The Facts of the Gospel
The word ‘Gospel’ means good news, which refers to the message of salvation. It is a translation of a Greek word that refers to a reward given to someone who brought good news. This good news is extraordinary because none of it depends on our performance.
None of us are perfect
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None of us are perfect 〰️
We have to be made acceptable to God, and this is where the extraordinary part kicks in.
God extends an invitation to completely forgive you and give you a permanent place in His family—all free and with no strings attached. The gospel tells us how this all can happen: that we get to join His Family simply by believing this Great News! All He asks is for you to obey the gospel by believing in it.
Read the following scriptures:
Romans 4 v 24 - 25 and 1 Corinthians 15 v 1 - 4
What are the Facts?
God sent His Son, Jesus — All of the facts of the gospel are centred on Jesus Christ Himself, not only His death and resurrection but also His earthly life and teachings.
Jesus Christ as a human, suffered & died on the cross — He was delivered by God for the punishment of death so that our sin no longer keeps us out of God’s family
God raised Him from the dead on the third day — This is so that we can overcome death and be with Father God forever.
If we believe these facts (the life, death and resurrection of Jesus), we shall be justified (just-as-if-we-never-sinned) and receive righteousness from God.
“Salvation is not about performance. It never was, never will be, and never can be. We can do nothing to put ourselves at the level of God, to make ourselves fit for his presence. We lack God’s perfect nature.”
Read the following Scriptures
Ephesians 1 v 4; Hebrews 9 v 26 - 10 v 7; 1 Peter 1 v 18 - 20; Revelation 13 v 8
The Gospel is honest about the human condition
All other religions either deny sin or teach the solution is in our performance, i.e. doing good, repeating rituals, self-improvement etc. In effect, they lie to us by saying either we can fix the problem or we don’t have a problem.
The gospel tells us the truth
We need to be saved from ourselves and God himself provided the solution. He does it for free, even though we do not deserve it. This completely removes us from the equation and demands the focus to be on God and Jesus. The gospel cares nothing for what you do but everything about who you are, the object of God’s love
Jesus has always been Plan A
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Jesus has always been Plan A 〰️
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life
Jesus is the epicentre of history, past, present and future. God knew that without free will humans simply would not be able to truly love and obey Him. God also understood that giving humans free will would create major issues and sin, at some point would follow. Humans would choose sin, either out of self-interest or rebellion simply because we are imperfect.
The Bible is clear that God knew this was coming
So God had a plan in place even before the rebellions took place. Evil exists because people abuse God’s gift of freedom and use it for self-gratification and the illusion of autonomy. God sees our sin and misery and knows its cause, it truly hurts him but because He is so consumed with love for His human children, He won’t turn from His original Plan.
The Gospel is a weapon
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The Gospel is a weapon 〰️
Read Mathew 28: 18-20
Unbelievers are hostages to the powers of darkness. We don’t come against these powers directly but if we are faithful in releasing the gospel to those around us, we will turn the tide. The great commission in Matthew 28 is actually our spiritual battle plan.
Questions to Reflect on…
Remember to be honest and there are no correct or incorrect answers to these questions. God wants you to think deeply to understand Him better and grow your faith.
What does the Gospel mean to you?
Which part of it do you find difficult?
Do you think God's offer is completely free, or is there a hidden catch?
If the Gospel is a weapon, how can you use it better?