The Gospel: What We Believe

The Gospel

What I want to do over the next few weeks is make sure we have a crystal clear picture of the Gospel and know beyond a shadow of a doubt what it means to be in Christ.

So, that’s the road that we’re on, and we’re going to unpack this in different ways over the next few weeks. The goal is not to give the pocket version of the gospel. This is where we have so minimized the gospel down to these couple of things, that if I, almost, check these boxes off, then I will be okay before God. It’s not what we need to do. We need to see the gospel for what it is, which is what we are going to do today. We are going to look at the objective content of the gospel. Then, over the next three weeks, we are going to look at how that objective content of the gospel is appropriated in our lives; how that gospel becomes real in our lives.

The just and gracious God of the universe looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever.

So, what I want to do today is I want us to look at a deep passage of Scripture: . Martin Luther called this chapter, “The chief point of the whole Bible.” It is one of the most important texts in all the Bible, if not the most important text. I want to encourage you, if you do not have committed to memory, to hide these words in your heart over the coming days. This is a picture of the gospel. What I want us to do is I want us to see the objective content of the gospel in these words. Listen to what Paul writes, :

Romans 3:21–26 NKJV

21 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.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1272.

What you see at the top of your notes is what I believe to be a full and complete definition of the Gospel. You might be thinking, “That seems to overcomplicate the Gospel.” Well, I’m not saying it’s the only one sentence explanation of the Gospel, but I’m convinced that if you take out one of these phrases from that sentence, you undercut the gospel of its power completely.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1272.

The Gospel is not complicated, but it’s so rich with meaning. Let’s take a look at the the Gospel explanation...

The just and gracious God of the universe looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever.

The just and gracious God of the universe looked upon hopelessly sinful people and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever.

The just and gracious God of the universe…

So, what I want us to do is I want us to unpack that one sentence in light of , and I want you to see, really at the core, five main elements involved in the gospel. We will start with this first phrase, “The just and gracious God of the universe …” When we read , you see the first word is, “But … But now a righteousness from God …” What is happening is Paul is here making a transition in verse 21 from an argument he started way back in . In all the way to , he is giving us a portrait of God and of man in relation to each other. Let’s take the first phrase...

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1273.

The just and gracious God of the universe…

In Paul talks about the gospel being the power of God for the salvation to everyone who believes. Then he gets to verse 18, and he begins to describe the character of God. Oddly enough, he starts with the wrath of God. verse 18...

Romans 1:18–20 NKJV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

God is Creator.

God is Creator.

“Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen...” We belong to Him, He owns us. This is key. God is creator.

Romans 1:24 NKJV

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,

God is just.

God is just.

This is where he comes in . He starts to talk about the judgment of God.

Romans 2:1–9 NKJV

1 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. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

Romans 2:16

Then you get down to verse 16...

Romans 2:16 NKJV

16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

What he is saying here is very clear. Everyone will be judged by God on the merits of the gospel. “But now” are the two greatest words in all the Bible. Verse 23 is well-known, “All have sinned...” But verse 24, “are justified freely by His… what?” Grace

God is gracious.

Here’s the third attribute of God. He gives unmerited favor. As we continue we will see it’s a big deal that God is Creator, He is Just, and He is gracious...

…looked upon hopelessly sinful people…

All three of these attributes of God are coming together in the gospel. All of us have sinned. Listen to what he says, “As it is written...” He starts quoting from the OT in verse 10...

Romans 3:10–18 NKJV

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.” 13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

We have rebelled against God.

We were hopelessly sinful.

We are separated from God.

All have sinned and fall short of His glory. After the fall in the garden of Eden, we are cut off from the presence of God. This is the problem that sin poses. Sometimes when we are explaining the gospel we say, “Have you ever lied? Well you have sinned. Have you ever done wrong things? Well that’s what sin is.” That’s not what sin is fundamentally. It is the effect of sin that we do wrong things. Remember, it’s not individual sins that are our problem. It’s that we are sinners. Our problem is that we are cut off from God. We are separated from God because we have rebelled against Him. Sin has separated from God.

We are dead without God.

This is what Paul says in verses 19-20.

Romans 3:19–20 NKJV

19 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.

So how can God, a God who loves justice, and hates sin be so gracious toward sinners?

…and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection…

This is the dilemma posed by the gospel. How can God be just and gracious? The answer is: Read the Gospel Explanation… Jesus is the only answer to this tension.

