What is the gospel? Your eternity depends on it
The Background
Let me take you on a
brief journey to the creation account as a way of providing some background to
the gospel. In Genesis chapter 1, we read, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in
Our image, … God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created
him; male and female He created them’” (Gen. 1:26-27). How can God create us in
His image and yet create male and female? Once a young lady asked me, brother,
is God male or female? Bible says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
When God said, let us
create man in our own image, He is not talking about the physical body, but
about the spirit of man to be in the image of God. That spirit will not die—it
will last forever and ever, as it was created in God’s image. The spirit within
you is the real you. Then God put that spirit in a house to dwell, what we
call—the body. Then how are we different from animals. Or have we evolved from
animals as the evolutionists would advocate?
Bible says God spoke
into existence all the animals, birds, fish, and everything that lives on the
earth. “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according
to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according
to its kind”; and it was so” (Gen 1:24). Evolutionists struggle with the
“missing links” in explaining their theory of evolution. But God said He
created everything of its kind. There is a separation from one kind to the
other kind. That explains why you have those missing links. When you believe in
the theory of evolution, you believe that you came from a monkey. Then you
cannot believe the creation account in Genesis 1. If you cannot accept the
first chapter of the first book in the Bible, you will have trouble believing
anything else in the word of God. If you do not believe in “first man Adam,”
you cannot have faith in the “last Adam,” who is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:45).
Since you do not have the sin that comes from Adam, you don’t need a Savior.
That is the danger of evolution Satan wants you to believe.
Listen, God spoke the
animals, birds, and fish into existence. He just spoke, and they appeared. But,
God uniquely created man. The Bible says, “And the LORD God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). Listen, here is the critical difference
between humans and the rest of the living beings. When an animal dies, that is
the end of its story. There is no spirit to go to heaven or hell. When you swat
a mosquito, there is no soul of that mosquito to go to heaven or hell. The
human soul is not going to die. Our physical body may die and be buried, but
the soul will never die. I can take off my coat and put it in my closet, but
that is not really me. How foolish it will be for anyone who wants to talk to
me but goes to my closet and talk to my coat. That coat is not really me.
Similarly, the physical body is only a house for the real you. The soul, which
is really you, must go to either heaven or hell and spend there for
eternity.
Sadly, people only pay
attention to the physical body, outward appearance rather than the inward soul.
People buy life insurance, medical insurance, and other insurances for this
body but never pay attention to their soul. The Lord said to Samuel, “…the LORD
sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks
on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). Paul calls this body a tent. “Now we know that if
the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an
eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Cor. 5:1). So God created
our spirit in His image and put that in a human body. When we think about
eternity, it is a very long, long time. Eternity makes the bad news or the good
news even more significant.
What is the Gospel?
The term ‘gospel’ (in
Greek εὐαγγέλιον Evangélio) means “good message” or “good news.” If we want to define
the gospel in another word, it is the word ‘righteousness.’ “For in the gospel
the righteousness of God is revealed…” (Romans 1:17). It is the good news of
sin washed away. If we really want to appreciate the value of the good news, we
need first to recognize the bad news.
The Bad News
When God placed Adam
and Eve, not Adam and Steve, in the garden of Eden, they disobeyed and sinned
against God. As a consequence of their sin, death came into this world. The
scripture says, “For the wages of sin is death…” (Rom. 6:23). This death is not
just physical death but spiritual death, eternal separation from God in hell.
Because we all came from Adam, we are under the curse of that sin. The Bible
says, “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God…” (Rom. 3:23). If a person wants to go to hell, they do not have
to do something because they are already under the condemnation of sin. The
default destination for us is hell unless we recognize it and change that
course or change the direction. It is fashionable to joke about hell these
days. “Oh, devil, and I will go to hell with my buddies and have a beer.”
Really? But, Jesus described hell as a place of eternal torment. The rich man
cried out, saying, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he
may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented
in this flame” (Luke 16:24). The wicked will be thrown into the fiery
furnace…(Matt. 13:50). The unbelievers ‘will be cast into the outer darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 8:12). In Mark 9:43,
Jesus said about hell “…where their worm dies not, and the fire is not
quenched.” And this torment, this pain, is forever and ever. Once you
understand the seriousness of hell, you do not want to gamble or take chances
with eternity. You do not want to go there. You do not want your loved ones to
go there.
The rich man cried out
from the place of torment for his five brothers that they should not come to
the place where he is to join in his predicament. If any of your friends or
relatives may have died without Christ, they might be crying from the place of
torment for you. Father Abraham, please send someone lest my brother, my
sister, my son, my daughter, or my friend also come to this place of torment.
