Defining the Gospel

Probably the best ‘telling’ of the gospel occurs in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures …” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 contains the core of the gospel, but this passage does not elaborate or explain the various elements of it. However, it does give us a framework to work with. When we pull each element out, we discover several important parts of the gospel. Not listing them in the order found in the passage we find the following.

• “In accordance with Scripture” … The gospel is Biblical.
• “I delivered to you as of first importance” … The proclamation of the gospel is of high priority.
• “the gospel I preached to you” … The gospel is normally disseminated by proclamation or preaching.
• “which you received” … The gospel is personal and requires a response. It is received in authentic saving faith.
• “in which you stand, and by which you are being saved” … Salvation by grace through faith from start to finish.
• “Christ” … The gospel is Christ centric.
• “died” …
• “for our sins” …
• “that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day” …

Each of these elements is integral to a full definition of the gospel. For the sake of crafting Paul’s succinct explanation of the gospel into an outline form we will label each element.

• the gospel I preached to you, which you received…This showed that Paul had shared the gospel with the Corinthians and had invited them to accept this gift of God by faith. We will label this INVITATION.
• in which you stand, and by which you are being saved… Paul here emphasizes that the gospel is the only means of salvation. He does this because people’s natural propensity is to try to achieve salvation by their own merit. We will call this concept WORKS.
• Christ… Who is he? Jesus has great name recognition but there is also great confusion, even within the church, as to his true identity. We will call this concept CHRIST.
• Christ… Why did he come? He came to die because God in his love provided Jesus to be the substitute who would bear the punishment for sin. We will call this concept LOVE.
• died…Why did he have to die? Death is the penalty for sin. Someone had to pay that penalty. We will call that concept DEATH.
• for our sins…What is sin, where did it come from? Sin is the problem that separates us from God. We will call this concept SIN.
• that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day… Christ submitted himself to death on the cross, but he also triumphed over the cross by rising from the dead. We will call this concept CROSS.

The next step is to put the concepts in an appropriate sequence. The most logical order of these concepts is the chronological sequence in which they occur in the scriptures.

1. SIN – the problem, what is it and where did it come from?
2. DEATH – is the penalty for sin mandated by God’s justice.
3. WORKS – our own works can never rescue us from the problem of death, only Christ’s death can pay the penalty for our sins.
4. LOVE – God loves us and devised a plan to take care of our problems of sin and death without violating his righteous standard.
5. CHRIST – he is God the Son who became man. He took on human form in order to be our substitute and bear the penalty for us.
6. CROSS – Jesus paid the total penalty for our sins when he died, and this was proved by his resurrection on the third day.
7. INVITATION – Paul preached the gospel, calling them to faith and repentance, and they believed and stand in it.

The Bad News

SIN

I would argue that there is no good news in the world unless there is bad news, which is also true of our understanding of the gospel. Without a sober knowledge of sin and its effect on the world, we cannot fully appreciate the good news of what Christ has done for us. As my friend and former colleague Dr. Steve Childers used to say, “If you think you are itsy-bitsy sinner, you only need an itsy-bitsy savior.”

Over the years, I have had many people ask me if a particular behavior was a sin. My reply has always been, “if you think it may be sin, it probably is!” (James 4:17). So, what is the best way to define sin? I believe the Westminster Shorter Catechism is accurate when it defines sin as “any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God” (Q.14). That means we sin when we cannot conform to or obey God’s law perfectly. There is no grey area when it comes to sin. You do not get a free pass just because you did not read your Bible and were not aware of the sin. We also sin when we transgress or disobey it. It is safe to say that Scripture tells us that “Sin is criminal activity against God by those who live contrary to his laws.”¹ Or, as John put it, “Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).

However, the problem of sin is much deeper than our thoughts and actions, as every human born on this earth inherits a sinful nature. Sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. God created them after His likeness, in perfect knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and they had full communion with God. The first sin came when Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan, who revealed himself as a snake and tricked them into disobeying God by eating the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. As insignificant as eating forbidden fruit may seem, it was an act of rebellion against God. Life in the garden only had one restriction, and they chose to disregard it: Adam and Eve were the first criminals because they broke God’s law. Because Adam represented all of humanity, his sin impacted all, causing all people to be born with a sinful nature. Therefore, all need salvation as “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:9) and that “all have sinned” (3:23) in our thoughts, words, and deeds.

“Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet” – Thomas Watson.

