The Essential Content of the Gospel (All of Life for God)
Transcript:
Chapter Three
The Essential Content of the Gospel
The word gospel is one of the most frequently used terms in the Christian vocabulary. However, the true power of this word is manifested only to the degree that we understand its biblical meaning. There is one sense in which the gospel is found on every page of the Scriptures. There is another in which it refers to a very distinct and unique message that is centered on the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is in this latter sense that we intend to employ the word gospel in this study.
As we go through the pages of Scripture, we will learn that the gospel is not a message among many but rather the message above them all. It is to be studied, cherished, and proclaimed as the greatest revelation of God to man, the only message of salvation given to man, and the great means by which the Christian is transformed and conformed to the nature and will of God.
Defining Terms
The word gospel is derived from the Old English word godspel (gōd [good] + spel [news, story]). Contrary to popular opinion, the Old English word gōd has a long ō and is a reference not to God but to that which is good. It does not mean “God’s news” but “good news.” In the New Testament, gospel is translated from the Greek word euangélion (eù [good] + aggéllō [to proclaim]). It denotes good new, joyful news, or glad tidings. In ecclesiastical Latin, gospel is translated bona annuntiatio (good announcement) or bonus nuntius (good message).
In this chapter, we will briefly consider the essential elements of the gospel so that we might begin our study with a working definition. However, before advancing any further, the student must firmly grasp one great truth: the gospel is good news and should be proclaimed as such. Although a biblical presentation of the gospel will address many grave themes—sin, divine wrath, condemnation, and death—these themes are not an end in themselves but are a means to showcase the grace of God and the salvation He offers.
Two passages in the New Testament most encapsulate the goodness and joy that are inherent in the gospel message. The first text is found in Luke 2:9–10: “And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.’”
Whenever a holy God draws near to sinful man, even in the form of a messenger, there is a reason for fear. Has God come with an olive branch of peace or with a sword of judgment? When the prophet Samuel drew near to Bethlehem, “the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’” (1 Sam. 16:4–5). If the leaders of a city showed such fear before an old man like themselves, we can only imagine the fear that struck the hearts of the shepherds when they found themselves in the very presence of the angel of the Lord. What a relief it must have been for them to hear that the angel came from God with “good tidings of great joy.” Those of us who are called to the gospel ministry must always remember that we have been sent out with these same good tidings. Although we must deal with weighty matters, even those that are grievous and painful, we are to offer the promise of salvation to all who will repent and believe. Our message is only condemning to those who reject it.
The second text that powerfully communicates the goodness and joy of the gospel is found in Romans 10:15, where the apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful [or lovely] are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace.”
First, notice the repetition. It would be extremely difficult for Isaiah or Paul to give greater emphasis to the goodness of the gospel and remain within the bounds of proper grammar. They are pushing language to it limits in order to communicate that the gospel is the very best of news. Second, take note of the word beautiful or lovely. The gospel is such good news to the discerning and believing heart that it is said to “beautify” or “make lovely” even the calloused and soiled feet of the messenger who brings it!
Imagine the fear and hopelessness of a condemned prisoner only moments before his execution. But as the hangman tightens the noose, a messenger runs up the stairs of the gallows, crying out, “Good news! Good news! The king has granted pardon!” Although the messenger is soaked in sweat and the mire of the street, he is beautified by his message and the prisoner embraces him without reservation.
Or imagine a small city-state that finds an immense army gathered at it borders intent on murder and pillage. In response, the king musters his army to meet the oncoming horde. Each day that passes without news seems to secure the city’s doom. Then a single runner approaches from afar. The citizens gasp in horror. “Has the king and his entire army perished? Has only one man survived to carry back to the city a message of death?” When the last flicker of hope is utterly extinguished, they suddenly hear the voice of the messenger: “Good news! Good news! The king has triumphed! The enemy has been routed! You will live and not die!” The messenger is soiled with the blood and stench of battle, but he is beautified by the message he carries and is received with open arms and shouts of joy.
God could not have chosen a more excellent word than gospel to describe the redemptive work of His Son. Having conquered death, hell, and the grave, He now sends His envoys to the farthest corners of the world to announce the good news of His victory and the salvation He has won for His people!
