Basics Series. Evangelism, part 2: What is the Gospel?

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley

Basics

Tuesday,
August 30, 2011

Evangelism, Part 2: What is the Gospel?

The Doctrine of the Gospel

The gospel concerns the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was demonstrated to be God incarnate by His bodily resurrection from the dead.

The gospel ITSELF is POWER from God.

The gospel is provided for salvation.
Everyone needs to be saved.

Each person who believes the Gospel is saved through the power of God.

The Gospel reveals the righteousness of God.

Point 1: What is “the Gospel”?

euaggelion
eu =“good”,
aggello = “to bear a message, to bring news, to proclaim or announce”.

The Greek verb euaggelizo means to announce good news. It meant to bring good news of victory, to declare good news of victory in a battle or a war.

euaggelion means “good news”.

Here in Rom 1:16 euaggelion means the declaration of good news of our Lord’s victory on the cross, where He was judged for the sins of the world.

In the New Testament, the word describes the “good news” of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith alone, on the basis of His substitutionary death bearing our sins, followed by His burial and resurrection.

This is the glorious news announced to mankind of salvation and victory over sin and death that God offers to all people through the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

The Gospel has been available in every dispensation. Those who responded by believing the good news were credited with the righteousness of God.

In 1 Cor 15:1-8, the apostle Paul summarizes the most basic ingredients of the gospel message, namely the death, burial, resurrection, and post-resurrection appearances of Christ.

1. Christ died for our sins as our substitute.

Rom 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us [in our place, as a substitute for us].

Christ paid the penalty for every sin ever committed – every sin in the past, present, and future committed by every human being who ever lived or will live.

Heb 10:14
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

1 Peter 2:24
and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
 

1 John 2:2
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

2. Christ was buried.

He went into the tomb a sin offering sacrificed unto death.
 
He came out completely unrelated to the burden of sin.

Mic 7:18-19
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession?

Mic 7:18-19
…Yes, You will cast all their sins
Into the depths of the sea.

3. Christ was raised from the dead on the third day.

The resurrection is God’s celebration of victory.

It declares:

That Jesus is the Son of God, Rom 1:4

That our redemption has been accomplished.

1 Cor 15:17
and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

That believers are justified: declared perfectly righteous by God, Rom 4:25.

 

 


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