What Exactly is the Gospel Anyway?
The message of salvation that is better referred to as ‘the Gospel’ is a message that we all believe that we have heard a million times before. But it’s actually a message that is not as clearly conveyed or explained to people as you may think.
What I mean by that is if you ask 10 different professing Christians what the Gospel message is, chances are you will get at least 8 different definitions. Which is amazing because the Gospel message is the most important message that a person can ever hear in their life! Why? Because without it a person will never be able to truly understand what salvation truly is! And thus, never be able to walk in the newness of life that has been promised to us by The Messiah Himself.
In order to understand salvation in more depth we have to answer 4 critical questions:
1) Why do we need saving in the first place?
2) Who is saving us, or Who can save us?
3) How is salvation, or how is this saving possible?
4) What exactly is salvation?
This is an extreme conundrum that is rarely ever addressed in detail, even though it’s the very foundation of what we call Christianity. If a believer fails to address these four critical questions they are literally operating with half of a message, yet most people believe that they always preach the “full Gospel”. There are even church organizations that use the term in their name.
And yet, is this really true? Failing to properly comprehend and convey what the actual Gospel message is can either keep a person in an utter wilderness of confusion for many years (if they managed to obtain genuine salvation by faith) or keep them from being saved in the first place.
- Why do we need saving in the first place?
It all started back in the garden when Adam fell, to make a long story short he dies spiritually when he and Eve chose to partake of the forbidden fruit. They were told that if they ate of the fruit, the very day they did so, they will ’surely’ die. (Genesis 2:17). But did they die that day? Not physically they didn’t, but they did die spiritually. So as a result of them being spiritually murdered by the devil, (John 8:44), their progeny also bears the same curse as their parents and are therefore born spiritually dead, in an imperfect body of sin as well. (Romans 5:12)
- Who is saving us, or Who can save us?
Man’s disobedience to the one command that was given caused man to be separated from God. So the only way that a Righteous and Just God can bring about ‘reconciliation’ without violating His own word and or law. He would have to ‘sacrifice’ Himself and personally shed His own blood to pay the penalty for the sin that entered into the world. This may sound crazy to a lay person but according to His own law, no other substitute would be sufficient.
(Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. KJV)
Also:
(Hebrews 9:22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. NASB.)
- How is salvation possible?
The sacrifice of a Lamb that was without spot or blemish was the only sufficient payment for sin according to His law (Exodus 12:5). So He gave His Son as the ultimate sacrifice to not just simply “atone” for the sins of the world, but take them away completely via propitiation!
(And just in case you may be a bit confused by Jesus being God, as well as The Son of God at the same time, I wrote an article about the Trinity that you can check out here).
(John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” KJV)
(Hebrews 9:12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. NASB)
(Hebrews 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? NASB)
- What exactly is Salvation?
Salvation is not simply the forgiveness of sin, or the payment made on our behalf, salvation is the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel message, or “Good News” is summed up like this. The forgiveness of sins is only half of the Gospel, the other half is the receiving of the gift of eternal life.
Forgiveness of sins: Through the death of The Messiah, sin has been dealt with, Once And For All! So unlike what happened in the Garden, there is not a single sin that can be committed that can cause separation from God ever again! (John 1:29, Colossians 2:14, Hebrews 10:10)
Receiving the gift of eternal life: So because sin has now been completely taken out of the away, the receiving of an eternal salvation is now possible! All who are born of Adam have inherited spiritual death as a result of their fall, so we are in need of having the Spirit of God that was lost by them restored to us again. This is what is known as salvation, and salvation is the state of being “born again” or regenerated from being spiritually dead, to being made alive! (Romans 5:10, Colossians 2:12, Ephesians 2:5, 1 Peter 3:18)
This is very important to note: Although the total forgiveness of sin has been made on behalf of everybody, that forgiveness only applies toward those who have submitted their sovereignty over to God. This done through the act of repentance in order to receive the FREE gift of LIFE/Salvation, aka the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:21, Acts 2:38, Acts 13:38-39)
Check out my next article: The Sin and Repentance Cycle is Broken as I go more in depth on the subject of the Gospel message.
Peace,
Bill