Key Words: Heredity, Choice

DEATH

Sin carried a consequence or punishment, so the moment Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they died spiritually and lost the full communion they had enjoyed with God. They lost their true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness and, having their eyes opened to evil, covered themselves and tried to hide from God. Paul builds on this when he writes, “just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all have sinned. . . the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 5:12; 6:23). He also describes the unbeliever as “dead in their trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1,5; Col.2:13).

The entrance of sin into the world also introduced physical death, and every living organism began to die and decay. Though our souls live forever, sin brought a broken world, full of pain, a cursed ground, arduous work, and “to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it. . . For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Rom. 8:20, 22).

The price for sin goes beyond physical death to eternal punishment. There will be no soul sleep or slipping away into oblivion but a literal hell where God will pour out His wrath. “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mat. 13:41-42). It will be a “punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (1Thes.1:7b-9), “the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15).

Key Words: Spiritual, Physical, Eternal

WORKS

Like any good criminal, we deny our guilt and resist the death sentence handed down. As a result, we live in denial of just how bad our sin is and go to great lengths to earn back our rights. We do this through self-justification and give excuses such as “I’ve done my best, I’ve tried to do the right thing” (I have the right motive), “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people” (Comparison), and “I’ve helped a lot of people” or “I’ve helped make the world a better place” (Accomplishments). In each of these answers, we rely on our definition of righteousness. We are making up our own rules and therefore reject the absolute righteousness of God, replacing it with relative righteousness.

However, Scripture is clear that any attempt to save ourselves is in vain; we simply cannot earn righteousness. “A person is not justified by works of the law. . . because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal. 2:16). “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Tim. 1:9). “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy. . .” (Tit. 3:4-5).

Key Words: Works don’t work.

The Good News

LOVE

The bad news and its consequences are sobering, and they should be! Yet, as tragic as the bad news may appear, the bad news makes the good news more glorious. Notice how Paul explains this in Ephesians 2 where he describes humanity as “dead in the trespasses and sins” (2:1), “following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air” (2:2), “by nature children of wrath” (2:3). He then makes an abrupt turn and astounds us with the good news! “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses” (2:4). He does something similar in Romans 5:8 when he writes, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Notice in both cases the emphasis on God’s love. God knew that we would rebel against him and make a mess of our lives, and his gorgeous creation, yet that did not affect his love for us; “The great love with which he loved us” (v.4), is a love so intense that “he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

In summary, because of his great love for us, God reconciles sinners to himself without compromising his righteousness and justice. A perfect would take the place of sinners and bear the punishment for them. God the Son, the second member of the Trinity left the glory of heaven to become that substitute. God the Spirit, applies that salvation to the sinner by working faith in us.

Key Words: But God, Love

CHRIST

Jesus came to correct all wrong caused in the garden of Eden: He came as a perfect Adam. Whereas Adam brought death, Christ Jesus brought life. Adam was selfish; Christ was selfless. Adam brought alienation while Christ brought reconciliation. Adam’s sin brought condemnation; Christ’s righteousness leads to justification. Adam’s disobedience made all sinners; Christ’s obedience makes many righteous. To complete the perfect substitution, Christ took our disobedience and our punishment; He took death so we could live. And that is free for all who believe!

For Christ to accomplish this, He had to be fully God and fully man. “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9). “Unless our Savior is God, we are without hope. It is the deity of Christ that sustains His human nature through terrible suffering, that gives worth and power to His suffering and makes His salvation sure.” ² He shares our flesh and blood so that he can defeat death. “It was necessary that Christ should be both God and man. It was only as man that He could be our substitute and could suffer and die, and only as sinless man that He could atone for the sins of others. And it was only as God that He could give His sacrifice infinite value and bear the wrath of God so as to deliver others from it.”³

Key Words: Deity, Humanity

THE CROSS

Jesus’ death on the cross is what generally comes to mind when you think of the work of Christ. The theological name for that sacrifice is “atonement.” The word atonement comes from an old English expression referring to reconciliation, bringing people to oneness, “at-one-ment.” In the Old Testament, the shedding of blood, sacrifices, and the sacrificial system pointed to a more extensive and more significant reality. An animal had to die to provide clothing for Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21), God provided a ram for Abraham, so he did not have to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen. 22:12-14), and the Passover Lamb died to protect from the Angel of Death (Exo. 12). With the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai came explicit requirements for sacrifices. All of this was temporary (Rom. 3:21) and ultimately looked forward to the coming of Christ. “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Heb. 9:13-14).

