The gospel (from the Greek euangelion, meaning “good news”) is the message of what God has done to save sinners through Jesus Christ. In its simplest biblical form, the gospel is this:
The gospel is the good news that God saves sinners by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again, granting forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe. 1 Corinthians 15:1–4
THE CORE ELEMENTS OF THE GOSPEL
1. God is holy and righteous
God created all things and is perfectly holy, just, and good (Isaiah 6:3; Psalm 99:9).
2. Man is sinful and separated from God
All people have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Sin brings guilt and condemnation, and we cannot save ourselves by works or religious effort (Ephesians 2:1–3, 8–9).
3. Christ lived a sinless life
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, became man and lived in perfect obedience to the law we broke (Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 5:17).
4. Christ died as a substitute for sinners
On the cross, Jesus bore God’s wrath in the place of His people, paying the penalty for sin (Isaiah 53:5–6; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18).
5. Christ rose bodily from the dead
God raised Jesus from the dead, proving that the sacrifice was accepted and that death was defeated (Romans 4:25; Acts 2:24).
6. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone
Forgiveness and righteousness are received not by works, but by trusting in Christ alone (Romans 3:28; Philippians 3:9).
7. The call of the gospel: repent and believe
God commands all people to turn from sin and trust in Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30).
Voddie Baucham – 4 Minute Passionate Explanation, presented at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church during the Shepherd’s Conference, March 9, 2022
When people say, “No, our problem is this, our problem is that” our problem is not what they often assume. Our problem is that God created the world, and God created man. He put man in the garden to keep it, and He gave the man a command. God held that man to perfect, perpetual obedience to that command. He promised him life if he kept it and death if he did not. And he did not keep it – he ate.
Because of that one man’s sin, sin entered the world, and death through sin. Everyone born from that man by ordinary generation inherited that man’s sin nature. And because of that sin nature, sins proceed from it. Our world is broken because of that sin, and we stand guilty before a holy and righteous God.
We know that God is holy, and we know that He is righteous, and we crave justice. But the problem is that if God gives us justice, we all die.
So God, in His goodness and in His mercy, sent forth His Son, who was not born of ordinary generation but was born of a virgin. Yes, the virgin birth matters. Why? Because if He were born of ordinary generation, He would be born in sin. But because He was not born of ordinary generation, He was not born in sin. He is clean of sin. His record is clean, and He keeps His record clean. He obeys God’s law.
And because He is fully God and fully man, He obeys the law of God on our behalf in His active obedience. Then, in His passive obedience, God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. All we like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way, but God laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
Christ died for sin once for all, the just for the unjust. God imputes our sinfulness to Him and nails our sinfulness to the tree. Christ dies and rises again on the third day for our justification.
And there is another imputation: the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, so that God can be both just and the justifier of the one who places faith in Jesus Christ. All those who come to Christ may enter in. All those who place faith in Christ are saved—not only saved, but sanctified.
He is the firstborn of many brethren. We are justified, adopted into the family of God, and sanctified. As His children, we begin to bear the family resemblance, and we are further sanctified throughout this life by the very same gospel that saves us.
And one day, when it is all said and done, we are not only saved from the penalty of sin, and not only saved from the power of sin, but we are glorified and saved from the very presence of sin.
That is the gospel we preach. That is the gospel we need. And that gospel is more than enough.
Full Presentation to the 2022 Shepherds Conference at Grace Community Church :
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