Introduction
A study of salvation should begin with the gospel itself. Without a clear vision of the gospel, our understanding of salvation risks becoming fragmented, moralistic, or overly individualistic. The apostle Paul declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).[1] The gospel is the good news of what God has accomplished in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners and the renewal of all creation. This definition of the gospel intentionally allows for a broad vision of what is included. In this article, I will sketch the biblical contours of that gospel vision, covering the foundation, core, scope, demands, and glory of the gospel.
The Foundation of the Gospel
The gospel is not a New Testament invention; it’s the all-encompassing, grand story of God’s mission and purpose for His creation, especially His plan to redeem and restore it to its original intent through Jesus Christ. The good news is that the Lord has a wonderful plan for His world that even Satan and the Fall could not derail.
The Old Testament storyline is part of the gospel. God created the world, climaxing with human beings in His image. His ideal plan was marred by the Fall, which turned people against their Creator. God immediately set in motion a plan to redeem humanity and creation (Gen. 3:15). He chose one people (Israel) through whom to reveal Himself to all peoples. He revealed His intentions to send a great Saviour and King. Although Israel held a central place in His redemptive and revelatory plans for a period, it was ultimately the vehicle through which the Saviour and King would come to bring all his purposes to fruition.
The redemptive promises and purposes of God reach their climax with the coming of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the gospels. He is the embodiment of the good news that God has a saving plan for a lost world. His virgin birth, virtuous life, vicarious death, validating resurrection, and future victorious return are how God is saving sinners and renewing creation. He came preaching, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The redemptive and kingdom promises of the Old Testament all converged like tributaries joining the main river in the coming of Jesus Christ. He would reveal the Father fully. He would atone for sin. He would disarm the devil. He would establish His church. He will return as the righteous and benevolent King of kings. He is the gospel.
After Jesus’s resurrection and return to heaven, the apostles began to preach that His death and resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures and inaugurated the new age of salvation, the church age (e.g. Acts 2). This was the next phase in God’s redemptive plan, fully consistent with how He revealed it throughout the Old Testament.
The Core of the Gospel
Under the new covenant, the gospel is centred on a Person (Jesus Christ), an event (the cross and resurrection), and a gift (salvation).
Firstly, the gospel is centred on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 1:1–4).
The gospel is all about “His Son, … Jesus Christ our Lord.” He is the Son of Man and the Son of God. He is the Suffering Servant, the Good Shepherd, the promised King, the one who fills all things and fulfils all God’s purposes.
Second, the gospel is centred on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are saved, if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed down 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. 15:1–4).
This passage is the Bible’s most explicit attempt to define “the gospel.” Paul is trying to give the Corinthians a brief summary of the core of “the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, and in which you also stand, by which you also are saved.” The kernel of the gospel has two components:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
In Romans 4:25, Paul says that Christ died for our wrongdoings, and He was raised because of our justification. In other words, He died to atone for our sins, and He rose because He had successfully provided justification. These two events—Jesus died for our sins and rose for our justification—are the core of the gospel. They are really a single two-phase event.
The Holy Spirit was determined to ensure that we understand that Jesus’s death and resurrection were “according to the Scriptures.” These saving events were the culmination and fulfilment of the entire plan of redemption that God initiated in Genesis 3:15.
Thirdly, the gospel is centred on the gift of salvation.
Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:11)
Jesus said that He came to seek and save the lost (Matt. 18:11; Luke 19:10), and to call sinners to repentance (Matt. 9:12–13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31–32). The focus of His saving work, and therefore the centrepiece of the gospel, is His provision of the gift of salvation for lost sinners. Many of the words we will study in the doctrine of salvation refer to a facet of this gift, such as forgiveness, justification, regeneration, reconciliation, and adoption. It is the Holy Spirit who applies these benefits of Jesus’s saving work in the lives of those who believe.
The Scope of the Gospel
Evangelical Christians are passionate about the gospel. However, if there is a blind spot in evangelical churches, it may be the tendency to think of the gospel only with reference to individual salvation. The gospel is the good news of what God has accomplished in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners and the renewal of all creation. Since human beings are the pinnacle of creation, “saving souls” is central to the heart of the gospel. We should never denigrate it. However, we do well to realise that the gospel is not only about individual salvation, but also about the renewal of creation. It is God’s plan to restore His original, perfect plans for the whole created order—in which human beings hold pride of place.
