GRASPING THE GOSPEL, PART 1

UNDERSTANDING ITS MESSAGE THROUGH THE BIBLICAL STORY

Did you know that 68% of Americans identify as Christian, yet only 4% maintain a biblical worldview in belief and practice?¹ With these statistics, it’s no surprise that many struggle to articulate the gospel despite familiarity with the term. 

In this two-part series, we’ll explore the gospel’s true meaning and its radical significance for our lives. Since it’s the core message of Christianity, a firm grasp of its substance is vital. A house is only as sturdy as its foundation, and faith is only as strong as our understanding of the gospel on which it stands.   However, when properly understood, everything changes.

GOSPEL ORIGINS

The word gospel is not unique to the Bible, but its history reveals the revolutionary nature of the gospel message proclaimed in Scripture.   In classic Greek language, the word means “good news.”  Ancient pagan cultures often used it to indicate a special announcement.

In ancient Rome, for instance, the “gospel” of Caesar was widely proclaimed.  The people honored the emperor, Caesar Augustus, as a god and savior whose birth brought peace, order, and good news to the world.²  Declaring any other gospel was treasonous.

Imagine, then, the audacity of Mark’s opening proclamation about Jesus, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1, ESV).  The inauguration of a new Kingdom was at hand.  A new King had arrived, and if Jesus was Lord, then Caesar was not. 

Concepts of kings and kingdoms feel foreign to us now, so what about such a staggering announcement makes it good news?   And what does it have to do with our lives today? 

To fully understand its implications, we need to see the whole picture.  Otherwise, we risk believing a truncated version of the gospel that diminishes the nature of its beauty and holistic transformative power.

GOSPEL FRAMEWORK: THE BIBLICAL STORY

The Bible’s overarching story is a divine drama about God and his restoration plan for Creation.  The story is laden with rich detail and significant themes too profound to cover entirely in a blog post, so for our purposes here, we will consider a bird’s-eye view of the grand narrative. It contains four main parts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and New Creation—the framework we’ll use for building a comprehensive understanding of the gospel.

CREATION

The beginning of the book of Genesis describes the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth; everything existed according to his will.  In his likeness, God created humans with delegated authority to rule as his representatives within the boundaries he had set.  They were responsible for cultivating creation and expected to multiply God’s image and glory throughout the world.  Everything was as it should be:  God dwelt with his people and called everything he had made good.

FALL

God’s wisdom and loving-kindness gave them all good things to enjoy; only one thing was off-limits.  For their well-being, he warned them not to eat the fruit from one particular tree.  When they did, they would surely die.³

Genesis 3 describes the day humanity opened the door to evil.  An ancient enemy with slippery words twisted their perception of God.  Convinced that God was holding out on them, they believed a lie, asserted their will, and ate the forbidden fruit.  

Their disobedience, however, was no mere disregard of an arbitrary command; their rejection of God’s truth and wisdom signified a spurning of his ultimate authority in their lives.⁴  In defining goodness for themselves, they declared their independence from God.   They forsook his glory and forfeited their own.⁵  By dishonoring God, they shamed themselves, and we have followed in their footsteps ever since.

As God forewarned, the wages of sin is death.⁶ Sin is essentially rebellion against God’s sovereignty, and we’re all guilty each time we define goodness and truth for ourselves apart from his commands.

Consequently, Adam and Eve’s rebellion brought death and destruction to the whole world—physically and spiritually.  Fellowship with their Creator was broken, wreaking havoc in all future relationships.

That one act of disobedience opened their eyes to reality, and they hid in humiliation while attempting to conceal their own nakedness.  Yet, in his great mercy, God provided what they could not.  He covered their shame with the skin of an animal, the first atoning sacrifice and a foreshadowing of things to come.  One day, he promised, the seed of the woman would crush the enemy, and sin and death would be no more.⁷ 

THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT

Until then, the whole earth groans like a woman in labor, longing to be delivered.⁸ Throughout the Old Testament, we see sin’s consequences play out repeatedly.  Wickedness only increased as humans sought to please themselves, pledging allegiance to other gods and denying the one who made them.   

Eventually, God chose to separate a people for himself and bring them into a land where he would dwell with them again.  Through Abraham, God promised blessing to all nations of the earth.⁹  From this man’s seed came the people of Israel, commissioned as a kingdom of priests to draw all people to God.  But they also forsook their identity and failed to honor him.

ISRAEL’S STORY

The Israelites consistently disobeyed God’s commands intended for blessing.  Choosing whatever seemed right in their own eyes, they emulated the serpent’s nature instead of God’s and reaped the consequences of those decisions. Enslaved by moral corruption, cycles of failure persisted as they leaned on other sources for identity, purpose, and truth.¹⁰  Despite all contrary efforts, humanity was bent toward sin and could not save themselves.

Sin and idolatry created political and social chaos in Israel. They were supposed to be a beacon to the nations, shining the way to the one, true Creator God.  Instead, they wanted to be like the other nations, chasing after strange gods and demanding a king of their own.  They craved the Savior prophesied so long ago, someone who could end their strife and bring peace and healing to the land.¹¹  But who was capable of such a task? 