To be “without blemish” means that Christ never sinned. As the true Adam, He obeyed the Father perfectly. Christ took our place as our vicar or substitute. As our vicar, He bore the penalty for our sin and met the demands of the law, thus providing eternal redemption. When we believe in Christ, God counts us as righteous in Christ as He “imputes” to us the righteousness of Christ. “God imputes our sin to Christ and His righteousness to us. God judges our sin in Christ, and regards us as righteous in Christ . . . So, God not only forgives our sins, but he also gives to us the very righteousness of Christ. We are not only acquitted but we are positively good.”⁴ He then sees us, counts, and declares us righteous and holy as Jesus is. “For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).

We cannot forget Jesus’ resurrection when his human nature, both body and soul, was restored to its original beauty and strength and even raised to a higher level. His resurrection proclaimed that all the requirements of the law were met perfectly; it symbolized and is the cause of our justification, regeneration, sanctification, and final resurrection. Jesus “was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Rom 4:25), and “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:17).

We often forget the significance of Christ’s ascension in the gospel story. However, we must not neglect it. Having completed His work on earth, Jesus ascended into heaven to take His throne; from there, the Father sent the promised Spirit to empower and strengthen Believers to the task of being witnesses and making disciples. It is the Spirit who will be with us “always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). That is excellent news! We are not called to be witnesses on our own or in our own strength. We do so with the authority of God, in the power of God, and sharing the “living and active” powerful Word of God. A task that does not require eloquent words for Paul reminds us – “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Cor. 1:17). There is no need to be formally trained, for John tells us of the man who was blind from birth. When later interrogated by the religious leaders because Jesus healed him on the Sabbath simply replied, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25).

Key Words: Put, Punished, Risen

INVITATION

Imagine being in a situation where you find yourself malnourished, almost to the point of starvation. Along comes an individual who explains the bad news of what happens if you do not get some food and water. They go on to describe the good news of an elaborate feast of the finest food and drink available that will not only satisfy your hunger but save your life. Then they walk away and never invite you to come and feast with them. Unfortunately, we do something very similar when we share the gospel. We tell them about the feast but never give them an invitation.

So, what does the invitation look like? Scripture is clear, at its most basic it is an invitation to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Faith (belief) and repentance are inseparable. They are two sides of a coin. You cannot turn to Christ without turning away from sin. “Faith and repentance are the same thing, viewed positively and negatively. Neither exists before the other, neither exists without the other. The two are simultaneous and perspectival”⁵.

Let’s start with faith. The Bible uses both “faith” and “believe” for the Greek word pisis. “Believe” is the verb form of “faith”, and “faith” is the noun form of “believe.” Now that you have presented the gospel, there is a knowledge of both the bad and good news. Faith is not only knowing what God says is true, but believing it is true. It is to trust in Christ as Savior and Lord. It is believing in Jesus, trusting him for salvation – not believing that, but believing in. Remember, even the demons believe that God exists, but they cannot believe in Christ (James 2:14-16). “So true saving faith involves knowledge, belief, and trust in Christ” ⁶

The other side of the coin is repentance. Wayne Grudem defines repentance as “A heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ”⁷ Like faith, John Frame argues that there are three elements to repentance:

• Sorrow: Scripture makes a clear distinction between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:9-10; Heb. 12:17). “Godly sorrow recognizes how terrible I must look to God and confesses that honestly. But it is hopeful. It recognizes sin in its true light, because it knows that God is able and ready to forgive”
• Renunciation: Just as faith involves assent, repentance involves renunciation which goes beyond sorrow to agreeing with God’s evaluation of my sin.
• Turning away: A turning away from sin, just as faith is a turning to Christ. “As faith makes a personal commitment to Christ, repentance makes a personal commitment against sin.”

Key Words: Believe, Turn from, Turn to

Footnotes:

• ^{1 Gospel Boot Camp Leaders Manual p. 38↩}
• ^{2 John M. Frame, Salvation Belongs to the Lord: An Introduction to Systematic Theology, Phillipsburg: P&R, 2006.p.141↩}
• ^{3 Louis Berkhof, Summary of Christian Doctrine, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1938, p.95↩}
• ^{4 Frame, p. 148↩}
• ^{5 Frame, p.197↩}
• ^{6 ibid↩}
• ^{7 Grudem, Systematic Theology p.713↩}