What is the Gospel?

Creation and Humanity's Purpose

From the genesis of time, within the harmonious chorus of creation, God orchestrated a purposeful symphony, setting apart humanity as its climax. Each element of the universe, from the vastness of space to the intricacies of cellular life, was purposefully woven together, yet humanity stood distinct. Crafted in the very image and likeness of the Creator, we were uniquely formed to mirror God's character and attributes. This divine imprint not only underscores our intrinsic worth but also our God-given responsibility to steward His creation. Every facet of our being, from thought to action, is a testament to God's grand design—a purpose that transcends time, beckoning us to align with His eternal intentions and plans.

Genesis 1:26-27 CSB
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth." [27] So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.

Psalm 8:4-5 CSB
what is a human being that you remember him, a son of man that you look after him? [5] You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor.

The Promise of a Savior 

In the midst of Eden's serene beauty, a cataclysmic fracture occurred. Humanity's rebellion introduced chaos into the perfect rhythm of creation. Yet, even in that dire moment of estrangement, God's unyielding love and sovereign plan were undeterred. Before the echoes of the fall had even faded, a beacon of hope shone forth. In the midst of judgment, God unveiled a promise—a prophecy that foretold of a coming Savior. This divine pledge was not just about defeating the serpent's deceit but about restoring the broken fellowship between Creator and creation. The shadows of Genesis carried within them the silhouette of the cross, signaling God's relentless commitment to redeem His beloved.

Genesis 3:15 CSB
I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.

Sin and Separation

Humanity stands at a crossroads, confronted by its inherent imperfection. Every soul has erred, straying from the divine design, leading to a profound chasm between our Creator and His creation. This division, birthed by our sins, has obscured the luminous presence of God from our lives.

Romans 3:23 CSB
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

1 John 1:8 CSB
If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Isaiah 59:2 CSB
But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have made Him hide His face from you so that He does not listen.

Incarnation

Yet, in the grand tapestry of history and existence, God wove a plan of redemption. As an emblem of His boundless mercy and grace, He stepped into His own masterpiece. Through Jesus Christ, God and man merged, a beacon of hope ignited for all humanity.

John 1:1-14 CSB
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it... The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Colossians 1:19 CSB
For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.

Virgin Birth

The miraculous nature of Jesus' arrival to our world is a testament to God's omnipotence. Born of a virgin, His entry wasn't just a simple birth but a divine proclamation - signaling that God was indeed with us, in the truest sense.

Matthew 1:23 CSB
See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”

Sinless Life and Fulfillment of the Law

Throughout His earthly sojourn, Jesus exemplified perfection. In every thought, word, and deed, He mirrored the divine, fulfilling not just the letter, but the very spirit of God’s Law. In Him, we see the embodiment of righteousness and the archetype for humanity.

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Matthew 5:17 CSB
“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

Atonement

In the darkest hour, the purest act of love was manifested. Jesus, the sinless one, bore the weight of our transgressions, offering Himself as the ultimate sacrifice. On the cross, He reconciled our debts, making the way for our redemption.

Romans 6:23 CSB
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Peter 2:24 CSB
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.

Romans 3:25 CSB
God presented Him as the mercy seat by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.

Resurrection

But death could not hold Him. With the dawn of the third day, the tomb was found vacant. Jesus, triumphant over death, rose, solidifying our hope and assuring our justification. His resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith, a beacon of hope for all believers.

1 Corinthians 15 CSB
Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what 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...

Romans 4:25 CSB
He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Luke 24:39 CSB
Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.

Justification by Faith

It's not by rituals or acts, but by faith alone that we stand righteous before God. A heartfelt belief in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection can transform our destiny. It's a divine exchange: our sins for His righteousness.

Romans 10:9-10 CSB
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

Romans 4:5 CSB
But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.

Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit, God's personal presence in our lives, is integral to our spiritual journey. Upon our belief, we're indelibly marked by the Spirit, guiding, sanctifying, and empowering us to walk in alignment with God's will.

Ephesians 1:13 CSB
In Him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.

1 John 5:1 CSB
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him.

Titus 3:5 CSB
He saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Adoption

With faith, a monumental transition takes place. We are no longer mere creations; we become part of God’s divine family. Adopted as sons and daughters, we share in the inheritance of the Kingdom and relish the intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.

