WHAT IS THE GOSPEL

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL

52.6 I Thessalonians 1:5
Pastor/Teacher Charles E. Whisnant

What is the Gospel? Just ask the typical American evangelical or fundamentalist the question? Here is what you will likely hear: “Believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and you will be saved.”

NOTE SOME SCRIPTURES ON “WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?”

o Mark 1:14-15

• Mark 1:14 ¶ Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Jesus was saying then, that the gospel is preaching the kingdom of Christ, kingdom of God which was breaking into this present world through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of the Messiah. The Gospel, then, is the message of the Kingdom. Repenting and believing is the means by which we are included in the gospel story of God’s work throughout history.

God is redeeming for Himself a people out of a fallen world: we enter into the gospel story by grace through faith alone.

o Romans 1:1-6

• Ro 1:1 ¶ Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

We think of the Gospel as “the way of salvation.” There is another idea: “Redemption accomplished.” is another way of saying the same.

There is a “history of salvation:” i.e. what God has done objectively throughout Biblical history to accomplish the redemption of the world and of His people. The history of salvation is found in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The first verse to mention the process of salvation is Genesis 3:15." And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

REDEMPTION APPLIED: This is how the redemption purchased by Christ becomes real in the life of the believer.

Generally, all we ever learn about the Gospel and Salvation is “to repent and believe and be baptized.” There is so much more to the process than this.

THE WORD GOSPEL MEANS ‘GOOD NEWS” Isaiah 52:7. Rom. 10:15.

• Isa 52:7 ¶ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
  Ro 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

MARK 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel <2098> of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

When was the beginning of the gospel? If the historical events of Jesus Christ did not happen, then Christianity does not “work”. For the good news is that God has entered the human “now” (history) with the life of the world to come.

Jesus Christ and the Gospel are the same. Jesus does not bring the gospel – He is the gospel – because the gospel is that God has broken into history and accomplished everything necessary for our salvation.

The gospel: “the gospel of the kingdom.” , Matthew 4:23,

• Mt 4:23 ¶ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

The gospel is the message about the Kingdom of God entering into this world through the ministry of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

THEN THE QUESTION BECOMES, HOW DOES ONE ENTER INTO THIS KINGDOM? Matthew 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

How do I become a part of the new creation? cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

What must I do to be saved? Cf. Acts 16:30 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" The answer of course is:

• “Repent and believe the gospel” mark 1:15

SO THE QUESTION WILL THEN BE: how does the gospel become real in our lives? i.e. how is redemption applied to us?

The term “redemption” is used to express how one becomes a Believer, a Christian, and is born again.

WHY IS THE GOSPEL SO IMPORTANT TO PREACH?

Because we see that all human beings are incapable of entering into the kingdom of god on their own – that is – for us it is impossible to merit our own salvation. We are wholly dependent upon the graciousness of our god for our salvation in every step along the process described in Romans 8:28-30.

• Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorifiedPREACHING THE GOSPEL? It’s the Christian life. It is the way in which we communicate the work of Christ to others, so that the story of their life might be found within the grand story of god’s redemption.

Is your story found within the story of god’s redemption? Have you become a part of the grand narrative in which our lives tell he story of His glory and His redeption.

• THE GOSPEL is, but more than “being saved” It’s redemption accomplished. The story of Jesus, is how our salvation was accomplished by the work and words of Jesus Christ. The story how God is redeeming His people for Himself to live in His New Heaven and New Earth (Heaven)