What is the Gospel - A Message About the Person and Work of Jesus Christ
We have started our series on the gospel, specifically asking ourselves the question, "What is the gospel?" We've looked at it so far in two different points. We started by looking at the gospel in relationship to God, establishing a firm foundation that the gospel is a message about God. It is a God-centered message. If we don't start with the understanding of God—with some basic theology surrounding who God is and what God does—the rest of the gospel breaks down to some degree. It becomes vulnerable to a man-centered gospel or something else-centered. We would misunderstand very key and crucial parts of the gospel if we didn't start with that understanding.
In fact, that's how the Bible ultimately starts. We would misunderstand things about God and how he interacts in history if we didn't start with the fact that he is Creator, and everything ultimately owes its allegiance to God by virtue of him creating us.
The second part was equally important: understanding why the good news is here. Of course, number four of our outline is going to be looking at faith and repentance. If we don't establish a base of understanding what sin ultimately is, then repentance is a meaningless concept. Why would we repent of doing something sinful if we don't understand it as sin? It would be a pointless exercise. It'd be like saying you can't sit in the chairs you're sitting in right now—you need to sit in another chair. Why? Because Jesus Christ was crucified. That doesn't make sense. It doesn't give motivation or reason for changing our lives, changing our sinful issues.
The gospel explains sin to us, and that's very good news. If a physician explained that you have a terminal illness with such precision and accuracy that it demonstrated full knowledge of your illness—why you're experiencing the symptoms—that would be bad news in the illness portion. But it's good news because this physician has full knowledge of what it is and full knowledge of the solution: a cure so complete you'll never experience this illness again, with relief from its effects, and one day it will be eradicated, replaced by eternal health. That's the spiritual sense. It's good news to reveal the essence of sin—not just pointing fingers in judgment, but saying this is what sin is: an utter problem for you. Yet here is the solution.
The Problems Sin Creates
That's what we begin to look at: the gospel as a message about the Lord Jesus Christ—about who he is and the work he has done on our behalf.
God is a holy God—an infinitely holy God, holy, holy, holy. Because he is Creator and sustainer of the universe, he is well within his rights to dictate how his creation should live. When creation deviates from his decreed plan, he is right to say that is wrong, that is sin, deserving eternal wrath.
People think, "I'm not as bad as I could be. Is God really going to send me to hell for lying or stealing once?" But any particular sin, given God's holiness—that's why it's important to start with his holiness, magnitude, and magnificence. Otherwise, any sin doesn't seem bad in comparison. But when he is infinitely valuable and holy, any sin offends his holiness. He is just to say it's plenty of reason for eternal condemnation. He is Creator; he can establish it that way.
Anything against God is sin. Anything not valuing God is sin. Anything not treasuring God is sin, deserving wrath. It's a deceptive, ruinous, miserable lifestyle: doing what God said not to do, or not doing what he said to do. It prompts his anger and wrath because he is holy and will not tolerate sin.
There are real problems with sin. Even the breath we breathe is from God. It is dangerous to live offensively against the God supplying life daily. Deuteronomy says their foot will slip—in time, continual sin leads to stumbling into hell. We are in God's hands, sinning, while he holds us over a pit. We would do well to pay attention.
The Issues Christ Addresses
As we look at the gospel as a message about the person and work of Christ, recognize the issues his work accomplishes:
1. Nothing about man commends him to God legally. Because of sin and Romans 3, everybody has failed to glorify God, fallen below his standard. Human life is to bring praise, glory, honor, and worship to God. We deserve wrath. There's nothing man can do to present himself legally acceptable in God's courtroom. God is lawgiver and judge as Creator. He declares truth about his people and their sentence. Scripture shows God judges from his throne based on deeds. No one can represent himself successfully.
It's like a drunk driver crashing into a pole, stumbling out with booze evident—nothing to present to the officer proving innocence.
2. Nothing man can do moves him to God relationally. Man is dead in sins, incapable of drawing near, desiring, or wanting God. Man finds God's things foolish.
3. Sin's miserableness and ruin. Sin hinders living redemption, relationship with God, righteousness. It's deceptive, promising joy in sin without consequences.
4. The wrath of God. God judges and punishes sin. His law and holiness demand retribution. He cannot simply acquit; justice must be satisfied.
Romans 4:23–5:9 and Justification
But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
The context of Romans 4 deals with Old Testament examples—Abraham and David. They were saved by faith in God, looking forward to Christ's work, which transcends time to atone for sin. It wasn't rituals, law-keeping, or sacrifices.
It was written for our sake too: counted to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord. What was imputed to Abraham? Righteousness. Everyone is sinful, under wrath—same issues legally, relationally, ruin, misery.
David, a man after God's heart, transitioned from damnable to heavenly entrant. Galatians 3:10: we are under a curse. Under curse is bad; blessing is the opposite.
Romans 4:6–7: ...David speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteous apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”
The central gospel blessing: God forgives sins—not witnessing miracles or healings, but lawless deeds forgiven. God considers someone righteous by not reckoning their sins. When standing before God with Christ as representation, sins are bypassed—like parents ignoring an F on your report card.
Every thought, deed, action is recorded; God examines all. Psalm 130: If you, O Lord, kept account of sin, who could stand?
Many think good deeds impress God, outweighing sins—like paying for coffee behind you. But the text negates that. People say, "Do good, make it to heaven"—earning points. But verse 7: scarcely die for righteous; dare for good. Jesus didn't come for the well (self-righteous). Justified apart from works.
The Work of Jesus Christ
From curse to blessing: impossible chasm. John 3:16: God loved the world, gave his only Son, that whoever believes not perish but have eternal life.
God sends his Son. He is fully God—cannot die, but sin requires death (wages of sin is death, Genesis curse). So he takes humanity, retaining deity—his work has infinite value. Only way for redemption, permanent peace, eternal life without judgment. Salvation cannot be lost; Christ's work has infinite value.
He died, shed blood (Hebrews: no forgiveness without shedding blood). Justified us—God passes over sins because law satisfied. Right for God to declare innocence; wrong to condemn. Saves from wrath. He stood in your place, taking what you deserved: forsaken, last breath, eternal wrath (hell's terror).
Resurrection: irrefutable. Jesus lived perfect moral life (righteousness of God), hated by self-righteous, crucified, rose. His life is ours: sinless obedience counted as ours. God views our rap sheet through Christ's—his life, death, obedience as ours. Galatians 2: "I have been crucified with Christ."
The Blessings of the Gospel
If God only sent his Son to die, that would suffice for blessed life. Yet he pours love, grace: freed from sin to enjoy gifts.
Verse 1: Justified by faith, peace with God—ceasefire, restored relationship.
Verse 2: Access to grace, rejoice in hope of glory of God—infinitely valuable, enjoyable.
We rejoice in sufferings: produces endurance, character, hope—not shamed, God's love poured by Holy Spirit.
Forgiveness excites those seeing sin's travesty. Suffering comes; gospel gives advantage: rejoice in it. Suffering produces endurance (like soccer tryouts—out of shape, but builds capacity), character (better you), hope (most sought-after).
These are gospel accomplishments.
