What Is The Gospel?

Introduction: The Seriousness of the Gospel

To approach the subject of the Gospel, we must place in our hearts and minds the seriousness of such a subject, approaching it with awe and reverence.

Galatians 1:6-9: "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another, only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you have received, he is to be accursed."

The word "accursed" in the original text is very strong. Even if an angel from heaven preached a contrary gospel, that angel is to be damned to hell. If the Apostle Paul himself preached something different, he too would be accursed. The Gospel derives its meaning from a word referring to proclaiming good news—like the birth of a ruler's son, a victory, or an election.

The Gospel message is the means of salvation God has always intended. People in the Old Testament were saved the same way as today: by grace through faith.

Galatians 3:8: "The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'All the nations will be blessed in you.'"

Hebrews 4:1-2: "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard."

Defining the Gospel: Four Key Elements

Our text is Matthew 1:21:

"She will bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

We will examine four points: the Gospel is a message about (1) God, (2) sin, (3) the Lord Jesus Christ, and (4) faith and repentance.

1. The Gospel Is a Message About God

The Gospel tells us who God is, his character, standards, and requirements. We owe our existence to him; we are always in his hands. He made us to worship, serve, and glorify him. These truths are the foundation of the Gospel.

Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

The name "Jesus" means "Yahweh is salvation"—Yahweh saves, preserves, delivers. The Bible starts with God: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

Acts 17:22-27: "Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects... The God who made the world and all things in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth... he himself gives to all life and breath and all things. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God...'"

Starting with God gives a God-centered view of the Gospel, concerned with his self-glorification.

2 Corinthians 4:4: "In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Philippians 1:27 calls us to live worthy of the Gospel. Understanding it as God-centered provides hope in trials, for a God who saves and preserves sustains us.

Jeremiah 18:6: "'Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.'"

2. The Gospel Is a Message About Sin

Man's condition before Christ is one of guilt and pollution—legally nothing to commend him to God, personally nothing to move him toward God.

Ephesians 2:1: "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins."

John 8:34: "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin."

Romans 3:9-10, 23: "What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one'... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

In seeker-friendly churches, sin is often reduced to minor offenses, but Scripture lists serious deeds of the flesh.

Galatians 5:19-21: "The deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these... those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

People are dead in sin, unable to change themselves. It takes God to draw and regenerate.

John 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him."

3. The Gospel Is a Message About the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus came to save his people from their sins—perfectly and certainly. Paul refocuses the divided Corinthian church on the Gospel and the cross.

1 Corinthians 1:17: "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void."

1 Corinthians 1:30: "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption."

1 Corinthians 2:2: "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

1 Corinthians 15:1-4: "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

Christ was delivered for our transgressions, raised for our justification. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:25).

Titus 2:14: "Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."

Christ's death is substitutionary: he discharged our penalty and restored us through perfect obedience. He intercedes perfectly, securing our justification and salvation from wrath.

Romans 5:9: "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."

Hebrews 10:14: "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

4. The Gospel Is a Message About Faith and Repentance

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen—a gift of God, a reliance on Christ's work.

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Romans 5:1: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 6:17-19: "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us..."

Repentance is a change of mind leading to change of life—a gift from God, linked to forgiveness.

Acts 17:30: "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent."

Acts 5:31: "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."

Acts 11:18: "God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."

Repentance encompasses all areas of life, not selective purity. True repentance changes direction entirely.

The Gospel is essential for church unity and living worthy of it—our boots of the Gospel of peace (Ephesians 6). We are created to glorify God and enjoy him forever.