Even though God desired to be Israel’s ultimate source and authority, he gave them the king they craved.  But their chosen king failed miserably, so God replaced him with a man after his own heart.  Through David, God promised to raise a descendant who would establish his kingdom forever.¹²

MESSIANIC HOPES

Despite hopes that David could be the Messiah, he also failed morally.  Solomon, his son, fared worse, resulting in a divided kingdom due to sin and idolatry.  Although Israel proved faithless, God remained loyal to his word: a descendant of David remained on the throne.

Israel kept turning away from their provider, but God kept sending prophets to call them back.  The prophets warned them of sin’s consequences, urging them back to covenant loyalty.  But they wouldn’t listen.  Idolatry and injustice eventually destroyed them. The people were exiled to a foreign land, and all hope seemed lost.

Yet, God had promised to raise a Messiah out of Israel —a Savior, Lord, Anointed King, and Deliverer.  Had God forsaken them?  Could he be trusted to keep His promises? 

The prophet Isaiah predicted someone who would bear all their wrongdoings.  This man would suffer, yet justify many, doing what they could never do for themselves.¹³  As a result, God would exchange their hardened hearts for hearts of flesh, empowered by his Spirit to follow his ways.¹⁴  But when would it ever come to pass?

REDEMPTION

Between the Old Testament and the New were 400 years of silence. No new prophet arose who proclaimed the words of God.

Enter Jesus.

He was born of a virgin in the line of David, as predicted by the prophet Isaiah nearly 700 years in advance.¹⁵ No other person in history meets all the prophetic decrees that began millennia before Christ’s birth.  The likelihood that anyone would fulfill even eight of them is astronomically unfavorable.  Statistically speaking, it’s one in one hundred quadrillion.  It’s like covering the entire state of Texas with 2 feet of silver coins, blindfolding someone and expecting them to find a marked coin on the first try.¹⁶  It’s impossible, humanly speaking.  Yet, Jesus fulfilled all of them, over 300 Old Testament prophecies to the letter, without error.

JESUS’ LIFE

Born of God and woman, Jesus was fully human yet fully divine.  Having come from God rather than man, He bore the exact imprint of God’s nature and lived a sinless life.¹⁷ He embodied the true and faithful Israel through a life that paralleled the nation’s history but succeeded where they failed.¹⁸  Jesus was the fulfillment of Israel’s story, the One who draws all nations to God.

In everything he did, he honored and glorified God, the Father.  He called people to turn from their sins (repentance).¹⁹ He healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, and set free those oppressed by the spiritual forces of darkness.²⁰ His words and deeds proclaimed the good news of the arrival of the Kingdom of God, a kingdom not of this world.

JESUS’ DEATH

He served multitudes, but many rejected him.  Offended, they tortured and crucified him.  Yet, he laid down his life willingly to suffer the judgment humanity deserved and paid the wages we are all due. 

As late Pastor Tim Keller once wrote, “God passed the required sentence of death on our sin and then took our punishment himself on the cross.”²¹ He became the human we were made to be so that through him, we can be the people we were made to be.²²  Jesus tasted death for everyone, as Scripture foretold, and so became the high priest of all people enslaved to sin:

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.… Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.


Hebrews 2:9-18, NLT

In other words, he bore our sins so we could bear his righteousness and, in so doing, reconciled us to God.²³ Without Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, all humanity would have remained under judgment. Forgiveness always costs someone something.²⁴

It’s unpopular to speak of God’s wrath today, yet two things can be true simultaneously: God is both loving and just because he is both good and holy.  His wrath is a response to the sin that despises his sovereignty and destroys his creation. Keller hits the nail on the head: “God’s wrath is not lost temper but his holiness released judicially against evil.”²⁵ His justice exists precisely because of his love.

Most people advocate for justice against evil; we just don’t want a god who deals with our evil.²⁶ We don’t think our sin is that bad.  But that’s why Christ’s crucifixion and death were necessary.  By nature, we were subject to wrath, dead in sin as we followed the ways of darkness and the spirit at work within the disobedient.²⁷  But for those who believe, God’s mercy made us alive with Christ and freed us from the power of sin that deforms his image in us.²⁸ 

JESUS’ RESURRECTION

But the grave did not have the last word.  Three days later, he rose from the dead and, over 40 days, appeared to more than 500 witnesses.²⁹ He reminded them of the Scriptures —how he fulfilled all that had been written about him— and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations.³⁰  They saw him ascend into Heaven and sit down at the right hand of God as King and Lord over all.³¹ 

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow…and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 


Philippians 2:9-11, NLT

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved. 


Acts 4:12, CSB

As promised, he sent the Holy Spirit to fill and lead believers.³²  His Spirit testifies of our adoption as children of God, sets us free from slavery to sin, empowers us to obey, and transforms our hardened hearts into hearts that desire the King.³³  Those in Christ become new creatures in which old things pass away.³⁴ We are crucified with Christ, so we no longer live for ourselves but for the one who saved us.   