Jesus’ life displayed the righteousness of God.

The problem in is that we have all broken the law. It’s important we understand that Jesus was fully human so He could fully relate to us and He was fully God so He could take our eternal punishment upon Himself and satisfy the wrath of God. The doctrine of the humanity and deity of Christ separates Christianity from false and cultic gospels.

Jesus’ death satisfied the wrath of God.

So how does Jesus solve this tension? Paul says in verse 25...

Romans 3:25 NKJV

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,

Romans 3:25

Jesus’ death on the cross satisfied God’s wrath and took care of our death penalty. The reality of what happened on the cross was not as much about the nails being thrust through His hands and feet, but it was about our sin being thrust on the son of God. All the wrath we deserved because of our sin was redirected toward Jesus.

Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath or hatred of sin for us so we could be saved.

Jesus’ resurrection demonstrated the power of God.

One preacher described it this way: It is as if you are standing in front of a dam of water 10,000 miles high and 10,000 miles wide, and it is filled to the brim. All of a sudden, in an instant, the wall of that dam is taken away, and that water begins to flood toward you. You are standing a hundred yards away, and as the water comes pouring down toward you, all of a sudden, the ground right in front of you opens up and swallows every bit of that water. The gospel is a picture of Jesus Christ taking the full cup of God’s wrath and drinking every single drop of it, and when He finished that last drop, He turned over the cup, and He said, “It is finished. It is finished. My death has satisfied the wrath of God.” That is good news. That is really good news.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1280.

Jesus’ resurrection demonstrated the power of God.

His resurrection shows that God’s wrath has been duly poured out, that He conquered sin, death and the grave. This is the gospel: The life, death, resurrection of Jesus Christ in response to the tension between a holy God and a sinful man. You put it all together and it leads to the next phrase...

…so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God…

Now here we’re getting in to the subjective element of the Gospel. How does this picture of Christ become appropriated to our lives? The answer is through faith. What happens when we put our faith in Christ? Suffice it to say at this point three truths that we’ve got to realize about faith as it relates to the gospel. Number one...

God is the giver of the Gospel.

Now, here is what I mean by that. It’s back up in verse 24, “… we are justified freely by his grace.” Isn’t that a great phrase? “Freely by his grace …” It’s almost repetitive: “As a gift by His gift.” Freely by His grace. The word “freely” literally means “without price,” “without reason,” “without cause.” Without price to us; without cause in us. God did not see anything in us that caused Him to respond by sending Jesus to the cross. It came completely and totally by His own initiative. He freely gives it by His grace.

Now, here is what I mean by that. It’s back up in verse 24, “… we are justified freely by his grace.” Isn’t that a great phrase? “Freely by his grace …” It’s almost repetitive: “As a gift by His gift.” Freely by His grace. The word “freely” literally means “without price,” “without reason,” “without cause.” Without price to us; without cause in us. God did not see anything in us that caused Him to respond by sending Jesus to the cross. It came completely and totally by His own initiative. He freely gives it by His grace.

Romans 3:24 NKJV

24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

God is the gift of the Gospel.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1280–1281.

It’s important to note that “being justified” is in the passive voice. Means we can’t do it for ourselves. God is the giver of the gospel. God is the giver of justification. He declares us righteous, which leads us to the second truth...

God is the gift of the Gospel.

Now, follow with me here. This is rich. God is the gift of the gospel. What does He give us in salvation? God gives us Himself. The righteousness of God, the very character of God, dominates this passage. What he is saying is, “A righteousness of God has been made known. This righteousness come by faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” , “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us in order that we may become the righteousness of God.” God gives us His righteousness. He gives us Himself. God is the gift of the gospel. That’s why I phrased it, “All who have faith in him will be reconciled to God.” This is where the gospel is headed. This is why the gospel is good, because we come back to God. We have been separated from God; that’s our problem. So, the answer is we are united to God; we are reconciled to God. God gives us Himself.

God is the goal of the Gospel.

Now, follow with me here. This is rich. God is the gift of the gospel. What does He give us in salvation? God gives us Himself. The righteousness of God, the very character of God, dominates this passage. What he is saying is, “A righteousness of God has been made known. This righteousness come by faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” , “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us in order that we may become the righteousness of God.” God gives us His righteousness. He gives us Himself. God is the gift of the gospel. That’s why I phrased it, “All who have faith in him will be reconciled to God.” This is where the gospel is headed. This is why the gospel is good, because we come back to God. We have been separated from God; that’s our problem. So, the answer is we are united to God; we are reconciled to God. God gives us Himself.

