit and disobeyed God.

Adam and Eve became aware of evil, their minds and hearts became sinful, and they and all of creation fell around them, out of union with the Creator. From that point forward death entered the world and man was separated from God. For God cannot be in fellowship with men and women that desire to break His laws, and contradict His holy nature. And since Man became sinful in the heart, all the generations of man have inherited the same sinfulness in their hearts and by default are born desiring to break the commandments of God. Commandments that are written on our hearts; that we shall not murder, we shall not lie, we shall not covet, we shall not commit adultery, we shall respect our parents, that we shall worship the one true God, and Him alone. These are known to us because God has written it on our consciences. Yet if man or woman were to view themselves honestly, they would see that they break these laws constantly, everyday in their hearts. This is why God says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Man cannot help but lie, man cannot help but hate and murder, man cannot help but covet what man doesn’t have, man cannot help but care for himself even at the hurting or dishonoring of others. To simply put it, man cannot help but worship him or herself over the Lord of all creation. Man might desire the benefits of knowing God, but Man does not desire God’s accountability and judgement over his or her life. If we look at ourselves honestly, we will see the following statements as true:

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,  as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood” (Romans 3:9-15).

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

So how can Man be brought back into fellowship with God?

Given:

God makes plain in His inspired word that there is no working our way to God. The hard truth of heaven is that man’s deeds cannot earn him a spot in heaven; for Isaiah says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6) Man’s best works are clouded and stained by sinful desires. So how can man ever enter a holy, perfect place, and be accepted by a holy, perfect God?

There is only one answer, and that answer is a gift from God himself. A gift that goes by the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This Jesus Christ, the only son of the Father, and with the Father from all eternity, has stepped into space and time and walked in flesh on Earth. This Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit and through the womb of a virgin named Mary, to show that he was not born of man, but come from God. and this man Jesus Christ showed himself to be perfect and without flaw in every manner. Having revealed himself to be the fulfillment of the Law of God, for he breaks not one of God’s commands, but abides by them completely, for he says ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) He never lied or gave false witness, never disrespected his parents, never coveted, never stole, never worshipped anyone or anything other than the Lord, a task that no man has ever been able to accomplish.

Not only did this man Jesus follow the law perfectly, but he claimed to be God. For he says “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30), and those against him angrily understood his claim, saying “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:33) The Scriptures also say “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)

And this man Jesus Christ did not merely claim to be God, but proved his claim with power and might. While he was on earth he made the deaf hear; he made the blind see; he made the lame walk, he made the dead rise, he made the sick well; he stilled a raging storm; he walked on water, freed the demon-possessed; fed the five thousand with close to no food; fed 4 thousand more with close to no food; and many more miracles. So many miracles were done that those around him were forced to say “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2) and “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

Not only did Jesus live a perfect life, having never sinned, not only did he claim to be God, not only did he prove himself by miracles, but he claimed to be on a mission. What was this mission? To save man from sin and death. This is the gift of God, that God would come in the flesh to save man from perishing. But how did Jesus save man from sin and death?

Good question. While Jesus was living a perfect life on earth, fulfilling every law of God, and while he was performing miracles with power, he claimed to have come for a purpose. For he says about himself “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3: 16-17). And it was said about him even before his coming into the world, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) It is clear that the mission of the Lord Jesus was to come to the world to save men and women from their sin.

And why must men and women be saved from their sin? As originally stated by God in Genesis 3, that those who disobey the commands of God will die. It is clear that every man and women of this world will die. There is no escaping death. Because every person disobeys the Lord, they are destined to die, for the Scriptures say “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a); and “The soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:20a) But what happens when we die? The bible is clear that we will be judged by God. “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). So man will die, man will be judged; and what will happen at the judgement of sinful men and women? God’s word says “as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8). This will all take place for every man and woman due to their sin.

Completed:

So what does it mean that Jesus Christ came to save people from their sin? Simply put, it means that Christ came to rescue men and women from the consequences of sin and death. He came to save them from a guilty judgment. And he came not just to relieve them of a guilty judgement, not just to call them innocent, but to declare them righteous by giving them his own righteousness, establish them as good by his own goodness, to justify them before the Lord as holy by his own holiness, and give them a new heart that yearns for God. In being declared righteous before God, men and women are called sons and daughters of God, lovers of God, adopted heirs of God. “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:7) and “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26). One who believes in the Lord Christ, one who trusts in him, is made right before God, as it was in the beginning before man fell into disobedience to the Lord. But how did Jesus Christ save man from the consequence of sin?

