What is the Gospel?

Gospel-centered Resources

The Gospel Explained:

The Gospel can be summarized in four simple words: God, man, Christ, and response.*

God is our holy Creator and righteous Judge.  He created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever (Gen. 2:7, 16-17; 18:25; Matt. 25:31-33).  Man was created in the image of God in order to worship and reflect Him.

Mankind rebelled against God by sinning against His holy character and law (Gen. 3:1-7).  We’ve all participated in this sinful rebellion, both in Adam as our representative head and in our own actions (1 Kings8:46; Rom. 3:23; 5:12, 19; Eph. 2:1-3).  As a result, we have alienated ourselves from God and have exposed ourselves to His righteous wrath, which will banish us eternally to hell if we are not forgiven (Eph. 2:12; John 3:36; Rom. 1:18;  Matt. 13:50).  But God sent Jesus Christ to rescue lost and helpless sinners, while they were yet His enemies.

Christ, being fully God and fully man, was sent by God to die the death that we deserved for our sins–the righteous for the unrighteous–so that God might both punish our sin in Christ and forgive it in us (John 1:14; Rom. 3:21-26; 5:6-8; Eph. 2:4-6).  Christ bore the wrath that man deserved, and was raised to new life in order that those who put their faith in Him would be saved.

Response: The only saving response to this Good News (a.k.a. “the gospel”) is repentance and belief (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 3:7-9; John 20:31).  We must repent of our sins (turn from them and to God) and believe in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation to God.  Through repentance from our sin and faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, we are welcomed into the family of God as those declared righteous in the sight of God.  As we grow in grace and truth, God transforms us into the image of Christ and we begin to bear the fruit of righteousness.

Click on “Two Ways To Live” in order to see how Matthias Media presents a basic story of Christianity in just a few pages… from creation to the culmination in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  [Other Resources by Matthias Media]

Click on the picture above for a simple, visual explanation of the Bible that is potrayed in book, powerpoint, and study-guide format…  An excellent resource for a beginner’s understanding of Scripture.

The Story of Hope: An explanation of the gospel in an “eight truth” format called the “chronological bridge to life.”  Click on the icon for an abridged version!!

World Harvest Mission has some great introductory resources for understanding and growing in the gospel.

*This helpful, four-word summary is slightly adapted by the one provided by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander in their excellent book entitled, The Deliberate Church.