What is the Gospel of God?

 

The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1:16-17). The object of our faith is the good news of the gospel. Belief in the Biblical gospel transfers one from the kingdom of darkness and death to the kingdom of His light and life that includes the remission of sins and the reception of eternal life. The exceeding importance of the “good news” to those whom we evangelize cannot be overstated. For faith to lead to salvation it is vital that we know what must be believed, i.e., what is the content of the gospel.

While saving faith is more than an intellectual faith, the Scriptures are clear that saving faith does have an intellectual aspect. There is a “content” to saving faith… [1]

What must we believe to become a member of the family of God? What is a faith that saves? Before a Biblical determination of saving faith can occur we must clearly define the gospel. The postmodern deconstruction of language and the desire of Christians to not be offensive to others regarding the penalty of sin and the eternal destiny of hell have muddied the waters regarding gospel presentation.

Saving faith refers to faith that is in the proper object. Not all faith saves. But what makes faith non-saving is when its object is misplaced. Thus there is a distinction between what may be termed generic faith and saving faith. Generic faith is faith in any object. Saving faith is faith in the saving object, namely, the gospel.[2]

Thesis of “What is the Gospel?”

Saving faith is the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin and the one who gives eternal life to all who trust Him and Him alone for it.

These essentials, however they may be expressed or articulated, must be included as the content of saving faith and the content of saving faith must not include anything that contradicts (any one of these). [3]

Grace is the beginning and the end of the Christian gospel; it is the single word that most fully expresses what God has done and will do for his people in Christ Jesus.” The Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable (2014 Edition)

The Significance of the Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes …” (Rom 1:16) The good news of the gospel is the information leading to salvation and eternal life. “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved … that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures …” (1 Cor 15:1,2a, 3-4a) By substituting Himself for us and paying the price for our sin, we now by faith (Eph 2:8-9) in 1 Cor 15:1-4 have the choice to be delivered from the death sentence we were born under.

The risen Christ signifies that for those who accept this free grace gift, sin and death has been conquered and His righteous and holy life is now available to all who believe, for all eternity. (John 3:15-16; John 6:40; 1 Tim 1:15-17; John 10:28-30; 1 John 5:11-13) His resurrection proves His deity, righteousness, and the acceptance by the Father of His sacrifice for us. “ … but these (things) have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31; John 8:24, 11:27) By faith in the gospel, we are baptized, regenerated, justified (declared righteous with His righteousness imputed to our account), and become members of the family of God with rights of inheritance from the Father and joint-heirs with the Son.

What is a False Gospel?

Anything which adds to faith acceptance of the gospel or distorts its meaning is false. (Gal 1:6-11, 2:6-7).

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  Gal 1:6-7

Once the content of the gospel has been identified, there is nothing else that needs to be said, done, or believed. The error of legalism and law adds our works to salvation (Eph 2:8-9). Other false distortions of the gospel include the potential loss of salvation due to personal sin (John 10:28-30. 1 John 5:11-13). Since Jesus has paid the price for all sin for all men, how can a believer lose salvation due to a sin that Another has already paid for?

A requirement for saving faith does not include making a commitment to live for Christ or “Lordship salvation.” Making Jesus the Lord and Master of my life is an issue for discipleship once the saint has been instructed regarding the Christian way of life. Turning from sin is a necessary component of discipleship, not salvation or justification, and will be crucial in the believer’s walk or sanctification.

Grace states that salvation is a work of God and not of man. The only condition for man is the expression of faith, trust, and confidence in the Person and work of Jesus on the cross for sin payment, and in His resurrection for the defeat of death. Confession of sins, repentance in turning from sin, following the works of the law, and ritual baptism are other works of man that are frequently added to the grace gospel of God as necessary for salvation. Jesus has done the work for us. We must accept His gift to become family members who have eternal life of God.