Essential Elements
Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, the Scriptures contain various summary statements regarding the content of the gospel. A few of the most important are found in Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 53:1–12, John 3:16–17, Romans 3:25–26, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4, and 2 Corinthians 5:21. In this book we will consider each of these texts in depth, along with many others. However, for now, and for the sake of introduction, we will briefly point out the major or essential elements of the gospel as they are set forth in the Scriptures.
The Character of God
One cannot understand reality apart from understanding who God is. Thus, in Proverbs 9:10 we read, “The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This is especially true with regard to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We simply cannot understand the gospel correctly apart from understanding something of the character of God. Why must Christ die? Because God is holy and righteous. Why did Christ die? Because God is love! Both questions find their answer in the character of God.
It is often stated that man’s greatest problem is sin. This statement is not wrong, but it is incomplete. Sin would not be a hindrance to fellowship with God if He were amoral or immoral. Sin is a problem because God is holy and righteous. In fact, the entire gospel has to do with reconciling God’s righteousness, which demands the punishment of the guilty (Ex. 34:7), with His mercy, which takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23; 33:11). How can God exercise mercy yet punish the wicked? How can He be both loving and just? The answer is found only in the person and work of Christ, who bore the sin of His people, suffered the wrath of God in their stead, and satisfied the demands of God’s justice that was against them. This is the heart of the gospel, yet it can be understood only in the light of the revelation of the character of God!
The Depravity of Man
To properly understand the gospel, we must also understand and submit to the Scriptures’ testimony regarding the moral depravity of man and his relentless rebellion against God. Adam was made in the imago Dei, or image of God (Gen. 1:27). However, his rebellion against God and subsequent fall from his original state of righteousness resulted in the fall of humanity and the corruption of the physical universe (Rom. 5:12; 8:20–22). Although something of God’s image remains (James 3:9), humanity bears Adam’s guilt, possesses his morally depraved nature, and willingly participates in his rebellion (Gen. 5:3; 8:21; Rom. 3:10–23; Eph. 2:1–3; 4:17–19). As a result, humanity is separated from fellowship with God and is under His righteous wrath (John 3:36; Rom. 1:18). From our side, reconciliation with God is an absolute impossibility, but “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27). He has provided salvation through the death and resurrection of His Son. The gospel of Jesus Christ does not ignore or downplay our sin but rather brings it to the forefront in all its ugliness and deals with it in on the cross (Isa. 53:4–6, 10; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). If we eliminate or make light of this essential truth of the gospel, we will have perverted its content, truncated it power, and brought judgment on ourselves (Gal. 1:8–9)!
Christ’s Person and Preincarnate Glory
The gospel is the historic account of God the Son becoming flesh (John 1:1), dwelling among sinful men (John 1:14), and suffering and dying as a vicarious or substitutionary sacrifice for His people (Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30). This wonderful act has often been called a humiliation or an emptying. However, none of these terms can fully communicate the greatness of the Son’s condescension unless we first understand something of the greatness of His preincarnate glory. It was not a mere man, an archangel, or even a demigod that suffered and died on Calvary. It was the very One whom Isaiah saw “sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the [heavenly] temple,” the One who was surrounded by the seraphim, who covered their faces and cried out to Him, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6:1–3; see also John 12:41).
It is a great deed for one man to give his life for another. But for the Son of God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, to give His life for sinful man is incomprehensible. In Romans 5:7–8 the apostle Paul argued, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The more we understand something of the infinite, eternal glory of the Son, the more we will comprehend the greatness of His humiliation and the greater will be our esteem for Him. Only then will we be able to sing with understanding the words of Charles Wesley, “Amazing love! How can it be, that Thou my God, shouldst die for me?”13
Christ’s Incarnation
The word incarnation refers to the Son of God being conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) and being born the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth. In this incarnation, the eternal Son became a true man in every sense of the term yet remained fully God. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9). The incarnation is an absolutely essential doctrine of the gospel and one of its greatest storehouses of glory. On one hand, Christ had to be man. Man has sinned and man must die. The sacrifice must be made in the same nature as that in which the crimes were committed, “for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). On the other hand, Christ had to be God. A mere man, an angel, or even some sort of demigod would not have been sufficient. A sacrifice of infinite worth and perfect inherent righteousness was required—a worth and a righteousness possessed by God alone. Thus, Paul testified that in Christ, God purchased the church “with His own blood” (Acts 20:28), and “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself ” (2 Cor. 5:19). The glories contained in the incarnation will take an eternity of eternities to sound out, but a more noble labor cannot be found. The more we comprehend what it means for God to become man and for that man to be Immanuel (God with us), the greater will be our devotion, the more complete and enduring our obedience, and the more vibrant our proclamation and worship.
