What is the gospel? Gospel means good news. Then what is the good news that we have to share? The good news is that men can be saved from Hell. First, then, we need to prove that men are going to Hell. I don’t have time to prove that the Bible is reliable, so I am going to start from that assumption. The book of Romans was written by Paul to remind the church at Rome, at least in part, what the gospel is about. In chapter one, Paul goes into detail as to how men fell to sin.
Romans 1:18 - 32 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
They did not love God, nor honor His glory. They suppressed the truth. They ignored the revelation of nature. So God allowed them their dishonor and their lusts. Sin abounded because men forgot God and His law. Romans 2:12-13 "For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified."
Romans 1:18 - 32 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
They did not love God, nor honor His glory. They suppressed the truth. They ignored the revelation of nature. So God allowed them their dishonor and their lusts. Sin abounded because men forgot God and His law. Romans 2:12-13 "For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified."
God gave His law to men through the Israelites. It was recorded by Moses and it was the purpose of God’s people to show the world around them what God’s righteousness demands. I’m sure the Ten Commandments are familiar to us, but I will restate them here:
1) You shall have no other gods before me.
2) You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them …
3) You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain
4) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
5) Honor your father and your mother
6) You shall not murder
7) You shall not commit adultery
8) You shall not steal
9) You shall not bear false witness
10) You shall not covet
Lest we think the commandments easy to keep, Jesus further clarified them in Matthew 5:17-37. The law is given to prove to us that we cannot be righteous in God’s sight. James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” So we are all law-breakers, and the punishment that we deserve is Hell. Romans 6:23 starts “For the wages of sin is death …” Wages are what you earn. What we have earned is death.
This is where the good news comes in, though. Christ died in my place, in your place. Romans 5:6-8 "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." We were actively fighting against God, and He sent His Son to die for us. Ephesians 2:4-7 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Thank God for His great mercy. “From Him (Jesus) we learn how God acts toward people. The hypocritical, the basically insincere, will find Him cold and aloof, as they once found Jesus; but the penitent will find Him merciful; the self-condemned will find Him generous and kind. To the frightened He is friendly, to the poor in spirit He is forgiving, to the ignorant, considerate; to the weak, gentle; to the stranger, hospitable.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. We use many fancy words to describe this event. We can talk about the propitiation, that Christ’s death appeased the justice of God. Atonement, meaning that there were reparations made, that the debt was paid. 1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” “…through the work of Christ in atonement, justice is not violated but satisfied when God spares a sinner.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. Reconciliation means that we are now restored to friendship with God. 1 Corinthians 5:18 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” We can be counted righteous through Him.
The last part of Romans 6:23 says, “… but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The gift offered to us is eternal life. So the gift is placed before us. The way has been made. What is left for us to do? “Years of rebellion against God have bred in us a fear that cannot be overcome in a day. The captured rebel does not enter willingly into the presence of the king he has so long fought unsuccessfully to overthrow.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. We were enemies of God. We were actively fighting against Him when He sent His Son. 1 John 1:8-9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Peter’s sermon to the Jews includes the call to “Repent!” Repent means to change your mind, but more than that to completely alter your thinking. However “Repentance, though necessary, is not meritorious but a condition for receiving the gracious gift of pardon which God gives of His goodness.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. We can’t earn our salvation. The work was completed by Christ alone. This is why His last word on the cross was “τετέλεσται” meaning “It is finished!” The work has been completed on your behalf. All you need to do is accept the gift given.
Thank God for His great mercy. “From Him (Jesus) we learn how God acts toward people. The hypocritical, the basically insincere, will find Him cold and aloof, as they once found Jesus; but the penitent will find Him merciful; the self-condemned will find Him generous and kind. To the frightened He is friendly, to the poor in spirit He is forgiving, to the ignorant, considerate; to the weak, gentle; to the stranger, hospitable.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. We use many fancy words to describe this event. We can talk about the propitiation, that Christ’s death appeased the justice of God. Atonement, meaning that there were reparations made, that the debt was paid. 1 John 2:2 “He is the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” “…through the work of Christ in atonement, justice is not violated but satisfied when God spares a sinner.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. Reconciliation means that we are now restored to friendship with God. 1 Corinthians 5:18 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” We can be counted righteous through Him.
The last part of Romans 6:23 says, “… but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The gift offered to us is eternal life. So the gift is placed before us. The way has been made. What is left for us to do? “Years of rebellion against God have bred in us a fear that cannot be overcome in a day. The captured rebel does not enter willingly into the presence of the king he has so long fought unsuccessfully to overthrow.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. We were enemies of God. We were actively fighting against Him when He sent His Son. 1 John 1:8-9 states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Peter’s sermon to the Jews includes the call to “Repent!” Repent means to change your mind, but more than that to completely alter your thinking. However “Repentance, though necessary, is not meritorious but a condition for receiving the gracious gift of pardon which God gives of His goodness.” –Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy. We can’t earn our salvation. The work was completed by Christ alone. This is why His last word on the cross was “τετέλεσται” meaning “It is finished!” The work has been completed on your behalf. All you need to do is accept the gift given.
