The word, “gospel” has long been part of everyday speech, as in “the gospel truth.” The idea behind this expression was, gospel = truth. It was based on the dependability of God’s word as given to us in the Bible. The reasoning is simple. God promised to send a savior to free us from death and hell by paying, on our behalf, the penalty that we deserve. God did that. He sent His own Son, Jesus, to be the sacrificial lamb who took our punishment upon Himself. He suffered and died on the cross for our sins. On the third day afterward, God raised Jesus from the dead, just as the Bible said He would. Promise became fact. Prophecy became history. The tomb was empty. Not even Jesus’ enemies disputed that. The good news that God had a plan to save lost humanity without corrupting justice had proven true. The gospel or “good news” had become a reality. The gospel became a metaphor for any message that is trustworthy and reliable.

But what is the gospel, exactly?  Isn’t it long and hard to understand without religious education or background?  Nope. But don’t take my word for it. Read it for yourself.  Don’t be afraid.  It only takes a few seconds:

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.  By which ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that…”  [Here it comes—wait for it…]

“Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

It turns out that the gospel is only 26 words, give or take (from Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, chapter 15 verses 1-4, bolded for emphasis).  Surprised?  You’re probably not alone.  The gospel is so short and plain that people reading it for the first time may be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss is about.  What’s the big deal?  What makes these few words so important?  Just this: the gospel is the mechanism, the actual means by which God saves each person who believes it.  Here, read for yourself:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, chapter 1, verses 16-17, emphasis added).

God knew that, unless He personally intervened, no one who faced judgment based on keeping divine law in every thought, word and deed, would survive.  The conviction rate would be 100%: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).  So, God provided a completely different kind of righteousness, available only through Him and not dependent on law-keeping—the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ and living by that faith from then on.   If we follow God’s plan and God’s path, we find access to Him and arrive safely home at the end of our journey.  His is the one route that leads to our destination. If we reject God’s plan and God’s path, we simply don’t reach Him—we become separated, estranged and hopelessly lost.

Yet, the gospel is not just the announcement of God’s plan of salvation, it actually IS the power by which God saves everyone who comes to God His way, on His terms.  What did Paul say?  “I declare unto you the gospel…by which ye are saved…” but he also said that the gospel was the thing “wherein you stand,” having “received” and “believed” it.  What does this mean?

God gives eternal life as a gift: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  In order to have the gift, a person must first receive (accept) it.  Jesus died for the sins of all and purchased a pardon for all with His own precious blood. But only those who accept it from Him will enjoy its benefits.

Who are those who receive the gift God offers in Christ?  It is certain that if I don’t believe that I need God’s gift of eternal life, it’s of no value to me and I have no reason to humble myself and receive it. Similarly, if I don’t believe that the Maker of the universe has the power to raise the dead, then He didn’t raise Jesus and He won’t raise me, either.  So, who receives?  Only those who believe God’s word that we are sinners whose transgressions condemn us, that we cannot save ourselves from God’s judgment and wrath, that we therefore are in desperate need of a savior, that God has provided this savior in the person of His one and only Son Jesus, and (drumroll please): “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures…he was buried, and…rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

If we eagerly receive the good news and wholeheartedly believe it, we return to this business of the gospel “wherein ye stand.”  The receiving and believing (our unforced confession that “Jesus is Lord”) unleashes the power of God always present in the gospel.  This power changes our standing before God, from guilty/convicted/lost to forgiven/righteous/saved.

But it must be understood that reaching out with both hands for God’s gift means the dropping—the total abandonment—of all other defenses.  When we cry out to Jesus, “Lord, SAVE ME!” we forfeit all claims that we are not really sinners, that our “good” deeds vastly outweigh our bad, that we only sin occasionally and only when sorely provoked, or that we are good enough or very nearly so. No.  There must be no room for boasting, rationalizing or excuses.  With God it is all or nothing.  Will you “stand” by faith, on Jesus’ finished work on the cross, that you may receive God’s mercy or do you prefer to try justifying yourself before a holy God whose standard is absolute perfection?

While you mull that over, consider this:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18, emphasis added).

If you have not already done so, come to Jesus.  Come now.  Come just as you are.  God urges you to come: “…Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2).  God is eager for you to believe the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. God loves you and stands ready to forgive you.  Repent of your sins, and ask for His pardon.  Confess that Jesus is Lord and surrender your life to Him.  Ask Him to give you the new (spiritual) birth and a new nature that loves God and seeks to please Him.  Invite His Holy Spirit to take up residence in your heart.  Don’t delay.  Secure your eternal destiny this very moment.  Nothing is more important.  That’s the gospel truth.