This place of torment is originally not prepared for you and me. We read in
Matthew 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from
Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his
angels…” The lake of fire was originally prepared for the devil and his angels.
The whole human race is condemned because of Adam’s fall. That is the bad
news.
The bad news is
even compounded when we realize that there is nothing we can
do about it to save ourselves from our sin and the wrath of God. In many
religions of the world, people realize that there is a sin problem. Their
remedy is for you to earn your salvation by doing good deeds to outweigh bad
deeds. Unfortunately, our good deeds will amount to nothing before the Holy God
in our fallen, sinful state. “And all our righteous deeds are like polluted garment”
(Isa. 64:6). You and I need to be saved from the wrath of a holy and just God.
The Good News
Because God is loving
and compassionate, He does not want us to be condemned to hell for eternity. He
sent His only Son to pay the price for the sins of all mankind. “But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us” (Rom 5:8). The Bible says, “But when the fullness of the time had
come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem
those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal
4:4). The good news is also multiplied when we realize that God not only
delivered us from the curse and penalty of our sins but made us joint-heirs
with Jesus Christ.
This good news was
proclaimed to the shepherds nearly 2000 years ago. “And the angel said to them,
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all
the people. Today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you. He is
Christ the Lord!” (Luke 2:10). When we repent of our sins and place our faith
in Christ, he will forgive our sins and deliver us from the evil one. “He has
delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the
Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins” (Col 1:13).
And some falsely say
that God is love and He will not send anyone to hell. How can a loving God send
someone to hell for eternity? My dear friends, because God does not want anyone
to perish in the eternal lake of fire, He sent His son. Christ died for all and
gave us the gift of salvation, but you and I need to accept that gift in faith.
If you do not accept that gift of salvation through faith, it does not belong
to you, and you are still under condemnation. And you cannot blame God for your
refusal to accept His gift of salvation.
Gospel – Theme
“For I delivered to
you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the
third day according to the Scriptures… For since by a man came death, by a man
also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in
Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:3-4, 21). If there is any other way
to earn your salvation, Christ died in vain. Jesus prayed in the garden of
Gethsemane, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me;
nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). “Yet it pleased the
Lord to bruise Him” (Isa. 53:10).
Jesus died and rose
again, and the tomb is empty. He is going to come back as the Judge. Timothy
Keller has written: “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all
that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what
he said?” Understanding His incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection is key
to one’s salvation.
When writing to the
Corinthians in his first epistle, Apostle Paul says, “My brothers and sisters,
I firmly affirmed (declared) the gospel to you.” And he lists four things: 1)
First, he says, I preached the gospel to you, 2) you received it, 3) you stand
on it, and 4) you are saved by it.
Paul preached the
gospel
Paul did not back away
from preaching the gospel. In fact, he says in 1 Corinthians 9:16 “Woe to me if
I do not preach the gospel!” Sadly, some churches stopped preaching the gospel
of Jesus Christ. They will tell you how to live a moral life. They will tell
you how to have a happy life. In fact, I saw a book written by a well-known
preacher, “Your Best Life Now.” Really? I thought our best life is yet to come
when we see our Lord and Savior face to face.
Jesus also said, “The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the
gospel…” (Luke 4:18). Not only he preached the gospel, but he also sent His
disciples to go and preach the gospel. (Luke 9:2). He later gives the great
commission by saying, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to
everyone.” (Mark 16:15). Preaching the gospel has to be the primary goal of the
church. Paul makes a compelling case about the importance of preaching the gospel.
“1How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall
they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17). What is Paul’s argument here? If you don’t
preach the gospel, how can the people get saved?
When we as a church do
not preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will become just a circus, juggling a
few things here and there.
You Received it
When Paul preached the
gospel, the Corinthians received it. If one does not receive the word of God
that was preached, then Satan comes and takes away the word of God. Jesus
compared this to a way-side soil where the birds came and take the seed that was
sown. So, when a person hears the gospel one needs to respond to it by
receiving and understanding it and applying it to their lives bearing good
fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire” (Matt. 7:19).
You Stand on It
What does it mean to
stand on the gospel? Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-25, “Therefore whoever hears
these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built
his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the
rock.” (Matt. 7:24-25). If you want to stand on the gospel, you need to obey
His word. “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are
deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).
The Hymn writer Edward
Mote wrote these words:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and
righteousness;
I dare not trust the
sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid
Rock, I stand;
All other ground is
sinking sand,
All other ground is
sinking sand.
You are Saved by
It
Paul makes it
abundantly clear that it is by the gospel you are saved. “…(that is, the word
of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:8-10).
Many people are
deceiving themselves. They think they are saved because they go to church on
Sunday morning. Others believe they are saved because they believe in a god.
