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Answer:

The true gospel is the good news of a historical event where God sent his Son, Jesus to die for sinners according to the Scripture, and who was buried yet rose again on the third day so that sinners might be saved from their sins, and thereby be reconciled to God as God reconciles the world to himself.

Today, there are so many different gospels preached. The gospel is not praying and asking Jesus into our hearts; it is not about “making a decision for Christ”; it is not “Let go and let God”, and it is most certainly not “doing good works to get into heaven”. The gospel is not about getting to heaven, God improving your life, success, prosperity, health, or power. What then is the gospel that we must believe?

1 Corinthians spells it out most plainly that the true gospel is what is recorded in the scriptures: “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

The word gospel literally means good news. It is good news concerning a past historical event: that Jesus had become a man, lived a perfect life and as Christ, died for sinners according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

The gospel is embedded in all the Scriptures, both the New and the Old Testaments. The Scriptures are the only reliable testimony that we have about the events of the gospel and the Scriptures alone give the full meaning and significance to those events. The gospel is in agreement with and explained by the entire bible. On the road to Emmaus, Christ Himself used the scriptures to explain the gospel to His disciples:

Luke 24:27-45 tells us, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. … Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” … Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

To believe in the gospel then, requires believing in whatever the Scriptures teaches about the gospel – about who God is and that He sent his Son, Jesus to die for sinners according to the Scriptures, and who was buried yet rose again on the third day so that sinners might be saved from their sins.