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What Is the Gospel?

At its core, the word "gospel" (from the Greek euangelion) literally means "good news" or a "good announcement". It is not merely a philosophy, a program for social reform, or advice on how to live a better life. Rather, it is the objective historical message concerning the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

According to the Apostle Paul, this message is "of first importance": that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

1. The Context: The Bad News

To understand why the gospel is "good" news, we must first understand the "bad news" of our condition.

  • God is Holy: The Creator of the universe is absolutely holy and righteous. He requires perfect perpetual obedience to His commands.
  • Man is Sinful: Every human being has sinned and fallen short of God's standard. We are not merely "mistaken"; we are rebels who have violated the law of a holy God.
  • The Penalty: God's justice demands that sin be punished. The wages of sin is death—spiritual separation from God and eternal punishment in hell. We are utterly incapable of paying this infinite debt or earning our way back to God through good works or religious rituals.

2. The Solution: The Person and Work of Christ

Because we could not save ourselves, God intervened. The gospel is the announcement of a rescue mission.

  • The Person: Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became man (the Incarnation). Born of a virgin, He was without sin, allowing Him to act as a perfect substitute. He is both Lord and Christ.
  • The Work (The Cross): On the cross, Jesus took the place of sinners. In a great exchange known as imputation, God treated Jesus as if He had lived our sinful lives. He bore the wrath of God that we deserved, paying our debt in full. He "became sin for us" so that justice could be satisfied.
  • The Victory (The Resurrection): Jesus did not stay dead. He rose bodily from the grave on the third day, proving that His sacrifice was accepted and that He had conquered sin and death.

3. How We Receive It: Faith and Repentance

The benefits of Christ's work are not applied to everyone automatically. The Bible teaches that this salvation is received by faith alone.

  • Repentance: This involves agreeing with God about your sinfulness and making a conscious choice to turn away from sin and toward Christ. It is a recognition that you cannot save yourself.
  • Faith: Saving faith is not just believing facts; it is a total reliance on Jesus. It is abandoning all hope in your own virtue and trusting entirely in the merit of Christ.
  • Justification: When we place our faith in Christ, God declares us righteous. He imputes (credits) the perfect righteousness of Jesus to our account. This allows God to be both "just and the justifier" of the one who has faith in Jesus.

What the Gospel is NOT

In our current culture, it is vital to distinguish the true gospel from false versions.

  • It is not "Social Justice": The gospel is not about solving temporal social problems or finding a hurt and healing it; it is about escaping eternal judgment.
  • It is not "God loves you and has a wonderful plan": While God is loving, the biblical gospel focuses on His holiness and the specific work of atonement, not just a general affirmation of our lives.
  • It is not your personal testimony: While your story is valuable, the gospel is an objective message about Jesus. It is "the gospel of God," authored and owned by Him alone.

The Summary

The gospel is the good news that although we are guilty sinners deserving of judgment, God in His love sent His Son to live a perfect life and die a sacrificial death in our place, so that anyone who repents and believes in Him will be forgiven and granted eternal life.