What is the Gospel?
Photo by Michael D Beckwith on Unsplash
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
When we consider Christianity’s relationship to science or any other subject, it helps to know exactly what we’re talking about. So let’s define the important term “Gospel.”
The Gospel is the epic story at the heart of the Christian worldview. The word Gospel means “Good News,” and the Gospel is very good news for everyone who believes it. It is the story of God and humanity that we find in the Bible and celebrated through the Christian Church. I find it easiest to tell the story in five parts, though this isn’t the only way to tell it.
Part 1: God.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1 ESV
Before there was anything else, even before there was “before” (for He is outside time itself), there was God. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. He is eternal, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, and entirely good. He is, and always has been, three persons in one being: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God made all things from an abundance of His creative power, and He called the universe good. He did not set the cosmos in motion and then turn away to do something else; He sustains everything that exists, in every moment, by His love and power.
Part 2: Mankind.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27 ESV
While God created all things, in humanity He did something different: He made men and women in His own image, able to reason and make moral decisions. He made us for a special purpose. According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism,
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
All people were intended for intimate relationship with the creator God, and were made with the capacity to love.
We were given the gift of free will, meaning that we choose to love and obey God or choose not to. Our ancestors chose poorly, and the cancer of sin has infected humanity. We have all disobeyed God. The Fall is not a small matter. When humanity chose to reject God’s rule for our own, we offended His perfect holiness and committed an act of treason. The just punishment for such rebellion is separation from God. And since God is the source of all good things, being separated from Him is a place we literally call Hell.
The Old Testament, or Old Covenant, was God’s covenant with the descendants of Abraham whereby God promised to redeem the world through Abraham’s tribe. God revealed Himself to the Israelites over the centuries by delivering them through trials and giving them the Law that set them apart from other nations. Through sacrifices, they could atone for their sins, but only the high priest could enter into God’s very presence in the temple. In the Old Covenant, God was setting the stage for His incredible act of redemption.
Part 3: Jesus.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 ESV
Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem around the year 1 AD, to a young virgin named Mary. He was fully God and fully man, and lived His entire life without committing a single sin. He perfectly obeyed the Father’s will, thus providing the good life we each owe to our Creator. He performed many miraculous signs, healing the sick and disabled, raising the dead, walking on water, and providing food and wine with supernatural power (not that the food and wine had supernatural power, but Jesus did). He told parables and discussed theology, making the extraordinary claim that He was one with the God of Abraham and had been sent by the Father.
Jesus was crucified on a cross around the year 30 AD, at the hands of the Romans and Jewish leaders, for crimes of blasphemy and insurrection. By this sacrifice, innocent and willing, He served as the atonement for the sins of humanity.
Jesus was laid in a tomb on a Friday afternoon, but He miraculously rose from the dead on Sunday morning, appearing to many witnesses and proving that what He said about Himself is true. He walked the Earth for some 40 days after the Resurrection, and then ascended into Heaven, sending the Holy Spirit to abide in the hearts of believers.
Christians believe that Jesus is a real, historical person, and that He is the second person of the Trinity, God Himself. His life has changed the course of history unlike any other person who ever lived. He started the largest religion on Earth, Christianity. He divided time itself in two: BC (before Christ) and AD (anno Domini). His teaching established the principles that have resulted in greater human rights and freedoms. The Christian Church has established more charitable organizations than any other group of people in history. Jesus is the ultimate game-changer.
Part 4: Response.
“For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 10:10 ESV
Any living person can receive the salvation that Jesus offers by placing their faith in Him. There is nothing we can do to earn his forgiveness; we have offended God’s holiness, and that is a capital offense. But we don’t need to do anything but accept this free gift, because Jesus has accomplished our redemption. All we must do is believe and confess.
When we do, we are immediately transformed from traitors and rebels against our maker, into beloved sons and daughters of God, invited into His forever family. He lived the perfect life we owe to God, and earned our forgiveness on the cross. By His resurrection, Jesus achieved victory over sin and death, and He promises us the same victory if we will join our lives to His. We can finally fulfill our ultimate purpose, intimacy with God. To paraphrase C. S. Lewis, in grace, we don’t get something for nothing; we get everything for nothing.
Part 5: Eternity.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’”
Revelation 21:3-4 ESV
Jesus promised that He will return someday to redeem and restore all creation to Himself. On that day, He will right every injustice. He will pour out wrath on evil people, and extend incredible mercy toward those who believe, no matter how broken they are. All those who have died will be physically resurrected to be judged by God, and His just and perfect will shall be done.
We who have trusted in Jesus will live forever with God, and Jesus will be our King. We don’t know exactly what that life will look like, but the Bible makes it clear that it will be better than we can possibly imagine. We will never die, and we will never tire of serving God with our whole selves. We will worship the Triune God forever and ever and will soar to ever-greater heights of perfect joy. We will finally be home.
The Gospel tells us who God is, who we are, and what we were made for. It makes sense of our past, gives us purpose every day, and fills us with hope for the future. It invites us into the mission of God on Earth and gives us a real and eternal family in the Church. Once a person accepts God’s gift of grace, the Gospel becomes a lens through which they see every aspect of life, culture, and the world. The Gospel makes sense of everything. And it changes our perspective on everything in the universe, including the physical universe itself. And that is good news indeed.