Christ’s Perfect Obedience
Many theologians have regarded Christ’s perfect obedience as His greatest miracle, yet it is often overlooked as an essential doctrine of the gospel. Christ’s perfect obedience was necessary not only so that He might die for the sins of the unrighteous but also that His perfect life might be imputed to the disobedient. In Psalm 15:1, the psalmist asked, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” In verse 2, the answer is given: “He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.” Again, in Psalm 24:3 the same question is set forth: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?” In verse 4, the answer again is the same: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” For God’s people to stand fully accepted in His presence requires more than forgiveness or a clean slate. We must possess a perfect righteousness—a record of perfect conformity to the nature and will of God. But how is this to be obtained? The Scriptures testify that “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10) and that “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). The good news is not only that Christ offered His perfect life as a sacrifice to atone for our sins but that His perfect life was imputed to us or reckoned to be ours the moment we believed. We who were destitute or naked of personal righteousness have now been clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ. As the apostle Paul wrote, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21), and again, “[Christ] became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). He is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:6).
Christ’s Death
The death of Christ is the great essential of all gospel essentials. However, it is not enough to believe and preach that Christ died; we must also understand and accept the purpose and meaning of His death as it is revealed to us in the Scriptures. It is an undeniable historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth died under Pontius Pilate outside the city of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, we have arrived at a biblical faith only when we recognize the vicarious nature and redemptive purpose of His death. Jesus did not die as a martyr. Nor did He die merely as an affirmation of divine love or as an example to be followed by His disciples. Christ died for His people, on behalf of His people, in place of His people, and as a substitute for His people. On Calvary, He bore our sins, suffered the wrath of God against us, and died under the penalty of the law. In this way, He satisfied the demands of God’s righteousness that were against us, appeased God’s wrath, and made it possible for God to pardon our sin without the least violation of His righteousness. On the cross, Christ experienced untold physical suffering. However, it was not merely the lacerations on His back, the crown of thorns on His head, or the nails in His hands and feet that purchased our salvation. We are not saved merely because of what men did to Jesus; we are saved because of what God the Father did to His only Son. He reckoned or imputed to Jesus our sin and treated Him as guilty (Isa. 53:6; 2 Cor. 5:21). The Father withdrew His favorable presence from Christ (Matt. 27:46) and crushed Him under the divine wrath that was due us. As it was described by the prophet Isaiah, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin” (Isa. 53:12). To believe any other so-called theory of man or angel regarding the death of Christ is to deny the gospel and to subject oneself to eternal condemnation. In Galatians 1:8–9, Paul was very emphatic: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” For this reason, the great bulk of the material in this book is devoted to setting forth and explaining the death of Christ. Our goal is twofold: first, that we stand fast in “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3), and second, that even the faintest whisper of Calvary might draw out our greatest affections and compel us to the most earnest and sincere devotion to Christ.
Christ’s Resurrection
It is not enough to believe and preach biblically about the death of Christ. We must also believe and preach that on the third day He was raised from the dead in the same physical body in which He died (John 20:27). This truth is absolutely essential to the gospel and the Christian faith. It is nonnegotiable! If Christ did not physically rise for the dead, then the whole of Christianity is a lie. The apostle Paul wrote, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty... And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). It is for this reason that the central theme of the book of Acts is the proclamation of Christ’s resurrection. The people of the apostolic era knew very well that a man named Jesus of Nazareth had died on a cross outside the gates of Jerusalem, but the proof that His death was God’s greatest work of redemption resided in the historical accuracy of His resurrection, which the early Christians believed and proclaimed, even in the face of ridicule and threat.
