I’ve been hearing discussions about the gospel for as long as I can recall. I’ve heard the phrase “gospel” since before I became a Christian. But when you ask people upon whom this gospel has had a profound impact and carries with it deep significance, at least in my context of Africa, particularly Malawi, “what is the gospel?” It’s hard to get one simple clear and concise answer to this basic yet fundamental reality of our faith. This is tragic to Christianity in Africa and Malawi in particular. The lack of a simple clear and concise articulation of the gospel demands an answer to the question: what exactly is the gospel? Investigating this subject allows us to dive deep into the fundamentals of the Christian faith and examine the biblical foundations upon which this truth is grounded.
What the Gospel is and is not?
When various self-professed Christians are asked to define the gospel, a wide range of responses are provided that are essentially not the gospel. The message of the gospel in our culture is that God is love, or that it is synonymous with prosperity. Some believe that the gospel equates to a person’s salvation, faith, repentance, or sin forgiveness. Now, some of these claims are supported by the Bible, but they do not constitute what the gospel is in and of themselves.
“Failure to distinguish between the gospel and all the effects of the gospel tends, on the long haul, is to replace the good news as to what God has done with a moralism that is finally without the power and the glory of Christ crucified, resurrected, ascended, and reigning…”
Themelios, 34.1, April 2009
So, what is the gospel? The word “gospel” simply means the good news However, that really doesn’t tell us anything, does it? The central message of the gospel is the reconciliation of God and humanity through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel is essentially the proclamation that sinners can be saved by faith through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“The gospel is good news of mercy to the underserving.”
J.I Packer
To put it another way, the gospel is the declaration of the past, perfect, finished historic work about what God has done through the Jesus Christ on behalf of wretched sinners. This work that God accomplished is a kind of work that we as sinners could never have done in and of ourselves.
To understand what the gospel is, we must turn to the Bible which is the foundational text for all sound Christian beliefs. The apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans emphasizes the truth that sin is universal. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. The truth of the universality of sin lays the ground work for the need for salvation.
“The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man.”
John Stott
We find the pinnacle of the gospel in the words of Paul to the church in Corinth, I Corinthians 15:3-4 in which the apostle, pointing to what the gospel is says “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Here Paul tells the Corinthian church what is of paramount importance when it comes to the gospel, and he highlights three things. Missing out on these three elements, sadly is missing out on the gospel.
The Gospel is about the death of Christ
Because of man’s fall into sin, Christ’s death became a necessity. As the religious leaders plot to kill Jesus, Caiaphas who was the high Priest utters these words, “…it is better for you that one man should die for the people…” And the gospel proclaims just that, the death of Jesus on cross for sinners and with His death paying in full the penalty we deserved. Paul declares, Christ died for our sins.
The Gospel is about the Burial of Christ
After Jesus died, his body was not left on the cross to decompose on its own but rather His body was taken down by Joseph of Arimathea, having sought permission from Pilate and was buried in a tomb. Acts 13:29 says “… they took him down and laid him in a tomb.” The significance of the burial of Jesus cannot be exaggerated as it certifies the reality of His death while at the same time anticipating his resurrection.
The Gospel is about the Resurrection of Christ
At the heart of the gospel is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The truth is that He died and was buried but the good news is that He did not stay dead. In the words of David, God did not let the Holy One see corruption. Paul says Jesus was raised from dead on the third day according to the scriptures. At the heart of the apostles’ preaching in the book of Acts was the resurrection of Jesus.
The gospel is not the gospel without Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We can talk about the death of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, and faith but without his triumphant resurrection, this all is futile. Thus, the resurrection of Jesus is the central truth of the gospel.
Conclusion
A right understanding of the gospel should cannot be exaggerated. If the gospel is not well understood, a great deal is at stake—eternal souls are actually in danger. The gospel is not the many good, even biblical things, that people say. The gospel is the declaration of love divine, redemption and hope for a lost and broken world by sin, because of the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.