“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’ ” John 6:28-29

God’s Plan of Salvation – Predicament, Provision, and Profession

The good news of man’s salvation includes three primary aspects. First, it emphasizes the bad news that man is a sinner in need of a Savior. Second, it presents the good news that God has provided this Savior through His Son, who died and rose again. Third, a gospel appeal intended to portray accurately the means of securing eternal life must include the condition of obtaining eternal life, namely, faith alone in Christ alone. These three points may be characterized as the predicament, the provision, and the profession. [4]

Postmodern Worldview’s Effects Upon the Clarity of the Gospel

Jesus Christ did not say, “Go into the world and tell the world that it is quite right.” The gospel is something completely different. In fact, it is directly opposed to the world. —C. S. Lewis

Postmodernism, the prevalent worldview today, declares that there is no objective or absolute truth. A component of postmodernism, pluralism states that all truth is relative, subjective, and culture-based. No one can judge another’s truth. Tolerance is the supreme virtue.

In this environment, Satan has a field day. “You have your truth and I have my truth.” Everyone can make up and worship a god of their own choosing; believing whatever lines up with their desires or how they view things should be. Man has become his own god, and the determiner of his own truth apart from His Creator and Redeemer.

Truth must be “fair” according to man’s standards, not God’s infinite perfection and holiness. God’s anger, hate, and wrath, as well as the believer’s fear of displeasing Him have no place in a world seeking its own utopia and selfish sin apart from God’s plan.

The gospel has not fared well in modern times touting pluralism. Postmodern believers reject clarity and purity of the gospel for a stance of solidarity with other religions of the world. Christians want to “go along with others” so that we will not be branded as “haters.” Unity at the expense of truth is antithetical to Christian faith; however, all ecumenical movements promote unity at the expense of doctrine. The belief in the evolution of man from microbes frees him from responsibility and accountability to a Creator God. It is mirrored by the casting off of “outdated” religious concepts such as sin and hell, which are revealed in a “man-made” Scripture, to a truth based on culture. Biblical truth regarding the righteousness and holiness of God is unacceptable. His wrath- sentencing one to eternal damnation for rejection of His Son and the sin of unbelief- is unjust and unthinkable to a world enslaved to sin and Satan.

The Christian church today is moving away from the Bible as the exclusive source of the claims of our faith. Hixson quotes from D.A. Carson regarding the effects of postmodernism upon religious thought and practice:

The loss of objective truth and the extreme subjectivity bound up with most forms of postmodernism have called forth, in the religious arena, a variety of responses. These are most commonly reduced to three:

1. Radical religious pluralism:… this stance holds that no religion can advance any legitimate claim to superiority over any other religion….
2. Inclusivism: This stance, while affirming the truth of fundamental Christian claims, nevertheless insists that God has revealed himself, even in saving ways, in other religions. Inclusivists normally contend that God’s definitive act of self-disclosure is in Jesus Christ, and that he is in some way central to God’s plan of salvation for the human race, but that salvation itself is available in other religions.  
3. Exclusivism: This position teaches that the central claims of biblically faithful Christianity are true. Correspondingly, where the teachings of other religions conflict with these claims, they must necessarily be false. This stance brings with it certain views of who Jesus is, what the Bible is, and how salvation is achieved. [5]

Biblical truth, in agreement with exclusivism above (#3), is antithetical to all other religions and the claims of culture, postmodernism, and pluralism. The Bible warns Christians of making peace or an allegiance with the world while making the gospel amenable to it. The gospel and the Word of God, an eternal treasure placed into the safekeeping of the church and the hearts of believers, must be protected and guarded.

Paul Curses Those Who Change the Gospel

At the end of the apostles’ ministries, the message they were almost unanimously pressed to write included warnings about the teaching and influence of the false teachers (wolves in sheep’s clothing) who had already entered their assemblies .

Paul expressed his concern for the church in the following words he spoke to the Ephesian elders.

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. Acts 20:29-31

In his earliest writings, Paul curses these false teachers, invoking the wrath of God upon them in condemnation. In Galatians 1:8-9, Paul twice curses the Judaizers who added law to the gospel of grace in these two verses, repeating the same statement for emphasis.