According to the Scriptures, Christ’s resurrection is God’s public declaration of Jesus’ sonship (Rom. 1:4), the confirmation of our justification (Rom. 4:25), the validation of our faith (1 Cor. 15:13–14), the pledge of our future resurrection (John 14:19), and the proof that God will bring all men to judgment (Acts 17:31)
In light of Scripture’s emphasis on the absolute essentiality of Christ’s bodily resurrection, it is astounding how often it has been denied or “modified” even by those who have identified themselves with Christianity. Nevertheless, if we are to remain true to the apostolic gospel, we must proclaim Christ’s vicarious death on Calvary and His bodily resurrection from the dead. Anything less than this is not a mere variation of the gospel but an outright denial of it!
Christ’s Exaltation
The Scriptures teach not only that Christ died, was buried, and was raised but also that forty days after His resurrection He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. The writer of Hebrews stated, “When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). The apostle Paul wrote, “He [i.e., God] raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:20–21) and “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9–11).
The Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah also concur with these apostolic affirmations. God declared through the psalmist, “I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion” (Ps. 2:6) and again through Isaiah, “I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong” (Isa. 53:12). The prophet Daniel is even more explicit: “To Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14).
The Son of God, who was made in the likeness of men and became obedient even to the point of death on a cross (Phil. 2:7–8), has now been exalted as the sovereign Lord and Judge of all and the Savior and Mediator of His people. In the preaching of the apostles, this great truth held a prominent place beside the death and resurrection of Christ and should hold an equally prominent place in ours. God has installed His King on Zion. He has given Him the nations as His inheritance and the very ends of the earth as His possession. Furthermore, He has granted Him absolute sovereignty over all (Ps. 2:6–9). For this reason, the gospel message contains not only the free offer of salvation to all but a solemn warning even to the greatest kings and nations of the earth: “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (Ps. 2:10–12).
Christ’s Return
According to the Scriptures, human history is linear, with a fixed and purposeful beginning and end. From the first day of creation, God has been directing every person and event to a specific culmination or climax—the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the judgment of the world, and the establishment of a new heaven and earth. The purpose for giving prominence to this great truth in our gospel proclamation is twofold. First, it is to encourage the believer to go on believing and to live with the hope of a future grace and glory that far surpasses our present powers of comprehension: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man” (1 Cor. 2:9). Second, it is to warn the unbeliever. We must always remember that a proper proclamation of the gospel will include a call to all men to “prepare to meet your God” (Amos 4:12). The apostle Paul declared to the philosophers on Mars Hill, “[God] has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).
The second coming is a doctrine that is replete with contrasting extremes. For some, it will be a day of salvation—“joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). For others it will be a day of doom in which they will hide themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, and they will cry out to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev. 6:15–17). For this reason, the gospel messenger is also something of a contrast. To those who believe, he is “an aroma of life leading to life,” but to those who refuse to believe he is “an aroma of death leading to death.” It was this solemn reality that caused the apostle Paul to cry out, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor. 2:15–16).
Knowing that so much hangs in the balance, and that the gospel alone has the power to save (Rom. 1:16), should we not “meditate on these things; give [ourselves] entirely to them, that [our] progress may be evident to all” (1 Tim. 4:15)? Should we not “be diligent to present [ourselves] approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15)?
A Call to Repentance and Faith
The gospel message is not complete without a call for all people everywhere to respond by repenting of their sin and believing or trusting exclusively in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In the gospel of Mark we are given the very first account of Jesus’ ministry. Mark wrote, “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15). To the philosophers in Athens, the apostle Paul declared, “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). To the church in Ephesus, Paul affirmed, “I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:20–21). This twofold call of the gospel is also affirmed by the greatest confessions of church history. The Westminster Confession states, “Repentance unto life is an evangelical grace; the doctrine thereof is to be preached by every minister of the Gospel, as well as that of faith in Christ.”14 The New Hampshire Confession of Faith likewise says, “We believe that repentance and faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable duties.”15
The preaching of the gospel is more than a mere communication of information. It is an earnest and urgent call for men to be saved from eternal destruction through repentance and faith in Christ. This truth is best illustrated in the preaching of the apostle Paul, who penned the following words to the church in Corinth: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20).
