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The Gospel of Jesus Christ

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The Gospel of Jesus Christ The Gospel of Jesus Christ Summary: The gospel is that Christ died for our sins and He rose until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, and through faith in Him we can be reconciled to the Father. then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 salvation to everyone who believes... Romans 1:16 In this concise summary, we learn the following: gos-pel:1 ≥ I. It is by the gospel that we are saved 1. the teachings of Jesus and the apostles; the We are not saved by any works of the flesh or attempts Christian revelation. and efforts to reach out to God. Neither are we saved by any 2. the story of Christ’s life and teachings, esp. as contained religious system nor any other belief. It is purely and only on in the first four books of the New Testament, namely the merits of and by trusting in the gospel that we are saved.2 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 3. (usually initial capital letter) any of these four books. ≥ II. Christ died 4. something regarded as true and implicitly believed: to take his report for gospel While we will focus on the significance of the event in 5. a doctrine regarded as of prime importance: political gospel. the next point, it is important to point out that assertion 6. glad tidings, esp. concerning salvation and the kingdom of necessarily implies incarnation. Being divine, the Son could God as announced to the world by Christ. not die. So, He emptied Himself of prestige and privilege3 7. (often initial capital letter) Ecclesiastical. an extract from one and was clothed with flesh, bone and suffering, being born of the four Gospels, forming part of the Eucharistic service in of the virgin and living a perfect and obedient life until He certain churches. breathed His last. The word gospel is translated from the Greek εὐαγγέλιον which ≥ III. He died for our sins means good news. It is the message of the life, death and resurrection of Christ through which the believer is saved from He bore our sins and the wrath of His Father as our perfect sin and to life. Indeed, there are various ways of looking at the sacrifice. This is substitutionary atonement; that Jesus died gospel, depending upon the way in which you are looking at the for our sins and in our place. He took the curse which was term. This article will be restricted to the theological implications ours and made it His own. He was our substitute. Though we for mankind, but we must also be cognizant of the greater story deserved to die, yet He died. of God’s creation, its corruption and His reconciliation. See the article “What is Reconciliation?” for a broader sense of God’s ≥ IV. He died according to the Scriptures overarching purpose in the good news. He was not taken by surprise and neither was this plan some In its most simple form, the gospel is a confession of the primary last minute insertion into God’s redemptive program. From tradition of faith which is presented in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8: all eternity Christ was appointed and willingly chose to submit Himself to death. Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins 1 From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2006. according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He 2 See “What Must I do to be Saved?” and “Is Christ the Only Way?” was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to 3 Philippians 2:7 more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain ≥ V. He was buried commanded not to eat, the man and woman succumbed to sin’s enticing deceit and fell. No longer did they enjoy the accord in His burial represents to us His actual death to assure us that which they had lived. Now, cursed with pain, suffering, solitude, the price has adequately been paid. Done away with is the and ultimately death, they were alienated from a holy God.6 claim that perhaps He merely escaped from the cross and reappeared. He truly died and lay in a tomb for three days. This curse was not limited only to the man and woman, but rather has been passed on to all of their progeny7 and therefore lies ≥ VI. He was raised on the third day within all men according to their very nature. We are, by nature and by choice, cut off from the One Who created us. Being fully God, death could not hold Him. Our payment being rendered in full, He rose victorious over death and From the entirety of Scripture, we can see that man is not born sin. We have evidence of divine satisfaction. God’s wrath was into a state of neutrality, but is rather, by nature, a hostile and fully spent. willing enemy of God. Man’s heart and mind are darkened and dulled such that the fleeting pleasures of sin are more alluring ≥ VII. He appeared to a number of persons than the eternal joy of the Master. Man is utterly rebellious, unable and unwilling to save himself. This is not some contrived narrative to make us feel good. Rather, those who witnessed to His resurrection attested to it Death not only in word, but by choosing gladly to face death. Such confidence on their part inspires subsequent confidence in How does the Potter deal with the rebellion of His clay? Genesis those of us who have not seen with our own eyes. 2:17 “but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” The above summary is a basic answer to the question, “What is God’s warning is not empty and His word is always accomplished8 the gospel?” It is the good news that though we were dead in our so the man and his wife and all of the generations which proceed transgressions and sins,4 while we were still sinners, Christ died from them are subjected to the curse of death. for us, in our place.5 For the means by which to enter into the benefits of the gospel see “What Must I do to be Saved?” and “Is Not only are they given over to physical death, but also spiritual Christ the Only Way?” death in which they are estranged from the heavenly Father. This spiritual death points toward hell, the absence of the goodness In order to believe in this gospel, it is necessary that we try to of the Lord, an eternity of suffering for a slew of sins against an put together the requisite elements of the tradition which Paul infinitely holy God. We have been separated from our greatest mentions. These elements include: sin, death, substitutionary good and united with the one who sought to usurp the throne. atonement, and faith. Substitutionary Atonement Sin The wages of sin is death, the Bible says, and someone has to In the beginning man and woman were created good, in the pay; there is a penalty which accompanies our transgression. Man image of God, in harmony with themselves, each other, their has trespassed and therefore is the only one who should pay and Creator and the rest of His creation. However, such peace yet he cannot, being himself sinful. God has demanded payment was not to last. Rather, taking of the fruit which they were and yet is the only One Who could pay. However, He certainly should not, being Himself holy. What was to be done? 4 Ephesians 2:1,5 God alone could pay and so pay He did, with the blood of His 5 Romans 5:8 Son. The Son of God became sin and bore the wrath of His Father, being a curse on our behalf. He became our substitution, 6 See Genesis 1-3 dying for our sins, in our place. He did not deserve to die, we did, 7 Romans 5:12 but He willingly became obedient to the payment required that 8 Isaiah 55:11 we might be reconciled to Him. We deserved to die and owed a payment, but He purchased our freedom. God has been declared 9 Romans 3:25 both just and the justifier of the justified.9 Faith • ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... Romans 3.23 How do we enter into the blessings of the divine transaction? Given that we are blinded by sin and are natural enemies of God, • For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all can we really expect to earn such entrance? How good is good our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of enough to be considered perfect? us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
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