NEW CREATION

But the story isn’t over yet.  Here, it comes full circle.  One day, Jesus will return to deal the final, crushing blow to death and evil.  Believers from every nation, tribe, and tongue will be united with God, and we will dwell with him forever in a restored creation — the New Heaven and New Earth.³⁵  Those whose loyalties rest by faith in Jesus will rule as image-bearers in his kingdom as originally intended.  And our desire will be for him.

CONCLUSION

It’s a lot to take in, so let’s pull it together.

The gospel is about Jesus Christ — the Lord and King with all power and authority— who saves people from their sins and reconciles them to God through his crucified death and resurrection. By faith, believers are united with him forever as kingdom citizens and children of God the Father.

Jesus has done what we could never accomplish by any amount of good work on our part.  We are saved by faith alone through the grace of God, but faith isn’t merely about praying a prayer or mental agreement with a particular set of facts.  It isn’t solely about where we will go when we die; it’s about pledging our lives in allegiance to the Lord over all.  As a result, the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts to desire the king and to follow his ways. And “if we understand the gospel rightly, we will long not so much for the kingdom as for the king.”³⁶

So, who do you say Jesus is?

Our answer has just as much impact on our lives now as it does for eternity because what we believe determines how we live. The gospel message goes beyond theoretical and philosophical notions—far beyond promises of kingdom benefits—to arrest our hearts for a person, the King in his glory. A proper grasp of this message transforms everything from the inside out. And he, my friend, is good news.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

1. Dr. George Barna, “American Worldview Inventory 2023,” Arizona Christian University, accessed April 23, 2024, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CRC_AWVI2023_Release1.pdf. ↩︎
2. Matthew L. Halsted, “The Gospel of Caesar?,” Dr. Matthew L. Halsted (blog), August 8, 2020, https://matthewhalsted.com/2020/08/10/the-gospel-of-caesar/. ↩︎
3. Genesis 2:15-17. ↩︎
4. Greg Gilbert, What is the Gospel? (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 49. ↩︎
5. Jackson Wu, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul’s Message and Mission (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2019), 43. ↩︎
6. Romans 6:23. ↩︎
7. Genesis 3:15. ↩︎
8. Romans 8:22. ↩︎
9. Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18. ↩︎
10. Jeff Vanderstelt, Gospel Fluency: Speaking the Truths of Jesus into the Everyday Stuff of Life (Wheaton: Crossway, 2017), 55. ↩︎
11. Tim Mackie and Aeron Sullivan, “Saul: A Tale of Self-Deception,” BibleProject.com, May 26, 2017, https://bibleproject.com/articles/saul-tale-self-deception/ ↩︎
12. 2 Samuel 7:8-17. ↩︎
13. Isaiah 53. ↩︎
14. Ezekiel 36:26-27. ↩︎
15. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Matthew 1. ↩︎
16. Mike Winger, “Prophecies that Jesus Fulfilled: Evidence for the Bible Pt 10,” Biblethinker.org, accessed June 4, 2024, video, 55:09-1:02:23, https://biblethinker.org/numerous-prophecies-jesus-fulfilled-evidence-for-the-bible-pt10/ ↩︎
17. Hebrews 1:3. ↩︎
18. It’s impossible to separate the New Testament from the Old, so a few examples may be helpful:  Jesus’ water baptism parallels the Israelites Red Sea crossing.  Just as Israel was tested in the wilderness for 40 years, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days.  Jesus’ sermon on the mount resembles the imagery of Moses ascending Mt. Sinai to receive the law. ↩︎
19. Mark 1:15. ↩︎
20. Matthew 8:16; Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:21. ↩︎
21. Timothy Keller, The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms (New York: Penguin, 2015), 133. ↩︎
22. BibleProject, “God’s Plan to Establish His Kingdom on Earth: Gospel of the Kingdom Ep. 2,” YouTube, December 7, 2022, video, 6:36-6:45, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV2T9y6qG7c. ↩︎
23. Jerry Bridges, The Gospel for Real Life: Turn to the Liberating Power of the Cross…Every Day (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2003), 109. ↩︎
24. Timothy Keller, Forgive: Why Should I And How Can I? (New York: Viking, 2022), 6. ↩︎
25. Keller, Forgive, 72. ↩︎
26. Gilbert, What is the Gospel?, 44. ↩︎
27. Ephesians 2:1-3. ↩︎
28. Ephesians 2:4-9; Kelly Kapic, You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News, (Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2022), 34. ↩︎
29. Acts 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:6. ↩︎
30. Luke 24:44-49. ↩︎
31. Mark 16:19. ↩︎
32. Luke 24:49; John 15:26. ↩︎
33. Romans 8. ↩︎
34. 2 Corinthians 5:17. ↩︎
35. Revelation 20-21. ↩︎
36. Gilbert, What is the Gospel?, 122. ↩︎