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! Gal 1:8-9

A zealous champion of the purity of the gospel of grace, Paul said it again: If anybody were preaching a different gospel (which the false teachers were), he would come under God’s eternal judgment. It is not difficult to understand why Paul reacted so strongly, because the Judaizers were impugning the Cross; for if works were necessary for salvation, then the work of Christ was not sufficient (Gal. 2:21). Furthermore a great deal is at stake for lost people. When the gospel message is corrupted, the way of salvation is confused and people are in danger of being eternally lost… [6]

God has only one message for doomed sinners: He offers salvation by grace through faith, entirely apart from law-keeping. Those who proclaim any other way of salvation must necessarily be doomed. How very serious it is to preach a message that results in the eternal destruction of souls! Paul was not tolerant of such false teachers and neither should we be. The uniqueness of the gospel…( is that it is) the only way of salvation. Self- effort or human merit have no part. The gospel alone offers salvation without money or price. Whereas the law has a curse for those who fail to keep it, the gospel has a curse for those who seek to change it. [7]

Scripture records only one other curse from Paul’s pen, 1 Cor 16:21-22. Here, his curse is for those already condemned; those who do not love the Lord. These were the same unbelieving false teachers (1 Cor 16:20) who were adding the leaven of false doctrine into the church. Paul curses them in 1 Corinthians 16 and in Galatians 1.

The gospel and the Word of God must be protected and guarded as an eternal treasure placed into the safekeeping of the church and the hearts of believers, The curses of Paul, recorded in Scripture, show his zealous heart for the honor and glory of God, the gift of the Son, and all those in need of salvation.

Opposition of the World to the Gospel

The world system functions on the basis of conformity. As long as a person follows the fads and fashions and accepts the values of the world, he or she will “get along.” But the Christian refuses to be “conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). The believer is a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17) and no longer wants to live the “old life” (1 Peter 4:1–4). We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13–16), but a dark world does not want light and a decaying world does not want salt! In other words, the believer is not just “out of step”; he is out of place! (See John 17:14, 16, and 1 John 4:5.)

“The world knew Him not” (John 1:10). Even the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who knew the Scriptures that foretold of Jesus rejected Him. The religious world today claims to know God, but it does not want to bow the knee to Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only Saviour of the world. Satan has blinded their minds (2 Cor. 4:3–4) and sin has blinded their hearts (Eph. 4:17–19). Like Saul of Tarsus, they are so convinced that their “religion” and “righteousness” are satisfactory that in the name of that religion they persecute God’s people! [8]

 

If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. John 15:19

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gal 6:14

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “ He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “ The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless… 1 Cor 3:19-20

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4

The world is dominated by the evil one (John 12:31; 1 John 4:4, 5). The word “world” denotes the mass of people who are hostile or at least indifferent to the truth and the followers of Christ (John 7:7; 16:20, 33; 1 John 3:1, 13; 4:4, 5).

The world has its own wisdom that does not have concern for God (John 1:10; 1 Cor. 1:20, 21; 3:19) and which cannot receive the Spirit of truth (John 14:17). There is a spirit of this world (1 Cor. 2:12). Those who have this spirit are described as being “of the world” or “of this world” (John 8:23; 1 John 4:4, 5). In contrast, Christ’s disciples are described as being “not of the world” (John 15:19; 17:14 [cf. 1 Cor. 5:10]). The state of the world arising from the influence of this worldly spirit is one of dire moral corruption (Eph. 2:2; James 1:27; 4:4; 2 Pet. 1:4; 2:20; 1 John 2:15- 17).[9]

The Convicting Ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. John 16:7-11

The order is a logical one. Man needs to see his state of sin, have proof of the righteousness that the Savior provides, and be reminded that if he refuses to receive that Savior he faces certain condemnation.[10]

While these elements may not be always seen clearly, they form the principles which combine to bring the unsaved into the knowledge necessary to place saving faith in Christ. Needless to say, the subjects included in the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the unsaved should constitute an important part of effective gospel preaching.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit to the unsaved follows three specific lines, then. First, the unsaved must understand that salvation depends upon faith in Christ. Second, the unsaved must understand the righteousness of God as belonging to the person of God and as made available for the sinner through Christ. Third, the unsaved must face the fact of judgment and find in Christ one who was judged and executed as their substitute.[11]

