The Gospel

What is the Gospel?

I Corinthians 15:3 - 4 uses the word "gospel" this way:

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures."

The true gospel (literally "good news") is that Jesus died and rose again on our behalf.  This is only good news if you are familiar with the bad news:  We are all sinners, born with a death sentence upon us because of the original sin of Adam passed on to each of us.

Sinful people cannot rescue themselves through righteous acts because even "our righteousnesses are as filthy rags"  (Isaiah 64:6).  We taint even our most noble efforts with pride, selfishness, false motives, comparison, and entitlement.  We cannot contribute even an iota to our salvation because our contributions, embedded with sin, would only add to the debt, not the remedy.  In other words, we can only make it worse.  We don't need assistance getting to heaven.  We need an all-out rescue!

The gospel--the story of heaven's rescue of hell-worthy sinners--is woven throughout all sixty-six books of the Bible.  One way of understanding the gospel is through a helpful compilation of verses from the book of Romans.  This list is not exhaustive, nor is it exclusive.  There are many other ways to explain the gospel from the Scriptures.  But many have been helped by this list.  

1. Romans 3:10, “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.”

2. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

3. Romans 6:23a, “For the wages of sin is death.”

4. Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

5. Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth (showed) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

6. Romans 6:23b, “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

7. Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

8. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”


How do we "call upon the name of the Lord" to be saved?

Jesus taught a parable in Luke 18, describing the prayers of two men in the temple. The Pharisee, overflowing with good works in his impressive resume of public righteousness, prayed, "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers . . ." On and on he droned, reciting his good works to God in heaven.  Jesus editorializes his prayer in verse 11:  "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself."  His prayer never made it past the ceiling.

Meanwhile, across the room from the Pharisee, crouched a publican.  Bowed down with guilt, he "would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner.'"

And Jesus narrates the story:  "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other."