What is the Gospel?
"There is nothing more notable or glorious in the church than the ministry of the gospel," so wrote John Calvin (Institutes, 4.3.3.).
Yet, regrettably, there is also nothing more misunderstood and so easily distorted. There is a great deal of confusion among believers about what the gospel is. It is quite easy for the gospel to become mixed with other vital truths that are related to it but that are not part of the gospel itself.
Therefore, before answering what the gospel is, we must answer what the gospel is not, so that people are not required to believe more than is necessary for salvation. On the other hand, we must answer what the gospel is so that people know what is necessary to believe for salvation.
The Gospel is Not
The gospel is not man's response to it.
The response demanded by the gospel is not the gospel. The gospel is not about what man does but rather about what Christ did.
The gospel then is not simply calling on people to make a decision. Establishing man's alienation from God and his need of the gospel is critical but it is not the gospel. Calling people to repent of their sins and to trust Christ is true and necessary but neither are the gospel. Calling on people to obey and live upright moral lives is not the gospel.
The distinction between the content of the gospel and its demands must be kept utterly distinct. To confuse one's duty with the gospel is to leave the impression that the essence of the gospel and the Christian faith is what a man does rather than what God has done in Christ (2 Cor. 5:19).
The gospel is not the new birth.
People often hear preachers telling people, "You must be born again!" However, this is neither the gospel nor something man is capable of doing. Regeneration (Jn. 3:3-8) is the glory of God's amazing grace that reaches down and brings a dead heart to life. In regeneration the grace of God enables the sinner to receive and rest in Jesus as He is freely offered in the gospel. It is therefore closely related to the gospel (and faith) but it is not the gospel.
The gospel is not the work of the Father or Holy Spirit.
God is Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All three persons of the one God are intimately involved in the gospel, but their roles are different. For example, the Father sends the Son (Jn. 4:34) and the Holy Spirit testifies of Christ and baptizes believers (Jn. 15:26; Acts 1:5). Yet while preaching of the Father's love (e.g., Jn. 3:16) or the Holy Spirit's witness of Christ in men's hearts are all true and necessary for the gospel to be the gospel they are not themselves the gospel but rather fruits of the gospel.
The Gospel Is
When we ask the question, “What is the gospel?” there are two aspects involved in this question.
The Objective Aspect
First, there is the objective aspect of the gospel, which details for us the Person and Work of Christ.
The gospel is the saving event of Jesus Christ (i.e., Messiah), which is rooted in the Scriptures concerning His life, death, burial and resurrection.
It is the proclamation concerning this past, perfect, finished historic event of what God in Christ did for sinners for which they could not do for themselves.
In I Corinthians 15:1-4, Paul provides one of the clearest and succinct summaries of the gospel in the Bible. He reminds the Corinthian church of what is of paramount importance concerning the gospel.
Christ's Death- 1 Cor. 15:3b
The gospel announces that Christ died on the cross for sinners and paid in full the penalty they deserved for their sins (Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; Col. 2:13-14; 1 Pet. 2:24a). He died on the cross as the sinner's substitute for the life sinners do live but shouldn't.
In order to qualify as an acceptable sacrifice for sinners, Christ had to be personally perfect (Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19). The Scriptures teach that Christ lived a perfectly obedient and sinless life on behalf of sinners (1 Pet. 2:22; 1 Jn. 3:5). He lived the kind of life for sinners that sinners don't live but should (Matt. 5:48).
Christ's Burial- 1 Cor. 15:4a
The gospel announces that after Jesus' death, He was taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb (Acts 13:29). Jesus’ burial certifies the reality of His death and points forward to the reality of His resurrection.
Christ's Resurrection- 1 Cor. 15:4b
The gospel announces that Christ rose from the dead on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures and appeared for forty days to a host of eyewitnesses (1 Cor. 15:4a-7; see also: Matt. 28:1-10; Mk. 16:1-8; Lk. 24:1-12; Jn. 20:1-10; Acts 2:24-32).
The death of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, faith and the preaching of the gospel are futile without His triumphant resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12-19). Therefore, the resurrection is the central fact of the gospel. Christ's resurrection (and subsequent ascension, cf. Acts 1:9) completes the gospel.
The resurrection vindicated Jesus' teaching, His sinless life and atoning death. In the resurrection, God the Father proclaims that He is fully satisfied with Christ’s atonement for sin. On the cross, Christ cried, “It is finished,” and in the resurrection God the Father proclaimed, “It is accepted!”
The resurrection was the fulfillment of OT prophecy (Acts 13:30-37). It declared Jesus to be the Davidic Messiah, the Son of God in power (Rom. 1:4; cf. Jn. 20:31), the risen Lord of the world (Acts 2:22-36, cf. Matt. 28:18) and is thus the basis for the believer's justification before God (Rom. 4:24).
The Subjective Aspect
The second aspect of the gospel is the subjective aspect, which asks and answers, “How are the benefits of Christ appropriated? How may a sinful man come to share in the benefits of the gospel? How is a sinful man made right with God?"
The answer is that a sinful man comes to share in the benefits of the gospel through faith, which is the gift of God (Rom. 4:4-5; Eph. 2:8-9). No amount of good works will make a man acceptable to God (Isa. 64:6; Rom. 3:20; Gal. 3:10-14; Titus 3:4-7).
The gospel declares that a man receives God’s righteousness and makes it his own solely by grace through the gift of faith alone in Christ alone (Rom. 3:21-28; 10:10; Gal. 2:16; 3:7-9, 14; Eph. 2:8-9; Philippians 3:8-11; 1 John 5:10-12).
Your Response
The gospel is not a value-neutral historic event (e.g., like knowing who won the first American Idol contest). As noted previously, the gospel demands a response. How then will you respond?
Will you repent and believe in the finished work of Christ? Will you trust in Jesus alone to forgive your sins?
The gospel's invitation is free. You do not have to delay. You do not have to prepare yourself to come. All that a man brings to the Lord in salvation is his sin, sheer disgrace and emptiness.
Jesus calls you to freely believe in Him who justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5). He does not require you to be godly before you believe. Jesus is a kind, gracious, merciful saving Lord. If you come, He will receive you. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," (Matt. 11:28) is both Christ’s invitation and promise. Will you come?
Additional information
For a concise, helpful presentation of the gospel click on the following multimedia presentation by Matthias Media: Two Ways To Live.
It is our prayer that you will come to know the joy of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, for you! If you have come to trust in Christ as your Savior, we would love to hear from you. Please send us an e-mail to: .
After trusting Christ, it is critical to become part of a local church that is self-consciously gospel-centered. If you are living in or near the Jacksonville, FL area, we welcome you to visit us. If you are not, we encourage you to locate a gospel-centered church in your area.
Click here for a listing of like-minded gospel-centered churches: The Gospel Coalition.
