What is the Gospel?
Simply put the Gospel is good news! Let us try and explain it using four words to help us remember, God, Man, Jesus, Response.
God
There are a few basic truths about God that must be understood to understand the Gospel.
1) God is Creator. That means everything that exists God made, including YOU. (Psalm 19:1, Rom 1:20). Because he created us that gives Him the right to be in authority over us. We are also should worship Him above all.
2) God has character and integrity, this means He does not tolerate wrongdoing (Habakuk 1:13). Another way to think about it is that God is holy, (Isaiah 6).
HOOK: God who is perfect in goodness and rightness created, therefore God owns us and has expectations. Expectations that we should worship Him only.
Man
-Humans broke the relationship with God by committing treason. Their treason affects us all today, we have an inclination to disobey God. We are in complete rebellion against God. We all want to reject this because we like to think of ourselves as basically good and self-sufficient. But we are not, we are polluted with sin (this lack of treasuring or worshiping God for who He is).
-Sin is not “sins” (often thought of as little mistakes that we do), WE personally rebel against God daily and WE deserve the punishment. SIN is in us, our very nature is sin, our sin comes from our heart (Matt 15:19, Eph 2:3).
HOOK: God will have justice against SIN. We deserve to be judged. All humanity stands under the wrath of God against rebellion.
Jesus
Jesus was no ordinary man (Luke 1:34-35, John 1:1, 14). He was fully God and fully man, this is important, this is the only way we can be saved. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
-Jesus was truly human, he can understand our pain and suffering (Heb 4:15). Yet without sin to show us how we can live, not only that but He can be a representative for us and face the consequences of our sin. He can take the punishment we deserve.
-Jesus is truly God, only can God take the full wrath upon Himself for us. God’s justice is satisfied and at the same time pardon the guilty (Rom 4:5). Jesus carries on Himself the penalty of our sin.
HOOK: “His death, my life” Jesus, who is perfect, took our judgment on Himself and died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16). The power of God was revealed in Him by His being brought physically back from the dead three days later.
Response
This information demands a response. (Mark 1:15)
1) Faith is better understood as trust or reliance. We are commanded to trust that Jesus will cover our sins. By putting your trust in Jesus, you are claiming that nothing else can save, there is no hope in anything or anyone else, not even yourself. (Luke 13:3)
2) Repent, this is means we turn from sin, hating it, rejecting, through the power of God’s Spirit. (Acts 3:19)
-Important, this means Jesus is who He says He is, He is King in our lives He is to be followed and obeyed. This means we have to constantly put to death sinful desires and responses that arise in our lives.
Hook: “Turn from sin, trust in Christ”
Effects: Redemption, is a useful word to understand the start of, and continuation of, the Christian life. God is renewing us through the Son as we are guided by the Holy Spirit through Scripture to become more like Jesus. This is how we are being restored to the image we are created to be! (Genesis 1, 2 and Romans 8:28-29)
-God’s rules for life, do not destroy our freedom, but tell us how to live in line with the way we were made, and result in security, real freedom, and happiness. God’s Word is Divine revelation on how to live, it helps us behold Jesus Christ.
