Whati is the gospel?
Is there a question to which we need to see the answer more clearly than this!? For the gospel is the one by which God calls us (2Th 2:14). By which he has brought life and immortality to light (2Tim 1:10). By the gospel we become part of the body of Christ and partakers of the promises (Eph 3:6). On the day of judgment, God will judge the secrets of men according to the gospel (Rom 2:16). By faith in the gospel, God seals us with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13), by which we are saved from condemnation, by which we are saved (1Cor 15:1-2). The gospel is the message that we must proclaim to every creature (Mark 16:15), which God has entrusted to us (1Th 2:4), which is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Rom 1:16). This is the message that the apostles also proclaimed (Acts 8:25; 14:7; 16:10; 20:24), who are the foundation stones of the church, on whom we grow into a holy temple in the Lord, where Jesus Christ himself is the cornerstone (Eph 2:20). The gospel that can strengthen every believer (Rom 16:25), which is not from men, but from God. (1 Pet 1:12; Gal 1:11)
How clearly we must see the answer to this question! Our souls can only be saved, only then can we become part of the body of Christ and partakers of the promises, if we have heard and believed the gospel. Only then can we faithfully preach, save souls through it, strengthen the faltering, if we remain with the pure message entrusted to us by God. How clearly we need to see this issue, when there are so many lies, so many attacks on the gospel, when Satan tries to distort it with such great power. And our task is to remain pillars of truth. The following article tries to help us with this.
This teaching will have three parts. First, I will talk about the real danger that God warns us about in the Scriptures. Then I will show what the true gospel is, what its message is, how God works through it, to whom it is addressed, and how we should preach it. And finally, I will give examples of the most widespread false gospels today.
I marvel that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ to another gospel, which is not another. But some are disturbing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we preached, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have accepted, let him be accursed.
- Gal 1:6-9 -
I, First, I would like to give Biblical emphasis to a real danger that God warns us about again and again in the Scriptures.
The above passage tells us that Paul is surprised at how quickly the Galatians turned to another gospel. Not that they turned, but how quickly. Doesn’t Paul’s surprise show that he was aware of the devil’s tactics? That even then, posing as an angel of light, he was trying to pervert the way of truth? That he was changing God’s eternal message a little and misleading people with false gospels?
If you read your Bible, you will see further evidence of this. You may notice how often there is talk of false teachers (2 Peter 2:1), false brothers (Galatians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 11:26), false prophets, false Christs (Matthew 24:24), false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13), all of whom pretend to be servants of the truth. Who are wolves in sheep's clothing, who speak wicked things, and their goal is to attract disciples to themselves (Acts 20:30; 1 Timothy 4:1).
But even in the pages of the Old Testament you can read in many places about false prophets, false people who spoke in the name of the Lord, even though He did not send them. Satan has always used this tactic. Because when he leads astray through half-truths, it is the most dangerous trap for the soul. He has created countless false Christian denominations and movements, creating such confusion that even seekers are completely confused by the sight of the state of visible Christian churches.
If such dangers lurked for God’s true people in Paul’s time, when Christianity was still expensive and persecutions were shaking the faithful, how much greater are we exposed to today, when it has become fashionable to be Christian in our Western culture? We must be able to recognize the work of the devil, in order to protect our communities and the gospel! We must be able to address both unbelievers and those who have been trapped by the devil in false certainty, in order to save souls and deceived souls.
What can help in this: a thorough knowledge of the truth and a faith firmly rooted in it.
II, Let us therefore consider what the true gospel is!
For I declare to you, brothers, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you are also saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
- 1 Cor 15:1-5 -
1, What is the message of the gospel?
Here Paul briefly summarizes the gospel in one sentence. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. But when the gospel is preached, it is not simply a repetition of this one sentence. Behind every word lies deep divine truths, and it is the office and duty of the preachers of the word to reveal these truths to the people.
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all the Gentiles, beginning at Jerusalem.”
- Luke 24:45-47 -
When Jesus entrusted the disciples with the task of preaching the gospel, he opened their minds to understand the Old Testament scriptures, all that was written about him, which foretold his death and resurrection. It is the same message that Paul is giving. The death and resurrection of Jesus according to the scriptures. By opening their minds, Jesus endowed them with all the knowledge they needed to faithfully pass on the gospel message. Then he sent them out, commanding them to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins.
