The Gospel:
The Gospel can be explained in different ways. It can be expressed in a legal manner where man is deserving of pending eternal punishment for sin and is forgiven through Christ’s work on the cross. It can also be explained relationally, where we are at odds with a holy God due to our sin, and Jesus reconciles us into a right relationship with God through his work on the cross. To truly understand the Gospel, we must understand who God is, who we are, who
Christ is, and the appropriate response.
God. Man. Christ. Response.
God:
God created all things, and he originally created them all good (Gen. 1-2). God is perfectly holy, all-powerful, self-sufficient, knows all things, and is worthy of all worship (Isa. 6:3; Mat. 19:26; Acts 17:25; 1 John 3:20; Psa. 29:2). There is one and only one living and true God. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. God is holy, just, and will
punish all sin (Rom. 2:5-8).
Man:
Men and women were a special creation of God, made in his own image. God created them male and female. God created Adam and Eve in the Garden, and they were originally innocent of sin. Adam and Eve sinned against God by directly disobeying God’s command (Gen. 3). This sin corrupted all mankind (Rom. 5:12-14). From birth, all people are alienated from God, hostile to God, and subject to the wrath of God (Eph. 2:1-3). Man, in his natural state,
is not morally neutral but sinful (Rom. 3:23). All people have sinned (Rom. 3:23).
Christ:
Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life. Jesus died on the cross to bear God’s wrath in the place of all who would believe in him and rose from the grave in order to give his people eternal life (John 1:1, 1 Tim. 2:5, Heb. 7:26, Rom. 3:21-26, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Cor. 15:20-22). Jesus’ death on the cross also made it possible for man to be reconciled into a right relationship with God (Rom. 5:10).
Response:
There is nothing man can do on his own to save himself from God’s wrath and the eternal punishment that he deserves (Eph. 2:8-9). God calls everyone everywhere to admit that they are a sinner, repent of their sins, and trust in Christ in order to be saved (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21, Rom. 10:9-10). God also calls us to commit to following Christ in obedience and live life as a disciple of Jesus (1 John 2:1-6).
(Some of this material has been adapted from The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark
Dever, p. 43)