Have you ever sat and thought about the gospel of Jesus Christ? If you asked my grandfather what he did, he would say, “I am a gospel preacher.” He would say it with conviction and a smile. Here are some of his thoughts on the gospel of our Lord.
The gospel means “good news.” “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10b). The Greek word is euanggelion and is used in the New Testament of the glad tidings of Christ and His salvation. It is something that Jesus wants everyone to hear. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). There is good news that Jesus wants everyone to hear! The gospel is God’s power to save. “[The gospel] is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16b). It tells how to be saved from our sins. Therefore, we must beware of other gospels. There are “different” gospels, perversions of the true gospel. Those who teach a gospel different than the apostles taught are accursed (Gal. 1:6-9). The gospel must be obeyed for one to expect a heavenly reward. “What will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17). “These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:9). It is imperative that we hear the gospel and obey it, making sure the gospel we obey is the same proclaimed by Jesus and His apostles!
With these preliminaries in mind, consider the following. Obedience to the gospel requires us to believe certain facts. Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-3; Isa. 53:4-6). Christ was buried and rose again the third day and seen by many witnesses (1 Cor. 15:4-8). Jesus is exalted as Lord and Savior (Acts 2:33-36). He is coming again, as promised, to judge the world (Acts 1:9-11; 17:30-31). Do you believe in the facts of the gospel? There are also commands that must be obeyed. We must believe the gospel or be lost (Mark 16:16; Rom. 1:16). We must confess our faith in Jesus (Rom. 10:9-10; Matt. 10:32-33). We must repent of our sins (Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:36-38; 3:19; 17:30). We must be baptized for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16). If we do those things, then there are promises that we receive. We will receive the remission of sins, which are blotted out, washed away (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 22:16; Eph. 1:7). We will receive the gift of eternal life, both as a future hope and present reality (Rom. 6:22-23; 1 John 5:11-13). His blessings overflow.
My grandfather is fond of talking about the simplicity of the gospel. It is simple to understand, simple to believe, and simple to share. What are you doing with the gospel? If you share it, make sure it is with conviction and a smile.