Many believe in the God of their own making. James says in his epistle, “You
believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But
are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is
useless?” (James 2:19-20). James calls this dead faith. From Monday thru
Saturday, no thought of God. Their language and lifestyle will be the same as
that of the world. “…Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity
with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God” (James 4:4).
Sometimes when people
say they believe in Jesus, I was tempted to ask them, which Jesus? Is that the
Jesus of Islam or the Jesus of Mormons? Or are you believing in the Jesus of
the Bible? Is that the Jesus who died according to the scriptures? “But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”
(Isa. 53:5). Is that the Jesus who said take up the cross and follow me? Is it
the Jesus who said, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may
have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have
overcome the world” ( John 16:33). Is it the Jesus who said there are two gates
broad and narrow, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the
way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through
it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there
are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13-14).
Have you ever
convicted of your sins by the Holy Spirit and asked God for forgiveness? We see
Peter repenting, “And he went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61). “For the
sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without
regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2
Cor. 7: 10). Peter’s sorrow was godly sorrow, that led him to repentance.
Judas’s sorrow was worldly sorrow that led him to hang himself and die.
“If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and
His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-9).
Sometimes we justify
our sinful behavior. We say, “everyone is doing it. The culture has changed,
and we will follow the culture.” My dear people, let me remind you that our
Lord, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be
carried away by varied and strange teachings…” (Heb 13:8-9).
Jesus told Nicodemus,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (or born by the spirit)
he cannot see the kingdom of God….” (John 3:5). When you are born of the Spirit
there will be fruit evident in your life. Jesus said, “Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know
them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven
will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name
perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:19-23). When a person is
truly saved he or she will desire to have fellowship with God and fellowship
with God’s children. “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is
not His” (Romans 8:7-9). Are you walking in the Spirit or walking in the
flesh?
The Power of the
Gospel
It is one thing to
say, “Humanity fell into sin and Christ died for sinful human beings” and quite
another to say, “I am a sinner and Christ died for me.” The gospel is the
relational connection between you and Jesus. You need to have a relationship
with Jesus not a religion.
“For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone
who believes…For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to
faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Rom 1:15-17).
“Let this mind be in
you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the
point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore 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” (Philippians 2:5-11).
There is another life
to which we are now being prepared
This life is not the
end; this is the beginning. Christ has purchased for us eternal life. God
refines us through sufferings in this life to make us to be like Christ. “If in
this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” (1
Cor 15:19).
As God is preparing us
on earth to be Christ-like, He is preparing a place for us in heaven. “In My
Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be
also” (John 14:2-3).
The second coming of
Jesus Christ
“But I do not want you
to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you
sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to
you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming
of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we
who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to
meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18
Therefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thes 4:13-18).
“For many walk, of
whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the
enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their
belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be
conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able
even to subdue all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:18-21). Paul, writing to his
protégé in 2 Timothy 4:1, says, “Jesus Christ will judge the living and the
dead at His appearing.”
Conclusion
“Preach the word! Be
ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all
longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching
ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears
away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all
things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill
your ministry.” (2 Tim. 4:2-4). If you are convicted by the Holy Spirit, that
is a good think. Do not quench the Spirit. Godly sorrow produces repentance
which leads to salvation. Submit to God. Surrender your life to God. All the
time you are failing trying to be good, because you are trying to do the
religion in your strength rather than walking in the Spirit.
For those who are
already saved and washed in His blood, Do you fear sharing your faith because
you might get rejected and feel like you failed? You always win when you share
Christ. If they respond in faith in Christ, then it is obviously a win. If they
have no response at all, then you have won by planting a seed. Trust God with
the results.
“Reminding ourselves
of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish.” Do you
remind yourself of the gospel every day? Do you recount the joy of your
salvation? If you want to grow in the relationship with Christ, share the
gospel with others. It is not optional for you and I to share this glorious
gospel. Jesus commanded, saying, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel
to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who
does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15). Was there a time in your life
that you repented of your sins and confessed and accepted Jesus as your
personal savior? If not, you are not saved. You need to be saved by the Spirit
of God. Please do not gamble with eternity. If you truly understand the horrors
of hell, you do not want to go there; you do not want your loved ones to go
there. Are you saved? I mean, are you truly saved by His blood? Do you have a
relationship with God? If not, you are just hanging by a thread to fall into
the lake of fire. Our life is like water vapor; it will soon disappear. C.T.
Studd, the British cricketer and missionary to China, wrote:
“Only one life,
’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for
Christ will last.”
This article was transcribed from the following video message: What is the gospel? your eternity depends on it
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