Understanding the Message of the Gospel

Understanding the message of the Gospel is vital to the work we have been called to do. Our message must be pure, lest it become a seed that produces tares instead of wheat (Matthew 13:24–27). Most people you speak to could attest to having heard a perverted Gospel message in their lives. Have they heard the pure message of the gospel? This is why we must understand and bring forth the pure Gospel message.

Gospel means glad tidings. Isaiah 61:10

I. Why understand the Gospel?

A. It is the power of God to save (Romans 1:16–17).

1 Corinthians 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

· If you are saved, it is through the Gospel, no other way

B. There are many false Gospels (Galatians 1:6–9).

C. We are commanded to preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15).

1. If we are going to preach it we should know it.

2. Believers are addressed showing the gospel is important for us to know.

Romans 1:16–17

II. Defining the Gospel (I Corinthians 15:1–4)

· There are three major parts

A. Christ died for our sins (I Corinthians 15:3)

1. It was Christ who died.

· The word “Christ” is the same word “Messiah” in the Old Testament. Jesus is the Christ. He is the anointed or chosen one (Psalm 2:2; 132:17). The Messiah was to be “cut off” after His arrival (Daniel 9:25–26). It is important to know that Jesus is the Christ. No one else can save a soul from destruction (Acts 4:12).

2. Christ died for our sins

a. Men are condemned sinners. This is an essential part of our message. If a person fails to see that they are lost, they cannot be saved.

1) We are sinners by nature (Romans 5:12).

2) We are sinners because we have broken God’s laws (I John 3:4).

3) We are sinners because we have turned from God to our own way (Isaiah 53:6).

4) We are sinners because we have are come short of God’s holy standard and requirement (Romans 3:23). Comparing ourselves with men we can feel encouraged that we are not as bad as some, but comparing ourselves to God shows us that even our righteousness is unholy before God (Isaiah 64:6)

5) Because we are sinners, there must be a punishment of death (Romans 6:23). Every sin will be punished (James 2:9 –10). Death is physical and eternal (Revelation 20:11–15).

In bringing someone to the knowledge of the gospel, one must be diligent in bringing one to knowledge of his or her sinfulness. There should be no doubt in the prospect’s mind that they need to be saved because they are sinners and cannot in any way save themselves.

b. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus died for our sins. The complete sin debt we owe has already been paid through Christ’s death. In exchange for taking our sin upon Him, He gives us His righteousness making it possible for us to enter glory (II Corinthians 5:21).

3. Christ died according to the Scriptures

· Jesus Christ was prophesied in the Scriptures that He would come and die hundreds of years before He actually came (Psalm 22).

B. Christ was buried

1. The burial proved that Jesus actually died. His legs were not broken because He was already dead on the cross (John 19:31–34).

2. He was in the grave for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40). He arose early Sunday morning (Luke 24:1).

3. 710 years before Jesus died, He was prophesied according to the Scriptures that He would be buried in the tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57–60).

C. Christ rose again

1. Jesus’ resurrection was prophesied in Psalm 16:10 (1000 years before Jesus’ birth).

2. The resurrection proved Christ’s deity (Romans 1:4). Jesus prophesied his resurrection on the third day (Matthew 16:21).

3. The emphasis must be on a living Christ, not a dead one. He is not longer on the cross of Calvary. He is alive interceding for us (Hebrew 7:25)

III. Evidences of the Gospel being True

A. The Old Testament prophecies prove that the Gospel is true

B. The eyewitness’s testimonies prove the gospel true (I Corinthians 15:5 –8). The gospel has infallible proofs (Acts1:3). Biblical faith has substance (Hebrews 11:1).

IV. How to Receive the Gospel

A. We receive the Gospel by faith (I Corinthians 15:2, 11; Ephesians 2:8–9).

· Saving faith is not mere ascent to fact.

1. Saving faith is undivided faith

· We must believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour alone. He must have the place of the anointed one without any other (Acts 4:12).

2. Saving faith is trusting faith (Ephesians 1:13)

· Believe means “to trust, to depend upon, to commit oneself to.

3. Saving faith is a convinced faith

· The Ethiopian Eunuch believed with all his heart (Acts 8:37). 99 percent faith is not enough.

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4. Saving faith is an unmixed faith (Romans 3:24; 4:4 –5; 6:23; 11:6; Ephesians 2:8–9)

· It cannot be mixed with human works. It must be seen as a free gift not a reward for good works.

5. Saving faith is a receiving faith

· You not only know Jesus died, but you have to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. There must be a call to Him for salvation (Matthew 11:28–29; John 1:11–12; Romans 10:13).

B. What does it mean to “believe in vain” (I Corinthians 15:2)?

1. Believing the wrong thing is believing in vain (John 2:23–25).

· Jesus is not just a provider of food and protection. Many pray to Him for help in problems, to make them wealthy or for physical healing. A sinner must humble himself to receive Jesus Christ by faith that He is the sole means of salvation from the penalty of sin.

2. Believing without repentance is believing in vain (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30; 20:21; 26:20). Repentance means surrender to God. Many want to believe without surrender as fire insurance, but still holding to the darkness of sin. The devils believe in God

3. Believing a false Gospel and a false Christ is believing in vain (II Corinthians 11:3–4).

V. The Gospel Provides Security (I Corinthians 15:2)

A. By which ye ARE saved

· At the point of trusting the Gospel one is saved, nit if will be saved if we keep in memory, but we are saved.

B. Continuing in faith is evidence that one has received Christ as Saviour.

· A person that is saved knows why they are saved and will always know why they are saved. The statement Paul makes if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you” is not a qualifier for salvation, but an evidence of salvation.