If someone asked you, “What is the Gospel?” would you be able to answer them in a concise statement? I have often found that one of the obstacles to sharing Christ with someone is that many people are not clear as to what is the Gospel. If you’re not sure what is the Good News, how can you share that Good News with someone else?
I’m not saying that you are not born again because you can’t articulate the Gospel. What I’m saying is that it is helpful for us to sort out the wheat from the chaff, that is, is to separate what is part of the Gospel and what is not. For instance, we often confuse the fruits of the Gospel (like love, joy, peace, etc.) with the Gospel itself.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”
In any presentation of the Gospel there are four things that must be present and Paul alludes to them in 1 Corinthians 15. First, there must be a mention of sin. Why did Christ die? He died because of our sin. If we had not sinned, there would be no need for Christ to take the punishment of sin. One of the easiest ways of evaluating whether or not we have sinned is to compare our lives to the ten commandments. Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever lusted after someone? Have you always kept God as number one in your life? And so on… If you have not perfectly kept the ten commandments—and no one ever has done so except Jesus—then you are a sinner. If, by some extraordinary chance, you are perfect, then you don’t need Jesus. None of us are perfect and therefore all of us need Jesus. Jesus did not die so that we could have more love, more peace, or a better life—he died to take away the sin that separates us from God. Of course, the blessings of a life centered on God might come later, but that is not why Christ died.
Second, we have already talked about it: Jesus. Jesus is the center of the Gospel. He was perfect. As the perfect son of God, he was the only sacrifice worthy to pay the penalty of our sin. Every other sacrifice falls short of God’s standard of perfection. There is no salvation without Jesus. This was true even in the Old Testament when God’s people were saved by looking ahead to a messiah. God’s plan from the very beginning has always been Jesus.
Third, Jesus atonement for us was ratified when he was raised from the dead. For if he was not raised from the dead, then his death is just like every other person who has ever died. Even those people whom Jesus raised from the dead during his ministry still eventually died. It is only Jesus who died and resurrected, defeating death for good. The fact that God raised him from the dead shows that God was pleased with his sacrifice. Salvation is based on the work of the resurrected Christ.
Lastly, there must be an element of repentance and belief in these facts. Although Paul does not explicitly state it in 1 Cor 15, it was already understood as part of the Gospel message. You must admit that you are a sinner and that you need Christ and that without him you are lost, you must repent of your sin, you must put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, and by grace He will save you. All of this is spoken of by the prophets and apostles throughout Scripture which is why Paul says a couple times, “in accordance with Scripture…”
The reason that we call it Good News is that because of the work of the Risen Christ, God no longer holds our sins against us and we can find a new and true relationship with Him. That is good news for everyone.
So, next time you want to share the Gospel with someone, remember these four things. If you spend all your time explaining these things, you can be sure that your message will be clear and that you have faithfully shared the Good News. Then leave the results up to God!
