The gospel is the divine announcement of what God has done in Christ to save sinners, centered on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, offered to all by grace through faith, and commanding a response of repentance and belief. It is not good advice, it is good news, εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion), a royal proclamation, not about what we do for God, but what God has done for us through His Son.
God created the world good, holy, and ordered, placing man in it to rule under His authority (Genesis 1–2). But man rebelled (Genesis 3), introducing sin and death into the world, severing fellowship with God, and bringing condemnation to all humanity (Romans 5:12). Every person is born in sin, spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1–3), and under God’s righteous wrath (John 3:36). No one is righteous, no one seeks God, and none can earn salvation by law, works, or effort (Romans 3:10–20).
But God, in His mercy and eternal plan, sent forth His Son, Jesus Christ, born of a woman, born under the law (Galatians 4:4), fully God and fully man (John 1:1, 14; Colossians 2:9), to live the life we failed to live and die the death we deserved. At the cross, Jesus became our substitute (ὑπέρ in Galatians 3:13, meaning “on behalf of”), taking our sin upon Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21), bearing our curse (Galatians 3:13), and satisfying divine justice (Romans 3:25–26). His cry, “It is finished” (John 19:30), signaled the completed work of redemption, not the potential of salvation but the purchase of a people (Revelation 5:9).
On the third day, God raised Him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4), declaring Him to be the Son of God with power (Romans 1:4) and vindicating His atonement. This resurrection secures the believer’s justification (Romans 4:25), the Spirit’s indwelling (Romans 8:11), and the promise of new creation (1 Peter 1:3–4).
Now, this gospel is preached to all: “Repent, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). This is no suggestion, it is a command. To believe is to entrust oneself fully to Christ, to abandon self-righteousness, and to rest in Him alone for salvation (Romans 10:9–10; Acts 16:31). To repent (μετανοέω) is to change one’s mind and turn from sin to God, forsaking all idols and taking up the cross (Acts 2:38; Luke 9:23).
Those who believe are justified, declared righteous by grace (Romans 5:1), indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14), adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:15), and sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). This salvation is a free gift, but it is not a cheap one, it cost the blood of the Son of God (1 Peter 1:18–19).
In summary:
God is holy, just, and Creator.
Man is sinful, rebellious, and condemned.
Christ lived, died, and rose to save.
Response is repentance and faith.
Result is forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life.
This is the gospel, the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
“It is one thing for me to claim that God has changed me; it is quite another for those around me to acknowledge that I have truly changed. You and I are sinners. Moreover, we are self-deceived. We do not see ourselves accurately. Every one of us thinks more of himself than he ought. We are in desperate need of brothers and sisters who will tell us the truth. More importantly, we need to be the kind of people who acknowledge that truth. If my brothers and sisters in Christ continue to tell me something about myself that I do not see as true and accurate, I must come to a place where I trust the body, looking at me objectively, more than I trust myself, looking at me subjectively. This is especially true when we are dealing with people who know and love us, those who live and serve in close proximity. Praise God for loving Christian spouses, siblings, and even children in whom both the Spirit of God and a willingness to be lovingly honest abide.”
― Voddie Baucham Jr., Joseph and the Gospel of Many Colors: Reading an Old Story in a New Way
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