What is the Gospel?

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

GETTING STARTED

What is the gospel of Jesus Christ? You’d think that would be an easy question for Christians to answer. But if you ask fifty professing evangelical Christians that question, you’re likely to get almost as many answers!

1. What are some ways you’ve heard evangelical Christians define the gospel?

MAIN IDEA

The gospel is the good news about what God has done to save sinners through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ.

DIGGING IN

The most detailed, systematic discussion of the gospel in the whole Bible is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans, especially in the first four chapters.

After announcing that he is not ashamed of the gospel because the righteousness of God is revealed in it (), Paul begins his proclamation of the good news by delivering some sobering bad news in 1:18 through 3:20:

— For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

1. To whom are human beings accountable? What passage(s) do you see this in?

2. What does God require of people? (Hint: See .)

3. Has any human being done what God requires of us? (Hint: See , .)

4. What are the results of humanity’s universal rebellion against God? What is God’s attitude toward humanity because of our sin? (Hint: See ; ; .)

5. Have you ever heard evangelistic presentations that minimized or ignored the bad news Paul explains in these chapters? If so,

• How would you evaluate them in light of these passages?

• What do you think the results of “gospel” messages that ignore sin and God’s wrath will be?

• What do you think the results of “gospel” messages that ignore sin and God’s wrath will be?

6. What are some problems that people tend to present as our main problem when they share the gospel?

7. What, according to Paul, is the most fundamental problem people face?

To sum up, there are two main points that Paul is communicating in this three-chapter-long explanation of the bad news of humanity’s rebellion against God:

1. All people are accountable to God, who is our holy Creator and Lord, and who is worthy of our worship and obedience.

2. All people have rebelled against God, continually sin against God, and are therefore objects of God’s wrath.

Now, on to the good news:

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

8. What is God’s solution to the problem Paul has been expounding for three chapters?

9. According to Paul, how do people receive the salvation God offers in Christ?

10. The word “propitiation” (3:25) means “a sacrifice that satisfies and turns away God’s wrath.”

a) Who needs to be propitiated? Why?

b) Who does the propitiating? How?

c) What is the result of Jesus’s propitiating death for God? (Hint: See .)

d) What is the result of Jesus’s propitiating death for those who believe in him?

11. The word “justify” means “to declare someone to be righteous” (; ; see also 3:20).

• According to Paul, on what basis can people be justified by God?

• Can we be justified by doing good works?

We could summarize Paul’s explanation of the good news in these passages in two main points:

1. Through putting Christ forward as a propitiation, God has made a way for guilty sinners to have their sins wiped out, to have God’s wrath turned away from them, and to be declared righteous in God’s sight.

2. The way we receive this salvation is through faith in Jesus, by trusting him alone to save us, not any good works that we do.

Putting it all together, we could summarize the gospel in four words: God, Man, Christ, Response.

God. God is the creator of all things. He is perfectly holy, worthy of all worship, and will punish sin.

Man. All people, though created good, have become sinful by nature. From birth, all people are alienated from God, hostile to God, and subject to the wrath of God.

Man. All people, though created good, have become sinful by nature. From birth, all people are alienated from God, hostile to God, and subject to the wrath of God.

Christ. Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to bear God’s wrath in the place of all who would believe in him, and rose from the grave in order to give his people eternal life.

Christ. Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to bear God’s wrath in the place of all who would believe in him, and rose from the grave in order to give his people eternal life.

Response. God calls everyone everywhere to turn from their sins and trust in Christ in order to be saved.

Response. God calls everyone everywhere to turn from their sins and trust in Christ in order to be saved.

12. Here are some common misunderstandings of the gospel. How would you respond to them in light of the passages we’ve just studied?

a) The gospel is that God wants us to live better lives.

b) The gospel is that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

c) The gospel is that God’s kingdom has come in Jesus and now he calls us to work with him to transform every aspect of human society.

d) Can you think of others?

13. What do you think are some of the practical consequences of having a fuzzy definition of the gospel or a wrong definition of the gospel? What are some of the good results that should follow when we rightly define the gospel?