WHY DO WE NEED THE GOSPEL?
The Gospel is only "Good News" to those who have heard, and believe, that there is a diagnosis of "Bad News" about themselves to start with. If we simply present the Gospel as a route to a better life, we are deceiving people about their true condition. More importantly, we are mis-representing God's holiness and His serious view of their sin.
SO WHAT IS THE BAD NEWS?
The harsh truth is that all of mankind is fallen because of Adam's sin and God's curse on mankind. All are therefore totally depraved and corrupted and this is seen in our desire to honour and give glory to ourselves rather than God who created us.
In this state all we deserve is God's anger and wrath.
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him". John 3:36. Our sinfulness separates us from a holy God and of ourselves we can do nothing to remedy this situation. Blaise Pascal said: "The main object of the gospel is to establish two principles - the corruption of nature, and the redemption by Jesus Christ.
"..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
The "Bad News" must therefore precede the "Good News" because man's true nature is evil rather than good, and people need to know that this is why they need Christ's salvation. This comes as a surprise to many, since 21st Century man and woman think of themselves as basically "a good person". John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles all warned people of the need to deal with the sin problem at the outset. Their common opening message was: "repent and be baptised for the forgiveness of your sins".
The analogy of visiting the doctor with an illness is relevant here. The fact that there is a life-saving cure for your very serious illness is only good news because you have heard the diagnosis of the serious illness first!
The Gospel is NOT an invitation; invitations can be declined, without any real consequence resulting. The Gospel is GOOD NEWS to be OBEYED. Acts 17:30 clearly says: "God COMMANDS all people everywhere to repent". Rejection of the true Gospel is rejection of Jesus and as such has eternal consequences! "There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him on the last day." John 12:48
The cross is meaningless apart from the law. In Galatians 3:24 the Apostle Paul says:"the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith". The 10 Commandments diagnose our spiritual sickness by showing us how far short we all fall of God's Law. "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore, no-one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
Once the law has alerted us to our serious condition, only then are we prepared to look for a cure. However the law has limits because, although it makes us aware of our sin, it cannot provide a cure. "On hearing this, Jesus said to them: "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)
WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS?
The "Good News" of the gospel is that Jesus is the cure for the sin problem revealed to us by our failure - indeed our INABILITY -to keep God's law.
William R Newell says: "Now the Apostle Paul in his wonderful revelation declares that God has reconciled the world to Himself; that God was in Christ (at the cross) reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5;19). Men do not know this,
but they conceive that something stands between them and God, before God will accept or forgive them. If you tell a man that God is demanding no good works of him whatsoever, no religious observances or church ordinances, that God is not asking him to undertake any duties at all, but that God invites him to believe a glad message that his sins have already been dealt with at the Cross, and that God expects him to believe this good news and be exceedingly happy about it - and if you tell an unsaved man such a story as this, he is astonished and overwhelmed - yet this is the Gospel!
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this; while we were still sinners Christ died for us" Romans 5:8
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works so that no-one can boast" Ephesians 2:8,9
THE GOOD NEWS - TELL ME MORE!
It is ALL ABOUT JESUS, for example:
The good news that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 5:42)
The good news about Jesus (Acts 8:35)
The good news of peace through Jesus who is Lord of all (Acts 10:36)
The good news about the Lord Jesus (Acts 11:20)
The good news that God has fulfilled his promise by raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 13:32)
The good news about Jesus and his resurrection (Acts 17:18)
The good news concerning God's son, who also was man, raised from the dead (Romans 1:1-4; 2 Tim 2:8)
The good news of Christ (Romans 15:19, 1 Corinthians 9;14)
The good news, which has to do with the cross of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:17)
The good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)
The good news of your salvation, the word of truth (Ephesians 1:13)
The good news of the unsearchable riches of Christ (Ephesians 3:8)
The gospel is also:
The gospel of the Kingdom (John 3:3)
The gospel of God (John 3:16)
The gospel of his son (Galatians 1:15-16)
The gospel of Christ (Acts 2;36)
The gospel of the grace of God (Romans 11:6)
The gospel of the glory of God (John 17:5)
An everlasting gospel (Hebrews 1:8)
BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS!
The only condition of salvation is "faith alone in Christ alone". God says that if you believe and hold firmly to the biblical Gospel you are saved; if you believe that Christ died for your sins, that He was buried and that He rose again, God says that you are saved. Read again Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1 and 2: "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you."
The Hymn by A.M. Toplady "Rock of Ages" sums up how God gives us the faith, by grace, to believe:
"Nothing in my hand I bring
Simply to thy cross I cling;
Naked come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me Saviour, or I die."
