This question is perhaps the most foundational one in all the world. When Jesus begins His ministry, the summary of His first sermon is to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15b). Believing the gospel is essential to the life of the Christian. Therefore, clearly knowing its contents is of prime importance.
The word “gospel” means good news. Summaries have boiled it down to “Jesus died on the cross for my sins,” or “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” There is a wonderful simplicity in these statements, and yet at the same time it shows the great complexity of this subject. It is good news that Jesus died for my sins and that He loves me, but there are also many questions that arise from these simple statements. Why did Jesus have to die? Who decided that His death would be a help to man? What is sin, and how much of it is lethal? How does Jesus’ death on the cross become helpful to me? How do I know Jesus loves me? Why should I trust the Bible? Is it enough just to know? In asking these questions, it is clear that the simplicity of the gospel does not mean there is not also a depth of truth that is connected to it.
The gospel is the record of how God saves His people from the guilt of their sin and sets them free to live a joyful and holy life.
It is helpful to trace the whole of the biblical account while understanding “the gospel.” The Bible is not a fortune cookie with a pithy saying to help man feel better. It is the story of deliverance. It is in that context that man receives good news from God. But He does not start there. Following the biblical sequence helps clarify why the Bible’s good news matters. There are different segments that deepen the good news the Bible is presenting.
The opening account is that of creation, establishing that all creatures have a responsibility to Him. He commands as the Creator, and man is obliged to follow as His creatures. Next is the record of man’s fall into sin. Though created and obligated to God, man rebels and is alienated from Him. He faces the righteous sentence which God announced beforehand: death. The final scene in the opening act is in Genesis 3:15, where God announces He will send the Seed of the Woman who will crush the Seed of the Serpent. This declaration is in the form of a promise. The problem of man’s condition is left in place.
The problem of sin is not removed. And much of the rest of the Old Testament sketches the severity of man’s condition. There is an honest record of the sins of the patriarchs. It describes the history of the failures of Israel during the time of the Judges. Even its leadership is described as corrupt in the collapse of the kingdom of Israel. And amid all this sin, the prophets reveal the hardness of the hearts of the people who reject God’s call of repentance. The biblical record about man is profoundly pessimistic. But through it all, God continues to move toward the fulfillment of His promise of victory over the Seed of the Serpent.
It is pictured in the promise of land, seed, and blessing made to Abram (Genesis 12:1-3). There is a living example of this deliverance when God leads Israel out of Egypt. At Sinai, God explains the justice that must be satisfied for sin through the sacrificial system and the holiness code of Leviticus. There are characters like Samuel, David, and others who point forward to the Redeemer. They all “prime the pump” for the coming of Christ. The Old Testament is used to create a context of bad news in which the good news is given. And just because Christ has come does not mean that overall understanding ceases to be helpful. The bad news understood creates clarity about what the good news is. That is explained in the coming of Christ.
When Jesus arrives on the scene, John the Baptist declares, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). He proves Himself to be the Christ by giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, multiplying loaves, and by teaching unlike any other man: with power. Nevertheless, He is crucified, dies, and is buried. He experiences these things not as a guilty man, but as a substitute. As the epistles explain the significance of Christ, they tell us that He did not sin, yet was made to be sin, so that by being “in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21b). Being in Him is not the result of some good work, it is only by believing in Him. And believing itself is a gift of God. And by grace God saves you as His gift. The gospel removes all responsibility for salvation from man and makes it all about what God has done. That is good news when it comes to freedom from the guilt of sin. But there is also good news in freedom from its dominion.
The Bible’s news is also that in accepting Christ by faith, the man who was dead in sin is made alive in righteousness. There is the call to holiness in the Bible. “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:14-15). Peter is not contradicting God’s work in saving man. He is simply pointing out that man is not only saved from sin’s guilt, but also from its dominion and rule.
A summary of the gospel is great. It gives a quick reminder of the truth that centers life. However, care must be taken not to lose the overall significance of all the parts and context connected to it. Too often well-intentioned summaries only capture freedom from sin’s guilt. There must also be an awareness of what grows out of that redemption: a liberty to live for the glory of God. Yes, faith liberates man from sin’s dominion. And that faith also works itself out in the good works that God has prepared for His people. Holding these truths together protects the Christian from treating sin lightly on the one hand and from trusting in works on the other.
Pastor Geoff Gleason
Cliffwood Presbyterian Church
