Terry Adrian – Gospel Ready Ministries

New and mature believers already know the Gospel. So why this article? Non-believers may look at the article and respond to the Gospel, bringing them to salvation. A new believer may have been told the Gospel, and that’s how he was saved. But, maybe the explanation didn’t go through all of it. Understanding the Gospel is the foundation of the Christian faith that brings forth salvation. You also need to understand the Gospel to share it with others. The original meaning of the word Gospel is ‘good tale’, which is how modern people get to calling it the ‘good news’. If you think about it, the Gospel really is good news: it gives us hope. The hope of the Gospel is that because Christ paid the price for our sins, the price that we could not pay ourselves, we are able to have eternal life (Romans 6:23). The word ‘Gospel’ only appears a couple times in Scripture, but there are several places where the Gospel message is explained. How is the Gospel explained in scripture? The Apostle Paul provides a detailed treatment of the Gospel in Romans chapters 1 – 4. I encourage the reader to pray and then to read Romans chapters 1 – 4. In summary, Paul’s explanation of the Gospel is as follows: God is the creator of the universe and everything in it, including us. We owe Him our worship and obedience. We have rebelled against God and neither worship Him nor obey Him. This is sin against God, and since God is a righteous, just God, He must punish sin. God’s solution to our sin was to send His only begotten Son, Jesus, to earth to die on the cross as a perfect sacrifice to take the punishment for our sins. This salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross is available to everyone, it comes through faith in Jesus Christ and is available to all who believe. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul gives a good summary of the Gospel: 1 Now I make know to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which you also are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; 7 then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; 8 and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. In verse 3, Paul tells us that he is delivering to us, of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. This is truly the most important part of the Gospel – if we do not have our sins forgiven, we are consigned to eternal punishment for those sins. Next, in verse 4, Paul tells us Christ was also buried, and on the third day, He rose from the dead according to the Scriptures. This verse gives us hope that there will be a resurrection from the dead for all of us. Next, Paul gives examples of others seeing the risen Christ: in verse 5, He appeared to Cephas (Peter) and then to the twelve Apostles. In verse 6, Paul tells us that Christ then appeared to more than 500 brethren, most of whom were still alive. Then He appeared to James and the other disciples, and finally to Paul himself. These verses show us that Christ rising from the dead wasn’t a secret, private event. There were many witnesses after He was raised. What do I do with this Gospel? Simple knowledge of the Gospel message does not give you salvation. Many people could explain the Gospel, even Satan. The miracle of salvation happens when you personally respond to the Gospel and accept the gift of the payment for your sins. After salvation has occurred, Christians begin a life of following Christ and His teachings. Before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus told us what we should do with the Gospel. In Matthew 28:19-20, He tells us: 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. In more simple language, this teaching tells the Christian to share the Gospel message with others, baptize them, and then teach them to follow Christ’s teachings.