Ephesians 4:5–7 CSB
There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Eternal Life

Death loses its sting for those in Christ. Instead of an end, it becomes a passage—a doorway to eternity. United with Christ, believers are graced with life that transcends mortality, a life that's everlasting.

1 John 5:11 CSB
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

Good Works

Salvation isn't a call to inaction but an invitation to purposeful living. Empowered and guided by the Spirit, believers are destined to bear good fruit, reflecting God’s love and righteousness in every deed.

Ephesians 2:10 CSB
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

1 John 2:3-4 CSB
This is how we know that we know Him: if we keep His commands. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and yet doesn’t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Second Coming and Judgment

The narrative of our world has yet to reach its climax. A day approaches when Jesus will return, not as a humble servant, but as a reigning Judge. On this day, justice and mercy will meet, and every soul will stand accounted for.

1 Peter 4:5 CSB
They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

Acts 24:15 CSB
I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous.

John 5:24-25 CSB
Truly I tell you, anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life. Truly I tell you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

Final Judgment

The fate of humanity lies in a moment of divine reckoning. A day is coming where the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will dispatch His angels to sift through humanity. It will be a time where evildoers and those leading others astray will be isolated and face the grievous consequences of their actions. But for the righteous, a luminous destiny awaits, shining brilliantly in the very presence of their Heavenly Father. The profound dichotomy between these two outcomes beckons us to lend our ears and hearts to this eternal truth.

Matthew 13:41-43 CSB
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom all who cause others to sin and those guilty of lawlessness. They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.

Salvation from Wrath

For believers, a profound promise remains. Despite the challenges, persecutions, and sufferings faced in this temporal realm, those in Christ are assured of protection from the impending wrath. In Him, we find a sanctuary that shields from eternal judgment.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 CSB
and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Eternal Communion with God

The grand crescendo of God's narrative with humanity is not just about escaping judgment, but entering into eternal communion with Him. In the end, all barriers fall, and God's people will dwell with Him in unhindered fellowship, immersed in His love, joy, and peace for eternity.

Revelation 21:3 CSB
Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and will be their God.

The Cross Over Law: Your Ultimate Test

To every believer entrenched in the rigidity of the Law: the Gospel challenges you. The Gospel is not a mere extension of the Law, but its fulfillment. And at its core? Grace. The unmerited favor of God through Jesus Christ.

How easily we forget Paul’s admonition:

Ephesians 2:8-9 CSB
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift- [9] not from works, so that no one can boast.

Are we so engrossed in checking boxes and accumulating 'holiness points' that we miss the very heart of the Gospel? Are our rituals, traditions, and laws eclipsing the radiant, unyielding love of Christ?

Each time we lean into self-righteousness, we obscure the beauty of the Cross. We risk presenting a version of Christianity that's about us and our deeds, rather than Christ and His sacrifice.

Challenge yourself today: Are you pointing others to the Cross or to a checklist? To Christ's grace or human grit?

It's a battle between grace and works. Between the pure Gospel and human addition. Decide which side you stand on, and know this - eternity watches.

The Gospel in a Nutshell

God created us, loves us, and has a plan for us. Despite our sin and rebellion, He sent Jesus to die on the Cross for us, and He rose again on the third day so that by believing in Him, we can be forgiven and have eternal life. 

Do you believe this?

Questions that Challenge Your Current Understanding

1. How does understanding that humans are made in the image of God influence your view of your own worth and the worth of others?
   
   
2. Considering Romans 3:23, what implications does this have for any form of self-righteousness or belief in human goodness apart from God?
   
   
3. Why was it necessary for God Himself to step into creation as Jesus Christ? What does this reveal about God's character and His plans for humanity?
   
   
4. Reflect on Jesus fulfilling the Law. How does this contrast with our own efforts to fulfill God’s requirements?
5. What does it mean that Jesus bore our sins in His body on the tree? How does this align with the idea that we cannot achieve righteousness on our own?
   
   
6. Why is the resurrection of Jesus a cornerstone for Christian faith? What hope does it offer to believers?
   
   
7. In what ways does understanding our adoption as sons and daughters of God transform our identity and purpose?
   
   
8. If someone asked you to explain the Gospel in your own words, how would you describe it?