We sometimes make salvation mostly about receiving forgiveness. We do receive forgiveness, but why? Forgiveness is the not the goal of the gospel. Forgiveness is the means by which we receive the most important thing, a relationship with God. The gospel fundamentally shows us how God gives us Himself.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1281.

God is the goal of the Gospel.

Why did Jesus go to the cross? Why did Jesus go to the cross? The immediate answer that comes to our mind is, “To save us from our sins.” That is not the ultimate answer that is giving us. is not telling us that Jesus went to the cross to save us from our sins. I want you to look. There three purpose clauses that are in this passage to show us why Jesus went to the cross. Listen to what it says...

…forever.

Why did Jesus go to the cross? Why did Jesus go to the cross? The immediate answer that comes to our mind is, “To save us from our sins.” That is not the ultimate answer that is giving us. is not telling us that Jesus went to the cross to save us from our sins. I want you to look. There three purpose clauses that are in this passage to show us why Jesus went to the cross.

Romans 3:25–26 NKJV

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.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1282.

God sent Jesus to the cross, ultimately, to display His character, to display His glory. Ultimately to enable God to show the full range of all of His attributes: wrath and love and mercy and grace and holiness, all of these attributes.

The risk…

God sent Jesus to the cross, ultimately, to display His character, to display His glory. Ultimately to enable God to show the full range of all of His attributes: wrath and love and mercy and grace and holiness, all of these attributes.

The risk…

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1282.

The risk…

We can know all of these truths and still not be saved.

We can know all of these truths and still not be saved.

You can know all about God and all about Jesus and all about the cross and the resurrection. You can know all about Him coming back; you can know all the details of Jesus’ life, and you can know all about these things that we have mentioned. You can know all of these things and still not be saved. Demons know all of these things. That’s why Jesus said what He did in His Sermon on the Mount. He gave us last week the dangers of deceiving ourselves into thinking we are right with God when in fact we may not be.

You can know all about God and all about Jesus and all about the cross and the resurrection. You can know all about Him coming back; you can know all the details of Jesus’ life, and you can know all about these things that we have mentioned. You can know all of these things and still not be saved. Demons know all of these things.

The reality…

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1282.

The reality…

Our eternal destiny hinges on a biblical response to the Gospel.

We ask the question, “Well, then, how do we get salvation? If being justified is God’s declaration of being righteous, and you can’t pay for it because it’s free, and you can’t work for it because it’s grace, then how do you get this justification? How do you get declared righteous by God?” The answer is not to recite words, sign cards or talk to somebody at the front. That’s not the answer. That’s not how you get justification. The way to get justification is not to do any of these things. It is for you to go and throw yourself at the feet of Almighty God with absolutely nothing in your hands

You look throughout the history of Christianity, and you will see … you will see men and women who wrestled for days and nights over their sinfulness. Even Whitefield and Wesley, who I mentioned earlier, would constantly … David Brainerd, who I was reading this last week, would constantly come to God asking for grace, but he would realize he still had selfish motives in him. He still has the desire to earn grace, and he would constantly ask God, “Purge me of this. Purge me of this.” God brought him to that point of salvation.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1283.

It’s William Cowper, 1759, when he was 28 years old. William Cowper had struggled with depression. He had tried to commit suicide three different times. He was so overwhelmed by his sin. He was committed St. Albans insane asylum. He found a Bible sitting there, six months into his time in the insane asylum, and he came to . He read these words that we have just read this morning: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood …” Listen to what he later wrote. He said, “Immediately, I received the strength to believe it, and the full beams of the Son of righteousness shone upon me. I saw the sufficiency of the atonement he had made for me. I saw my pardon sealed in his blood and the fullness and completeness of his justification. In a moment I believed and I received the gospel.”

Cowper lived 35 more years, during the time he penned the words of this great hymn:

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel’s veins,

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day,

And there may I though vile as he, wash all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood, will never lose it’s power,

til all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more.

‘Ere since by faith I saw the stream thy flowing wounds supply.

Redeeming love has been my theme and shall be ‘til I die.

David Platt, “The Gospel: What We Believe,” in David Platt Sermon Archive (Birmingham, AL: David Platt, 2008), 1283–1284.