As stated before, Christ came and lived a perfect life of obedience to God, never breaking one of God’s laws and commands, but fulfilling them to the end. This is necessary to see God, for God can have no law breakers in his presence, as it is written “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) and “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) So Christ fulfilled what man could not, true perfection in accordance with the Law, and true holiness in his character.

But Christ’s work and mission does not stop there. Not only did he live the life we could not live, but he paid the price we could not pay. He died the death that we deserved, yet did not deserve himself. Though having done nothing wrong and everything right, man rejected Christ, showing just how sinful and rebellious man is. Man hated the presence of God, his holiness, his perfection, his character, and his authority and killed this Christ. Jesus Christ was tried by sinful men and condemned to die on a cross. Not only was he killed by men, but he was killed by his own people, the Jews. But Christ revealed that this was a part of his mission; he told his own disciples months before his death, that he had come for this very reason, to die for his people. And not only that he would die for his people, but that he would raise himself from the grave three days later, showing his power over sin and death. As it is written:

“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third  day be raised.” (Mark 8:21)

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)

This is the reason that Jesus Christ came to the world, that he would take the punishment for our sins upon himself, that he would die in our place, that he would be killed for our transgressions. The Father sent the Son into the world to redeem the world, to bring a people who are disobedient at heart, back to himself. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

So we know that Christ was the gift of God to pay the price for our sins, but what does man do about it? How is man saved? What do we do with this gift of God? How does Christ make us right before Him?

To be made right before God, to be with God forever, to be given everlasting life in heaven, to be saved through Jesus Christ means to be born again. Christ says one must be reborn.  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3-7)

But how is someone reborn? One is reborn by the Spirit of God in revealing to his or her heart that they are a sinner before the Lord and apart from the mercy and grace of God in Christ, they will be judged guilty before God. Unless he or she repents of their sin, hates their sin, and trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ’s sufficient work to take away their sins by his perfect life, death, and resurrection from the grave, they will perish unto everlasting punishment. They must renounce their old sinful ways of life, they must give their life to Jesus Christ, and entrust themselves to God and make him Lord of their life. For the Scriptures say:

“Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”” (Acts 2:38)

“if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10: 9-10)

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” (John 14:6)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)

One will be saved from the consequence of their sin, saved from death, and brought to the Lord, if they repent of their sinful ways and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their only savior; not trusting in any work of their own, or any good deed, but only in the work of Christ. In doing so Christ takes all of his or her sin upon himself and gives them his very own righteousness, that he or she would be covered in Christ himself and be justified and made right before the Lord. And if they do this, continuing to turn from their old ways of life and clinging to Christ alone there is a promise from heaven that they will be saved, that all of their sin will be remembered no more, and will forever be known as a child of God.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Glory:

Is that where this all ends? A man or woman believes in Christ and then goes on their own way? Simple answer… no. This Gospel is not ultimately about a person’s salvation, but the glory that God receives from a changed life through the love of God. When man is reborn, and brought back into fellowship with God, man will start to walk in the ways of a rightful understanding of his creation. Man was made to glorify God, by worshiping in truth and enjoying Him forever. Man, now understanding the absolute grace and mercy poured out on his life through the cross, desires to live rightfully for the Lord, and exulting the name of the Lord for all the He is and all that He does. Since God is perfect, and holy, and merciful, and gracious, and just, and righteous, and all powerful, and all knowing, and greater than all things created, he is deserving of all praise. And it is the changed and saved heart that desires to do just that; praise him, exult him, live rightly for him, and honor him in all things, for the rest of his life, even as He brings them home to heaven.

“he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5-6)

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

“Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!” (Psalm 72:19)

“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:4-5)

This is the reason that man was created, this is the reason man may be saved from his sin, this is the reason why man may be adopted back into the fold of God; that God would be praised forever and ever, Amen. For He alone is worthy.

Our prayer here at Rightly Thinking is that you believe in the Gospel, and are saved from your sin. We pray that you now live to walk with the Lord, giving him honor forever, trusting completely in the work of Christ alone as your salvation. We pray that you are desiring to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) We hope this explanation of the Gospel was edifying to you if you are a believer. However, if you are not a believer, and you are reading this telling of the Gospel, we implore you to search out these claims, and see if they are true. We ask you to examine your heart and see if you are without sin, we ask you to consider how you will be judged before a holy God, and we beseech you to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and come to know the great loved displayed by God through the cross of Jesus Christ.

If you have any questions about the Gospel, we would love to be of any help to you, as we are here to serve in any way possible; you will find our info on the contact section of this website. If you are wanting to know more about the Gospel, our encouragement is to read through the ‘Gospel according to John’ found in the Holy Bible.