Christianity is all about something we call the “gospel” or the “good news.” The gospel is the message of the Bible, it is the foundation of our faith! When looking for a church one of the first things that should be asked is “What is their understanding of the gospel?” or “What do they present as the gospel message?” If a church’s understanding and presentation of the gospel is wrong, it’s all wrong. Now, before we can test a church by their presentation of the gospel we must first understand what the gospel is. In his book 9 Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever correctly explains what the gospel is and is not.
What the Gospel Is NOT:
1. The gospel is not simply that we are okay. “The Bible utterly rejects the idea that we are okay, that the human condition is just fine, that everyone is really in need of simply accepting their current condition, their finitude, their limitedness, their imperfections, or that we simply need to look on the bright side of things.” (Dever, 80) The Bible teaches that all people have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard (Romans 3:9-23), and as a result of our sin we will rightly face God’s wrath and judgment (Romans 6:23). To say that we are okay is to reject the clear teaching of the Bible and it removes the information that makes the gospel good news. We rejoice in the gospel because we first see the bad news: we are sinners!
2. The gospel is not simply that God is love. It is true that God is love, but he is also just, holy, righteous, and the sovereign king who punishes sinners.
3. The gospel is not simply that Jesus wants to be our friend. “You and I have a real past to be dealt with—real sins that we have committed, real guilt that we have incurred.” (Dever, 86) We need a savior, not just a friend!
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare event o die, but God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” Romans 5:6-9
4. The gospel is not simply that we should live right. Many people mistakenly believe that if they will get baptized, walk a church isle, start cleaning up their lives, go to church, and follow a bunch of rules that they will be saved. The problem is that good works cannot erase sin. The only way for our sins to be dealt with in a way that satisfies God is through Jesus,
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Romans 5:10
So, What Is the Gospel? The gospel is basically the good news of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension that may, by his grace, bring to an unworthy people, reconciliation with God and life eternal. How do we receive this good news? How do we receive this salvation? We receive salvation by: (1) turning to God and away from sin, self, and false ways of salvation; (2) placing our faith in Jesus for salvation; and (3) surrendering to Jesus as Lord.