The Need for the Holy Spirit’s Convicting Ministry

Satan blinds the unsaved mind. No unbeliever can understand the gospel without enlightenment caused by the Holy Spirit (John 6:44; Acts 16:14; 26:18; 1 Cor 1:18; 2:14; 2 Cor 4:3-4). God has a program of election to penetrate the satanic blindness that holds unbelievers captive. All those foreknown to have a potential for faith are chosen to be recipients of the Holy Spirit’s work to dispel the darkness so that their faith can be expressed. This setting apart for conviction/enlightenment by the Holy Spirit is taught by the word sanctification in 2 Thess 2:13 and 1 Pet 1:2.[12]

The Holy Spirit’s Tools for Convicting the World

The Word of God is the primary tool used by the Holy Spirit to bring about conviction (James 1:18; 1 Pet 1:23; Rom 10:14-17). Since human agents spread the Word of God, believers are also a source for bringing conviction to the world. Believers convict the world by verbal message (Acts 5:32; Cor 14:24; Eph 5:11) and by righteous living (Matt 5:16, Phil 2:15-16, 1 Per 2:12, 15). [13]

Primary Areas of the Spirit’s Convicting Work

Sin – Although the Holy Spirit through the Word and through believers does convict the world of personal sins (John 3:20), personal sins are not the primary focus of the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry. Of course, the belief that one is a sinner and in need of help is implied in coming to Christ to find salvation.

• The word sin is singular in John 16:8,9 and it is defined as a failure to believe. The Holy Spirit mainly strives to convict the world of the sin of unbelief, the only sin that is unforgivable and sends one to eternal doom.
• The goal of the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry is not the moral reformation of some wicked habit. The main work of the Spirit here is soteriological not ethical.

Righteousness – The inability of the world to see Christ in person makes the Holy Spirit’s work of convicting the world of His own righteousness necessary. Man’s sinfulness compared to the righteousness of Christ shows the need for salvation.

• The Holy Spirit is less interested in promoting the morality of righteousness at a pre-salvation stage than in convicting the unbeliever of the righteousness of Christ.
• The unbeliever needs to see the attractiveness of Christ’s righteousness and of the need to be justified by faith in Him (thus obtaining a claim to His righteousness and His life which is eternal).

Judgment – The cross rendered Satan’s doom to be certain.

• Believers are justly freed from Satan and from sin’s penalty.
• The Spirit persuades the world of the judgment that will await those guilty of the sin of unbelief in Christ who ignore Him, His truth, and His righteousness. Their rejection of Christ results in them dying in their sins. At the Great White Throne judgment of unbelievers, whose names will not be in the Book of Life, those who have rejected Christ will be assigned punishment commiserate with their sins and the light they have sinned against.[14]

 

It is important to note that the Spirit comes to the church and not to the world. This means that He works in and through the church. The Holy Spirit does not minister in a vacuum. Just as the Son of God had to have a body in order to do His work on earth, so the Spirit of God needs a body to accomplish His ministries; and that body is the church. Our bodies are His tools and temples, and He wants to use us to glorify Christ and to witness to a lost world.

The key word here is reprove (John 16:8). It is a legal word that means “to bring to light,to expose, to refute, to convict and convince.” It could be translated “pronounce the verdict.”

When a lost sinner is truly under conviction, he will see the folly and evil of unbelief; he will confess that he does not measure up to the righteousness of Christ; and he will realize that he is under condemnation because he belongs to the world and the devil (Eph. 2:1–3). The only person who can rescue him from such a horrible situation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. There can be no conversion without conviction, and there can be no conviction apart from the Spirit of God using the Word of God and the witness of the child of God. [15]

The Essence of the Gospel

Saving faith is the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died and rose again to pay one’s personal penalty for sin and the one who gives eternal life to all who trust Him and Him alone for it. [16]

The gospel is centered upon the Person and work of Jesus Christ.

Scripture reveals in the words and deeds of Jesus a perfectly righteous man who knew no sin, and was also the eternal, preexistent Son of God. God became man by taking flesh upon Himself so that he could save us from our sins. His death upon the cross redeems us from our sins. There is no other path or plan. The world declared Christ to be an evil, demon-possessed man, and a criminal. The Father proved the righteousness of Jesus (He is both Lord and Christ), and the acceptance of His sacrifice on behalf of man by resurrecting Him from the grave.

