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What is the Gospel? · Romans 1:16-17

In 1710, Britain's Queen Anne went to visit a cathedral designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren. After her tour, she described it as "awful, amusing and artificial." Upon hearing her words, the architect sighed with relief and satisfaction. Surprised? In 1710, the word "awful" meant "awe-inspiring"; the word "amusing" meant "amazing" and the word "artificial" meant "artistic." What, to our ears, sounded like a devastating criticism was actually a very high compliment and words of praise. Sometimes we don't really know the meanings of the words we use.

The word "gospel" is one of those words. What is the gospel? To some people the word "gospel" means "something that is absolutely and unquestionably true." They might say, "It's the gospel truth." The dictionary defines "the gospel" as the teachings of Jesus. But that definition is rather broad and vague. After all, Jesus taught on many subjects.

Churches rightly say that their God-given commission is to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). But what is the gospel they preach? In his letter to the Romans, Paul uses the word "gospel" thirteen times and fourt imes in the first 16 verses of chapter 1 and referred to it more than that. He said, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17). In fact, we have calld the book of Romans "The Gospel According to Paul."

So what is the gospel or "good news" that we preach? Paul explains it in Romans 1:16-17.

The Gospel Is About A Person
"the gospel of Christ"

To understand the gospel, you must know who Jesus Christ is and what He did.

Who Is Jesus? That's a Bible question, asked and answered in Matthew 16:13-16. "Who do men say that I am?" "Who do you say that I am?" Peter spoke for the whole group when he answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." John wrote his account of the gospel so that the reader would know that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:30-31). When Christ claimed to be the Son of God, He was claiming to be equal with God, to be God (John 5:17-18). Jesus Christ is Lord. He is God who took upon himself the form of a man (Philippians 2:5ff). John 1 says that the Word was God and that the Word was made flesh. I Timothy 3:16- "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh ... He was revealed in humanity.

What He Did. According to 1 Corinthians 15:1-5, there are three elements of the gospel. They are.... (1) the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - (2) for our sins - (3) according to the scriptures. The proof that Jesus died is that He was buried. And the proof that He arose from the dead is that He was seen alive on numerous occasions by multitudes of people. Paul explains that Christ's death was "for our sins" and that it was "according to the scriptures." The Gospel is about a person. It is the gospel of Christ.

The Gospel Has The Power To Save
"it is the power of God unto salvation"

The Greek word for "power" means "miraculous power; abundant, mighty, wonderful work." And that's what the gospel is! It is the miraculous, abundant, mighty, wonderful power of God unto salvation.

The facts of the gospel have to do with Jesus, His death and resurrection. With the phrase "the power of God unto salvation," the Bible describes the impact of the gospel. It is not just about what Jesus did. It is that what Jesus did has the power to save you!

The gospel is about a person - Christ. The gospel has the power to save.

The Gospel Is For Everyone
"to every one"

After all, every one is a sinner. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no, not one." I Kings 8:46 - "There is no man that sinneth not." Ecclesiastes 7:20 - "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not."

There is a universal problem. It is the problem of sin. There is a universal solution. It is the gospel. The gospel is for everyone. "He tasted death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9). He is "the propitiation for sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). God's will is for "all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4). He is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). The last invitation of the Bible comes from the Spirit and the bride and is for "whosoever will" to come and take the water of life freely.

The gospel does not have favorites. Red, yellow, black, brown and white, all are precious in God's sight. Not everyone can go to college, drive a new car or live in a mansion. But everyone can be saved. The gospel is for everyone, including you.

The Gospel Requires Only Faith
"to every one that believeth"
"from faith to faith"
"the just shall live by faith"

We are saved by faith. Everyone can be saved but only those who trust in Jesus Christ will be saved. "For by grace are you saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8). Ephesians 1:13 - "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise." The gospel of Christ becomes your gospel by faith, by trusting in Christ. Romans 5:1 says that we are justified (made to be just or in right standing with God) by faith. We are saved by faith.

We are saved by faith alone. That's what the Bible means when it says "the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith." To put it simply, faith is the beginning of salvation, it is the first thing you must do to be saved. And it is the end of salvation; it is the last thing you must do to be saved. Salvation begins and ends with faith. Thus, we are saved by faith alone.

Salvation isn't by faith plus baptism, communion, church membership or good works. It is by faith alone. Here, then, is a Biblical definition and explanation of the gospel. It is about a person - Jesus Christ who is God in human flesh, who died for our sins and rose for our justification. It has the power to save. It is available to everyone. It is received by faith alone.

Jesus said, "Repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). That is what I invite you to do today. Confess that you are a sinner, trust Christ and what He did on the cross for your personal salvation and publicly profess your personal faith in Christ.

"If you have more questions, please feel free to write or e-mail us with them. if in your heart you have trusted Christ as a result of reading this, it is important that you tell someone as soon as possible. We would like to know about your decision. We have resources in print and audio form to make available to you. I'm praying that God will use this message to bring a harvest into the Kingdom of God." - Darrell W. Sparks, Pastor

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