What is the gospel?
The gospel (the word means 'good news') is the announcement that God, in love, became man in Jesus Christ, died for our sins, was raised for our justification, and freely saves all who repent and believe. It is news to be believed, not a task to be performed.
Begin by reading
Go into the Word
Not a summary of these passages: the passages themselves. Read them, then come back to the study below.
The study
What the Scripture says
It is good news, not good advice
The gospel is not a list of instructions to improve yourself: it is an announcement of what God has done. Paul delivers what he received: 'that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day.' It is something to believe, not something to achieve.
Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
The message: a Person and His finished work
The gospel centers on Jesus, not on our efforts. 'God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.' The good news is who He is and what He did for us.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.
What it gives: righteousness and eternal life
By the gospel we are 'justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' The wages of sin is death, but 'the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' The gospel turns a verdict of death into a gift of life.
being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What it asks: repentance and faith
The jailer asked what he must do, and the answer was: 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.' Jesus began His ministry, 'Repent, and believe in the Good News.' It is received, never earned.
brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.
It is for everyone
The gospel is 'the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.' God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. It is good news for all: the worst and the best alike.
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
who desires all people to be saved and come to full knowledge of the truth.
As you read, you may wonder…
Scripture raises the next question
Studying the Word naturally opens more of it. Follow what you just read: it leads somewhere.
Continue this trail
What is grace?→“for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.”What does it mean to be justified?→“We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”What is faith, exactly?→“Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.”What is repentance?→““Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,”Does grace mean I can live however I want?→“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?”What does it mean that Christ's righteousness is 'imputed' to us?→“For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”Is it okay to have doubts sometimes?→“Immediately the father of the child cried out with tears, “I believe. Help my unbelief!””Is repentance a one-time decision or a lifelong posture?→“Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance!”What is the kingdom of God?→“and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.””What is the difference between grace and mercy?→“for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.”How are justification and sanctification related?→“Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;”What does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight?→“for we walk by faith, not by sight.”How do I know my repentance is genuine?→“For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world works death.”Did God choose me to be saved before I chose Him?→“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love;”Can anyone resist God's grace?→“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.”What price can buy forgiveness?→“none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him. For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,”What does it mean that God remembers our sins no more?→“and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from their least to their greatest, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.”What are the parables of the kingdom about?→“He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.””Explore further
How can I be saved?→Jesus Christ trail“for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.”Does it matter which Jesus I believe in?→Jesus Christ trail“But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Worth visiting