From all this, it is easy to see what the gospel is. The gospel message has three main elements.
a, The cross of Jesus Christ, the truths centered around his death
b, His empty tomb, the truths centered around his resurrection
c, God’s command to all men, repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
What exactly does this mean? According to Scripture, a faithfully preached gospel message must include the following truths:
a, Truths about the Cross of Christ
In order to speak faithfully about the cross, we must speak of the creation of man, of his fall into sin, its cause and effect. Of the condition into which man was thereby brought, of his utter depravity, of his inability to save himself, to seek God. We must speak of the nature of God, of how he relates to sin, and in the light of all this, why our condition is so hopeless, what punishment we rightly and justly deserve from him. Of his eternal determination to save, the sinful people he has chosen, and the way of our salvation which he has ordained. Of the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Of who Christ is, what his incarnation means, and why it was necessary. What he did, what he is like, what his sacrifice means. What it means that he took our sins upon himself. What blessings does his death bring us, what does God reveal through the cross about himself, his grace and love for us?
b, Truths about the bodily resurrection of Christ
We must speak of the meaning of His resurrection, that faith in it is the basis of our justification. That His resurrection vindicates His Deity, is proof that He lives, sits at the right hand of the Father, and intercedes for us. It is proof that the Father accepted His sacrifice, and thereby opened the way to the Father, that by faith in His death and resurrection we may come to Him with confidence. That there is a resurrection for us from spiritual death, from eternal death, and that though we must experience physical death before He returns, we too will one day be resurrected as He was. We must speak of the world to come, with all its promises and glories. The return of Jesus. The resurrection of the body, the final judgment.
c, Repentance for the Remission of Sins
There are divine truths that we must simply proclaim, and there are divine commands that we, as ambassadors, must command to men with the authority of God. God has made repentance and faith a duty. He commands all to repent and believe, and promises life and peace to all who do so.
But for this we must also tell what repentance is, what it means to repent, what it means to believe, what God requires of man, what is the source of faith, how God works in us, and what happens in the soul.
The gospel, in short, is the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified. The message about man’s sin and God’s grace, about God’s forgiveness, and about the new life that He creates in us who believe in Him through the Holy Spirit. The central idea of the gospel is that the living God justifies sinful man through the sacrifice of Christ.
But God did not leave this to us in one sentence, not in three pages, but in a book of truth, the entire Holy Scripture.
Therefore, we must present and proclaim the entire plan of salvation, everything that God has left us and that unfolds the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice, grouped around the death and resurrection of Christ.
We must also talk about who will receive the blessings obtained through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. That all this is given to man by grace through faith, not for works. It cannot be earned. The substitutionary sacrifice and shed blood of Christ are the basis, not our merits. That faith itself is a gift of grace from God. And this faith, by which God accepts the sinner as righteous, saving faith in the Savior, cannot come unless one has first heard the truths of the gospel. Faith comes by hearing. In order for faith to be born, there must be a foundation of knowledge, a man must hear of Christ as crucified and risen before this faith can be born in him.
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.
- 1 John 4:16 -
The reality, the evidence of this faith, is seen in the fruits of faith, in true conversion, in a repentant heart, in a holy life given over to God.
2. How does God work through the gospel?
Faith and repentance are therefore, on the one hand, the duty of man, the spiritual work of man; and on the other hand, since it is not in his power, what God commands must be given by God, the sovereign work of His Spirit in the soul. Faith and repentance are therefore gifts of grace. Man is incapable of both, but at God’s command, through the work of God’s Spirit, man becomes capable of believing and repenting.
However, this does not absolve man from responsibility. Man has a duty, a responsibility before God, to turn to Christ for salvation, to believe and repent, even if he is incapable of doing so because of sin.
The gospel is to destroy self-righteousness, to convince sinners that their salvation is not in their own hands, to force them to depend upon the glorious grace of a sovereign Redeemer, which involves the surrender of self. Its purpose is to bring man to a state of spiritual poverty, to recognize the infinite value of his Redeemer and his redemption.
Whether it be the lepers, the blind, or the lame in the gospel stories, who were conscious of their inability to be cleansed, to see, or to walk, by faith in Jesus, at His command, by His power, they were enabled to do that which was not in their power before. The lepers were cleansed, the blind saw, the lame walked. The soul of man is dead because of sin. The leprosy of sin is upon his soul. He is blind to the things of God because of his sin. And he is completely paralyzed, unable to do the will of God. Unable to believe, unable to repent, but when Jesus commanded, “Rise and walk,” He gave him the ability, and the paralyzed man stood up and walked. When Jesus commanded, “See,” the blind man’s eyes were opened and he saw. And God does not change. He works in the same way in the human heart today. He commands through the preached gospel, “Repent, be converted, and believe in the gospel,” and when people who have been chosen for eternal life hear this, they repent, repent, and believe in the gospel (Acts 13:48). This is the means ordained by God for the salvation of man.
The gospel presents to a totally lost sinner a glorious God, all his works and wills, and a perfect Savior who has done everything for him.
3. Who is the call of the gospel for?
The doctrine of election is a truth that leads many to an unbiblical, incorrect conclusion about the preaching of the gospel: “If God has chosen everyone, no matter how zealous we are in the gospel, the chosen will still be saved.” This incorrect human logic introduces incorrect practice into communities. God has chosen people, and God has ordained the means by which He calls people, and that is the preaching of the gospel. We are therefore to offer the grace offered in the gospel to all people, we are to command conversion, faith, and penance, and as we preach the truths of the gospel, God by His Spirit will quicken and regenerate some.