The gospel has a personal dimension (Rom. 5:1–2; Gal. 4:4–7). Jesus came to save sinners from a damned eternity. He paid for our sins and provided us with the gift of eternal life. We should never demean or denigrate this glorious truth. If you ever hear someone speaking about the salvation of lost souls in a way that sounds belittling, beware!
The gospel has a communal dimension (Eph. 2:11–22; Rev. 7:9–12). The gospel creates a new people of God, tearing down the barriers that traditionally divide people and uniting believers in one body, the church. You cannot separate the gospel from the church. The gospel produces the church, and the church proclaims the gospel.
The gospel has a cosmic dimension (Col. 1:19–20; Eph. 1:9–10; Rev. 21:1–4). Ultimately, God will reconcile all things through Christ, who will establish His eternal kingdom. The story culminates in the new creation, where God dwells with his redeemed people in perfect fellowship. The good news is that sin did not prevail; God did.
Distortions of the gospel tend to ridicule the personal dimension and glorify the communal and cosmic dimensions, while well-meaning evangelicals are sometimes blind to all except the personal side. Be especially wary of those who trivialise personal salvation and focus only on the social or ecological aspects.
The Demands of the Gospel
The gospel is free, but it is never cheap. The gospel does not comfort us in our sins; it calls us out of them. It demands an initial response of faith and repentance, followed by a lifetime of obedience.
The gospel demands repentance. Jesus preached, “Repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The gospel does not auto-save; it requires turning from sin to God (repentance) and trusting in Christ’s work instead of our works (faith). Eternal life is offered to whoever repents and believes. An initial act of repenting and believing is how we receive the gift of salvation. But it is not a one-time event so much as a lifelong turning from sin to God.
The gospel demands obedience. The Scriptures refer to the effect of the gospel as “the obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5). The person who believes the gospel is true will live as if it is true. The person who has been changed by Jesus Christ will live as Christ commands (John 14:15). Saving faith expresses itself in a life of submission to Jesus. In other words, the gospel demands God-shaped living.
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ … Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. (Phil. 1:27a, 4:1).
In 1 Timothy 1:8, Paul warns against behaviour that is “contrary to the sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God.” If it sounds strange to think of the gospel as the yardstick for godly conduct, you may have been taught a truncated gospel.
There is a tendency today to distort the demands of the gospel by preaching a hyper-grace message, one in which God’s love is so sentimentalised that it demands nothing, neither repentance nor obedience. God loves you as you are, but His salvation does not leave you as you are. Beware of anyone preaching a gospel that does not call forth repentance and obedience, faith and God-shaped living.
The Glory of the Gospel
The gospel is ultimately about the glory of God and His grace. Above all, the gospel glorifies God. It reveals the justice of God, who judged sin in Christ; the mercy of God, who forgives sinners; the love of God, who gave his Son; and the power of God, who raises the dead. Salvation is not ultimately about us—it is about the glory of God’s grace. Paul bursts into praise after outlining God’s saving plan: “To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). A biblical vision of the gospel ends in doxology (praise).
This is a good yardstick for recognising the true gospel—it glorifies the God who saves sinners in Christ. If a preacher glorifies himself or his church or his organisation or his people, be careful. The true gospel always and only glorifies the Triune God.
Conclusion
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written: “But the righteous one will live by faith.” (Rom. 1:16–17).
The gospel is the good news of what God has accomplished in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners and the renewal of all creation. It is God’s power for salvation, the treasure entrusted to the church, the message we are called to guard and proclaim (2 Tim. 1:8–14). It is the unifying message of Scripture that a loving God has mission to save sinners and restore creation. Sadly, but not surprisingly, it is a message under constant threat as the enemy seeks to distort and demean it.
When we study the doctrines of salvation, we must always return to the gospel as the cornerstone. Salvation is not our achievement but God’s gracious work, accomplished in Christ and applied by the Spirit. The gospel is the good news that God saves sinners and makes all things new.
Sources:
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NASB (2020 edition).
Disclaimer: The views presented in this blog are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of SATS.