The word “gospel” means “good news”, but it is good news set against the dark backdrop of humanity’s sins, God’s holiness, and eternity’s judgment. I do not want to merely write an article just to stimulate your mind, but to bring you a message that will affect your immortal soul. We are living in a serious hour. Life is all too brief, death is a certainty, judgment is coming, and eternity is a long time. We may delay many things in our lives, but we cannot safely delay the salvation of our souls (Luke 12:13-21; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 9:27; James 4:13-17). The apostle Paul declared that “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes.” (Romans 1:16). This message is heaven’s answer to humanity’s deepest need and to set forth the character of the Gospel, the subject of the Gospel, and the purpose of the Gospel, and then to press upon everyone reading this the urgent necessity to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation now.
The Gospel is divine in its origin. It is not a human invention, some religious philosophy, or a moral system developed by people. It originates with God Himself. The apostle Paul wrote of “the gospel of God” (Mark 1;14; Romans 1;1). In Galatians 1;11-12, he declared that the Gospel he preached was “not after man, neither received from man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” This means the Gospel carries God’s authority and must be believed and obeyed. The Gospel is gracious in its nature. It reveals what God has done for sinners who cannot save themselves (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23, 5:6-11). Acts 20:24 calls it “the gospel of the grace of God”. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith…not of works.” The Gospel dies not tell us to earn salvation, but to receive by faith what Christ has accomplished (John 19:30).
The Gospel is true and unchanging. There are many voices in the world, but only one saving Gospel. Galatians 1:8-9 warns against “another gospel”, because any altered message is no gospel at all. The Gospel does not change with culture, opinion, or time; it remains God’s fixed message to a lost world. The Gospel is powerful. Romans 1:16 says it is “the power of God unto salvation.” The Gospel awakens the dead heart, convicts the conscience, breaks the bondage of sin, and brings new life to all who believe. It is not powerless speech but is God’s appointed means of bringing people to salvation.
The Gospel is universal in its scope. It is good news for every tribe, nation, class, and background. Jesus commanded, “Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Revelation 5:9 and Matthew 28:19 show that Christ’s saving work reaches to all peoples. No sinner is beyond the reach of the Gospel if he or she will come to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30). Next time, we will look at the subject of the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for taking the time to read this post.