4. How are we to preach?
Evangelists are God’s messengers who proclaim His truths in the name of God and in His name call the consciences of men to faith in the gospel, repentance, and conversion.
The primary task of evangelism is to teach the truths about the person and work of redemption of Jesus Christ. To faithfully and accurately convey a message, omitting nothing from it and adding nothing to it. Not as one’s own brilliant idea, not as a wise saying, but as the word of God. At the same time, even more than that…
Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we win people,
- 2 Cor 5:11 –
The preaching of the gospel is not only information, but a call! An exhortation to save the soul of the listener, winning to Christ, with the spirit of love, with the authority of Christ, in the name of Christ. We must speak with appropriate seriousness and authority, with unwavering zeal, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord!
III, False Gospel
The most obvious difference between the true and false gospels is their purpose. The true gospel awakens fear of God, godly repentance, deep humility, and holiness in man by presenting the glory of God to men. It proclaims the person and deeds of a mighty, almighty, merciful, and just, sovereign Lord. The true gospel message has God at its center. Its purpose is to lead man to worship God.
False gospels are most easily recognized by the fact that they place man at the center. They do not aim to fix man’s gaze on God. They do not aim to present His glory. They aim to make man “feel good.” They try to give man comfort, happiness, and satisfaction with the image of a false God. The center is man, and God is his helper. With the change of emphasis, a change in content inevitably occurs, which rephrases the message of the gospel.
False gospels omit those doctrines that humble the soul and lead it to spiritual poverty, to the ruin of pride and self-esteem. For example, the complete depravity of man, God’s choice as the cause of salvation, his death expressly undertaken for his own people… The false gospel leaves man boasting, otherwise it would not be attractive to the children of the world, to whom it actually speaks. On the contrary, the true gospel deprives man of all boasting, who, seeing the truth, falls to the dust, puts his hand on his mouth before his glorious God, and humbles himself.
Examples:
1, When sin is not preached.
If we do not preach sin and God's judgment, we cannot show Christ who saves us from sin and God's wrath. And if we do not talk about these things, if we only preach a Christ who saves us from self and the miseries of the world, we are not preaching the Biblical Christ, the true gospel. This is dangerous because it encourages people to have a false peace.
The worst advice is to tell someone who is still in their sins and despises God not to worry about sin, not to worry about sin, it has already been paid for. To just trust in Christ while they have not yet seen and repented of their sins. This attitude alone can produce false peace, false hope, and religiosity in a person.
2, When Spiritual Gifts, Healings, and Blessings Are the Focus
The work of the Spirit is to bear witness to the Son. When the Spirit of God poured out on the disciples at Pentecost, they bore witness to Christ, His death, and resurrection with great boldness and power. When someone speaks by the Spirit, Christ is the center of their message. When the preaching of the gospel is about blessings, spiritual gifts, miracles, and healings, it is evidence that the preacher of the word is not speaking by the Spirit. Such people speak according to the world, and the world loves them, and that is why they are able to fill halls. They try to organize some spiritual program with exciting teachings and mystical things, to attract as many people as possible, and to give the appearance that God has blessed their ministry. This kind of spirituality is also characterized by offering a false path to man that God never offered. Instead of calling people to true biblical repentance, they call people forward and have them say a prayer, claiming that from now on they will be saved. All they do is religious rhetoric, deceiving souls, all using the name of Jesus and the Bible.
3, Lowering the Divine Standard
Another danger that can distort God's truth is when they rephrase, redefine the boundaries that God set before the creation of the world.
For example, in the area of repentance. A person's bad conscience is not the same as conviction of sin. It is not true that a person is convinced of his sin if he is saddened by his weaknesses and the mistakes he has made in his life. Conviction of sin is not unhappiness because of our failures and inadequacies. We must beware of identifying a bad conscience and a sense of misery with spiritual conviction of sin. He who in such a state calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ to give him relief, to encourage him, and to make him confident again cannot have saving faith.
4. Distorting the Blessings of the Gospel
We are not preaching the gospel if we present Christ in terms of man’s felt needs. If we do not preach election, salvation, and redemption from sin, but only paint in words a Galilean who did much good, and assure people that he is alive today and ready to help with their problems, we are preaching a debased false gospel.
A Christ who merely eases the difficulties and losses of life, provides help and comfort, is not the true Christ, but a false Christ misrepresented.
An imaginary Christ, a distorted, watered-down gospel, encouraging a person to follow a path that God has not commanded, can never bring true salvation! Whoever does this bears false witness, preaches a false Christ, a false gospel, and walks a very dangerous path (Gal. 1:6-9).
Unfortunately, the list is not complete, I tried to show a few examples, but long pages could be written on the subject. Only a thorough, accurate knowledge of the truth and the Spirit of God can help in recognizing all of this.
The restoration and proclamation of the true gospel is the great task of today!