This is the Gospel!
In Mark 1:14-16, we read that Jesus went to Galilee and preached the gospel. Some translations might say he preached the good news. Don’t worry; it’s the same thing. The Greek word can rightly be translated either way because the gospel is good news.
We should consider two questions. First, if we believe that the gospel is only the events of the cross, that is, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, what was Jesus preaching? This is a good question but it comes out of a miss understanding that the gospel is only that single momentary point in time. In fact, the gospel starts in Genesis and is finally concluded in Revelation. The cross is but the climax of the story. Jesus is the hero. (Pastor Bryan Catherman discuss how this works and how people in in the Old Testament were saved in my sermon, “Into a New Kingdom” (Mark 1:14-20.)
Second, what is the gospel? This is not only a good question, it’s THE question. To help us answer this question, we turn to Ritch Sandford’s excellent video addressing this very matter. But it’s really not Ritch telling us the Gospel—it’s Ritch telling us what the Bible says is the gospel. This 4 minute video contains 33 Bible references. We encourage you to watch the video and then go put your mouse over the Bible references to read the Scriptures for yourself. Or, look them up in your own Bible and let God answer this question from his Word.
Here’s the transcript of the video. Please don’t take Ritch’s word for it. God read these Scriptures for yourself. Then ask yourself, do you believe the Gospel?
The Gospel: Transcript
The word “Gospel” is in the Bible nearly 100 times. Literally translated, the word gospel means good news. But, sadly, many people have never actually heard this good news.
THIS IS THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE:
There has only ever been, and ever will be one eternal God (Isaiah 43:10). God is perfect, unchangeable, and without limitation (Malachi 3:6), and He has revealed Himself to us through His Word, the Bible. He created everything that exists (Genesis 1:1): every universe, every cell (Psalm 147:4); every star, to every blade of grass, every atom that has ever existed…and every person…including you and me (John 1:3). And he gave us a code to live by and placed it in our hearts as a conscience to know right from wrong (Romans 2:15).
THE PROBLEM OF SIN
But you and I, on many occasions, have chosen wrong (Isaiah 53:6). The Bible tells us that
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
That “no one is righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10).
Because of this rebellion against our creator, we have caused a separation between us and God (Isaiah 59:2). And it is a gap so wide, that we can never cross it by our efforts (Ephesians 2:12). But many have tried. In realizing their sin, some people have tried to do good things to outweigh the bad. But God has declared that
“Even all of our righteous deeds are like filthy rags to Him” (Isaiah 64:6).
Others have thought that if they could just stop doing bad things, they would be alright. But the Bible says that if we’ve done even one thing wrong, then we are lawbreakers, and subject to the full penalty of the law (James 2:10).
This penalty is death (Romans 6:23). Eternal separation from God. Because God is perfect and we are not…He is just in His judgment, and you and I stand guilty before a Righteous Judge (Romans 2:2).
GOD SAVES US THROUGH HIS SON JESUS
But God loved us so much that He sent His one and only son, Jesus, to come to earth (John 3:16), to enter into our mess, and live the perfect life we should have lived (Hebrews 4:15), and in regards to our standing before God, he traded places with us (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was blameless but he took our punishment of death. We stand guilty, but we can have His reward of eternal life (Romans 3:24-25).
“And God demonstrated His love for us in this, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Jesus died the death that we should have died, but He didn’t stay in the grave (Acts 2:24). He rose from the dead defeating sin and death, and sharing His victory with all who will believe in Him (1 Corinthians 15:57). Now we can be seen as innocent in the eyes of God (Isaiah 43:25)!
A man once asked Jesus,
“What must we do to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered him, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:28-29).
AND THAT IS THE GOSPEL…
…that anyone who will repent of sin and turn (Acts 3:19), not to good works, religious systems, or traditions of men, but believe in the one and only son of God, Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 16:31).
The Bible says that it is by grace that we have been saved through faith and not by our works (Ephesians 2:8). That it is not possible for us to earn God’s forgiveness through any deeds that we can do (Romans 11:6). God says that anyone who relies on his own works is under a curse (Galatians 3:10), because no one can be justified by what his accomplishments (Romans 3:20).
This Gospel is so important to God that He warns us if anyone tries to add anything to, or take anything from this message, even if that messenger is an angel from heaven, he will be eternally condemned (Galatians 1:8). God has guarded His true Gospel throughout the ages (Matthew 16:18), and through His servants, He shares it freely to all who will hear it (Romans 10:14-17).
God loves you, in spite of your sin! He has freely offered you His gift of grace and salvation, today. And that is good news!