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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 incredibly good news of a most specific kind. It’s not good news about heaven, or how God can upgrade your life. It’s 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.

What then is the gospel that we must believe? 1 Corinthians spells it out most plainly: “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 Christ 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.

To believe in the gospel then, requires believing in whatever the Scriptures teaches about the gospel – that God 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.

The events of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension are known as the gospel. “Gospel” means good news. It is the good news of Jesus Christ: who He is, what He has done and what He is going to do. Why is it good news? It is the explanation of and answer to why everything is wrong with the world and with ourselves. We must explain this from the very beginning:

God and us: God is eternal, unchangeable, independent, omnipresent, all-powerful, spirit, knowable, glorious, wise, loving, truthful, good, holy, just and perfect. Not only is He these things, He is the definition of these things.

God created everything there is and sustains it. He owns and rules everything. He created people as spiritual beings able to relate to Him on that level. We are to reflect His nature. He desires a right relationship with us – one that is personal, intimate, reflects His person and gives glory to Him – this is our purpose.

Sin, rebellion and judgement: From the beginning and in our nature, we have chosen to disobey God. This is known as sin. Everything that is wrong in the world is because of sin. Because of this, we have been separated in our relationship with God, unable to approach Him and please Him. Not only does this result in physical death and decay, we are spiritually cut off from God – something far worse than physical death.

This separation between God and us cannot be overcome by our own effort. We are powerless to save ourselves from our sin. Because of our sin, we are infinitely removed from God’s paragon of what is good, holy and perfect. If God were to judge us now, in our state of sin, we would fall infinitely short, and face an eternity in hell. Hell is where we are irreconcilably cut off from God – the essence of goodness and life. This is a just end for us.

God our saviour: However, because of God’s love for us, He intervenes to spare us from the penalty of sin. God Himself, the one whom we know as God’s Son, became a man –Jesus. As a man, Jesus lived a sinless life – never disobeying or rebelling against God. He healed the sick, raised the dead and performed many miracles.

Jesus’ death and resurrection: Even though He had the power to prevent it, when the time came, He allowed Himself to be killed in a most painful way – crucified on a cross. He was also cut off from God – the essence of every good thing. In this way Jesus, God himself, took the penalty for our sin, even though He was completely innocent. After His death, Jesus, being God, rose again on the third day, ascending to heaven.

God’s justice and wrath is satisfied: Because of this, Jesus is the only satisfactory substitute to take our punishment. He has satisfied God’s justice for all the sin we have and will ever commit. By His death and resurrection, He is able to restore our relationship with God to what it was meant to be.

God wants you: Not only is God able to forgive you and restore your relationship with Him, He also desires it. God made you, loved you and paid a high price to clear the way for reconciliation. The Bible tells us that God is overjoyed when a person repents of his rebellion and receives the grace and forgiveness that He gives freely.

Your new life: Once this has happened, your whole life is transformed. Your heart is made new, and you life is now hidden in Christ. You discover that your dreams, ambitions, priorities etc all change. You become a lover of God and a demonstrator of His Kingdom in the world.