What is the Gospel?
The gospel in its simplest form, is the good news that Jesus accomplished what only He could accomplish. He killed sin by dying for sinners so they could live.
You've probably heard John 3:16:
“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.”
Or 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
The gospel is not an invitation, although that's really important. It's a reality. Romans 1:16 says it is the power of God to bring salvation. It's a declaration of what Jesus has done. It's the reality of God's love for the sinner.
The gospel is not a self-improvement manual. It is not a path of works that if followed leads to God or salvation or eternal life. It is not a way to earthly riches or long life. It's infinitely bigger than that. Because of God's love for the sinner, the gospel is the means of eternal rescue for the lost.
Following Jesus is not the gospel. Jesus is the gospel. Is your soul in danger? Come to Jesus.
So how exactly do I come to Jesus? The Bible tells us that belief or faith or trust, that's the key.
So how do you move from unbelief to belief? By hearing the gospel. Romans 10:17 says,
“Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.”
You don't decide to believe. That is, you can't believe what you don't believe. As you hear the word, the Holy Spirit works and belief happens. When your soul in humility believes the gospel, you are united to Jesus and He steps in as your substitute before God.
When you bow your head and trust Jesus, He becomes your champion. You are declared righteous because Jesus is your righteousness. He absorbed the consequences of your sin on the cross so you can be forgiven.
The victory of Jesus was finalized when He rose from the dead. His victory is your victory.
“For by God's kindness you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It's a gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We bring nothing to our rescue except knowledge of our need for rescue. There is no way you can earn God's favor. If you think you need to clean up your life before coming to Jesus, you are trying to earn God's favor.
If you think you have an advantage because you're talented or moral or successful, you remain self-reliant. God saves the sinner, not the self-righteous. Pride in your goodness or achievement pushes faith in Jesus away because your faith is in yourself.
Salvation is not, I do my part and Jesus does His part. It is one-way love.
So what exactly do I need to be saved from? To put it in short form, you need to be saved from the holiness of God. God who is purely good cannot deny His goodness and embrace sin or those who sin against Him. It's like asking the sun not to burn up a rocket we might send there. God hates what is evil.
On the other hand, God's primary attribute is love. So the real question is how can the holy God accept a sinner? How can the holy God embrace me? And this is why the gospel is the best news ever. At great cost, Jesus came into this world to be our substitute and take our place before God. He became human, entered this sinful world.
He lived the life we should have, no sin. He took on our sin and was butchered on a criminal's cross and judged by God. He displayed His victory over death by rising from the dead.
Jesus is the one who brings the sinner home. 1 Thessalonians 5:9:
“For God has not destined His children for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. The good news of Jesus is the best news imaginable.”
Trust Him.