Getting the Gospel right

Several years ago, a fictional movie told the story of a researcher in the Amazon jungle. He discovered a cure for cancer by combining rare plants and indigenous flowers. The serum completely eradicated tumors and had the potential to change the world. But the researcher was careless in documenting his work. Because he failed to keep careful notes, he could not reproduce the formula.

Despite repeated attempts, the life-saving cure was lost. One can only imagine the outrage if such a thing happened in real life. A cure for one of the world’s deadliest diseases could disappear simply because someone handled the details poorly.

That story highlights a greater reality. There is a sickness worse than cancer—sin. Its only cure is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the sole message that can save the soul. It must be handled with care.

Christians must never treat it casually or communicate it carelessly. The souls of men depend on God’s people being faithful stewards of this message. Every Christian must get the Gospel right. We must clearly proclaim how sinners are reconciled to God so that lost souls can find healing in Christ.

Christians must know the facts of the Gospel and articulate these truths to every audience, praying that God will open hearts to the Good News. It’s not enough for Evangelicals to know the word Gospel; they must know its fundamentals.

So, can you? If you confess that Christ is your Lord, can you quickly and concisely share the truths embedded in the Gospel? Can you articulate what it means to believe in the Gospel?

We live in a Biblically illiterate culture that is ever-increasing. We cannot naïvely assume people know what we mean when we use Biblical terms—even the word Gospel. The Christian needs to be ready to give an accurate answer to anyone who asks for a reason for the Hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15).

So, what is the Gospel? As you may be aware, the underlying Greek word behind the English word Gospel, simply means “Good News.” In Bible times, the word was not limited to a spiritual application but had a much broader meaning.

For example, if the Roman Army won a decisive battle, heralds would be dispatched throughout the Empire to publicly announce the “Gospel” – or good news of a major military victory. Conversely, today, the word “Gospel” has become an almost exclusively Christian term that describes the person and work of Jesus on behalf of. We normally don’t use the word nearly as broadly as they did in that ancient world.

So, what is the Gospel? My definition: The gospel is the good news of how God reconciles sinners to Himself through Jesus’ atoning work. Much more can and should be said, but that is my concise definition.

There is a lot of theology implied, though not plainly stated, in that definition. You do not need a theology doctorate to share the Gospel, but certain truths must be understood to rightly share it.

The Apostle Paul outlines the skeletal details of the Gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

The Gospel is more than Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection—but not less. Jesus lived, died, and rose again as foretold, but that is a summary. We also need to know who Jesus was, why He was unique, and how His death helps others.

As Christians, we admittedly want people to come to know Christ. But they need to know the right Christ … the right Jesus and the right Gospel. Therefore, to make sure we are all on the same inspired page, let’s succinctly state the theology behind the Good News.

As damaging as it may be to your self-image, the Bible is clear – outside of saving faith in Christ, we are spiritually dead sinners incapable of saving ourselves. Therefore, God, in the person of His Son, does for us what we cannot and do not do for ourselves.

God the Son was supernaturally conceived in the womb of a virgin, so He did not have a fallen, sinful nature. He lived every single moment of His life in perfect loving obedience to God. Jesus never broke one single law of God. He was willingly nailed to a Roman cross and there at Calvary paid the sin debt of a world of lost souls. He became the sinner’s substitute and appeased the righteous wrath of God on their behalf.

He died on the cross—literally and physically. But as Resurrection and Life, He rose from the dead. As King, He defeated death and hell, showed Himself alive for 40 days (Acts 1:3), then returned to heaven. One day, He will return and make all things new!

That is the Gospel, the Good News! These truths about Jesus are how God reconciles sinners. Someone is saved when God enables them to believe. Every soul who hopes for heaven must believe Jesus did this for them because they need rescue. Right now, if you embrace this Gospel, you will be saved.

Nothing is more important than getting the Gospel right. Eternity hangs in the balance. If the cure for cancer were lost because someone handled the details carelessly, the world would rightly be outraged. Yet the tragedy would be far greater if the message that saves the soul were distorted, diluted, or poorly communicated. The Gospel is not ours to modify, improve, or handle casually. It is a sacred trust given to the church.

Every Christian must feel this responsibility. We must know, guard, and share the Gospel as God gave it. The cure for sin is not lost and must never be taken lightly. The hope of the world is the Gospel of Jesus Christ—and it is too precious to corrupt.