Christ Jesus is alive today in heaven. All those who believe in his name (which includes His Person and work) will receive His life, which is eternal life. Faith in the gospel leads to possession of His life and a declaration of His righteousness.

The good news of the gospel is that the death sentence that all men are born into has been transferred to another. Jesus Christ has taken upon Himself the penalty for our sins by substitution in dying in our place upon the cross. The price has been paid for all men. The predicament of man in sin and death has been solved through the provision of the Person and work of Christ Jesus. Faith is the channel through which the work of God in salvation is received.

The convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit pronounces the verdict of eternal judgment, wrath, and damnation of hell for those who reject the free grace gift of Christ Jesus.

The requirement to avert this destiny is righteousness, the righteousness of God and His Son Jesus Christ.

The Content of the Gospel[17]

1. Jesus Christ is the Son of God

Jesus Christ is the Jesus revealed in Scripture as a sinless man who was also the Son of God. This Jesus took on human flesh and became a man so that He could save us from our sins. The gospel must include the Person of Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture. “He is the way, truth, and life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).”

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.   Acts 4:12

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.   John 3:16

Jesus said to her, “ I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world. John 11:25-27

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.             John 20:30-31

2. Who Died and Rose Again to Redeem Us From our Sins

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. Rom 5:8

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… 1 Cor 15:3-4

3. For Reception of Eternal Life

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:40

…and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11:26

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5:11-13

Other Scriptures include: John 3:15-16, 3:36, 5:24, 6:47, 10:28, 17:23; Acts 13:46, 48; Rom 5:21, 6:22-23; 1 Tim 1:16; 1 John 2:25, 5:11-13.

4. By Trust in Him and Him Alone

They said, “ Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:26

Other key texts would include John 5:24,6:47, 20:30-31; Acts 13:39; Rom 3:22, 28, 30, 4:5, 5:1; Gal 2:16, 3:6-7, 3:11, 24, 26; Eph 2:8-9.

Nothing other than faith and trust in the Person and work of Jesus exemplified in the above Scriptures is needed for faith to be saving. Nothing else needs to be added to the gospel of who He is and what He has done for us upon the cross. By grace through faith plus nothing else … anathema to anyone who adds to the gospel, for what they are stating is that the work of Jesus is not sufficient to save. Man cannot add anything to salvation which is completely a work of God. The channel of our reception of the work of God is through faith and faith alone. Salvation is an unmerited gift of grace.

Notice that saving faith does not include making a commitment to live for Christ. That will be an issue for discipleship once the family member is instructed upon the doctrines of the Christian way of life.

Seven Designations of the Gospel

From H.A. Ironside, God’s Unspeakable Gift

1. Gospel of the Kingdom

I am not thinking particularly of any dispensational application, but of this blessed truth that it is only through believing the Gospel that men are born into the Kingdom of God.

Everywhere that Paul and his companion apostles went they preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and they showed that the only way to get into that Kingdom was by a second birth, and that the only way whereby the second birth could be brought about was through believing the Gospel. It is the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3

…for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God… But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word which was preached to you. 1 Pet 1:23,25

2. Gospel of God

…because God is the source of it, and it is altogether of Himself. No man ever thought of a Gospel like this. The very fact that all the religions of the world set man to try to work for his own salvation indicates the fact that no man would ever have dreamed of such a Gospel as that which is revealed in this Book. It came from the heart of God…

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

3. Gospel of His Son

No man preaches the Gospel who is not exalting the Lord Jesus. It is God’s wonderful message about His Son.

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,   Gal 1:15-16

…but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.   1 Cor 1:23-24

4. Gospel of Christ

The Gospel is the Gospel of the Risen Christ. There would be no Gospel for sinners if Christ had not been raised. So the apostle says, “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor. 15. 17).

…we are preaching a living Christ. He lives exalted at God’s right hand, and He “saves to the uttermost all who come to God by Him.”

Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ —this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts 2:36

…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 1 Cor 15:17

5. Gospel of the Grace of God

…because it leaves no room whatever for human merit. It just brushes away all man’s pretension to any goodness, to any dessert excepting judgment. It is the Gospel of grace, and grace is God’s free unmerited favor to those who have merited the very opposite. It is as opposite to works as oil is to water. “If by grace,” says the Spirit of God, “then it is no more works … but if it be of works, then is it no more grace” (Rom. 11. 6).

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph 2:8-9

6. Gospel of the Glory of God

…where our Lord Jesus has entered. The veil has been rent, and now the glory shines out; and whenever this Gospel is proclaimed, it tells of a way into the glory for sinful man, a way to come before the Mercy Seat purged from every stain. It is the Gospel of the Glory of God, because, until Christ had entered into the Glory, it could not be preached in its fulness, but, after the glory received Him, then the message went out to a lost world.

7. Everlasting Gospel

…because it will never be superseded by another. No other ever went before it, and no other shall ever come after it. [18]

 

[1] Waterhouse, Steven, (2007), Not by Bread Alone, Amarillo, TX: Westcliff Press, www.webtheology.com, p.135.

[2] Hixson, J. B. (2014-05-01). Getting the Gospel Wrong: The Evangelical Crisis No One Is Talking About, Grace Gospel Press, Kindle Edition, Kindle Locations 1523-1525.

[3] Ibid. Kindle Locations 1456-1457.

[4] Ibid. Kindle Locations 1043-1047.

[5] Carson, D.A., (1996), The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, pp. 26-27.

[6] Walvoord, John, Zuck, Roy, (1985), Bible Knowledge Commentary, Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[7] MacDonald, William, (1995), Believer’s Bible Commentary (Gal 1:8-9), Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible Exposition Commentary (Vol. 1), Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, pp. 360-361.

[9] Zodhiates, Spirios, Editor, Complete Word Study Bible, Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, (Gk., cosmos).

[10] Ryrie, C. C. (1999), Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth, Chicago, IL: Moody Press, p. 375.

[11] Walvoord, John, F., (1965), The Holy Spirit, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishers, iBooks.

[12] Waterhouse, Steven, (2007), Not by Bread Alone, Amarillo, TX: Westcliff Press, www.webtheology.com , pp. 129, 236.

[13] Ibid. p. 236.

[14] Ibid. p. 237.

[15] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible Exposition Commentary (Vol. 1), Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, p. 362.

[16] Hixson, J. B. (2014-05-01). Getting the Gospel Wrong: The Evangelical Crisis No One Is Talking About, Grace Gospel Press, Kindle Edition, Kindle Locations 1460-1462.

[17] “One arrives at the essence of the gospel by means of theological synthesis, not by arbitrary proof texting. That is, there is no single verse that states in so many words, ‘Thus saith the Lord: the precise content of saving faith is….’ As with all doctrine the content of saving faith is determined by comparing Scripture with Scripture, which takes into account the progress of revelation. Some within evangelicalism, who have rightly been termed ‘minimalists,’ have stripped the gospel of some of its essential elements based on an improper hermeneutic that fails to acknowledge the role of theological synthesis in the Bible study process. For instance, a small minority of evangelical theologians now suggest that conscious knowledge of Christ’s work on the cross is optional when it comes to saving faith (see endnote 1). This view is based on, among other things, the naïve observation that nowhere does Scripture call man to ‘believe in Christ’s death and resurrection’ in order to be saved. But if the same theological method were to be applied to other doctrinal matters, several foundational standards of Christian orthodoxy would come under question.

For instance, doctrines such as the Trinity, the hypostatic union, and the inerrancy of Scripture are all matters of theological synthesis and not based on a single proof text.” Hixson, J. B. (2014-05-01). Getting the Gospel Wrong: The Evangelical Crisis No One Is Talking About, Grace Gospel Press, Kindle Edition, Kindle Locations 1617-1626.

[18] Ironside, H.A. (2014-04-14). God’s Unspeakable Gift: Twelve Select Addresses On Evangelical Themes, www.solidchristianbooks.com , Kindle Edition, Kindle Locations 318-320, 322-344, 334-335, 342-343, 349-350, 352-355, 365-368, 370-371.