PRINCIPLE 8 |
When we examine various gospel tracts, and other supposed presentations of the gospel, we notice that they seldom agree on the exact content of the gospel message. Some presentations of the gospel include concepts that other presentations omit. We would like to know exactly what facts an individual must be aware of, and accept as true, before he can trust Jesus Christ as Savior and obtain eternal life. But each presentation gives a different answer to that question. In light of this confusion we need to take a careful look at the New Testament's definition of the gospel message.
The word "gospel" means good news or good message. But news is never considered good unless it meets a bad situation. In one situation a certain bit of news might be welcomed as the best thing the person has heard in a long time. In another situation that same bit of news might have the opposite effect. For example, suppose you have been working hard all day and have not had anything to eat. Then you hear someone say, "I have a sandwich and some lemonade for you." In that case, it is good news. But suppose you have just finished your annual Thanksgiving meal when you hear someone offer the sandwich and lemonade. In that situation, the same news is not nearly as good. Indeed, some would consider the offer of this additional food to be quite disgusting.
The same thing is true whether the need is a physical need (such as food) or a spiritual need. How good the news sounds depends on how bad the situation seems. Thus, an individual who does not adequately grasp, or who denies, his spiritual lostness will not see the gospel as good news. Part of our job is to help him see how bad his situation is so that he can appreciate the goodness of the gospel. This means that our presentation of the gospel, in order to be a complete presentation, must include both the negative and the positive. Notice that both the negative (the bad situation of being a sinner who is separated from God) and the positive (the good news proper, Christ's substitutionary death and resurrection) are included in the chart below. Items 1b and 2b are the bad situation; items 3b and 4b are the good news.
Four extended passages in the New Testament use the word "gospel" and define the content of the gospel message. They are Acts 10:36-43; Acts 13:32-39; Romans 1:1-7; and 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. A thorough study of all four passages would be very instructive, but due to space, only the last passage is discussed here.
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Paul is restating the gospel message which he had previously delivered to the Corinthians in person. The heart of the passage, verses 3-5, can be condensed as follows: I gave you the gospel, namely, that Christ died for our sins and rose again. This is Paul's own definition of the gospel message.
There are four important concepts in Paul's statement of the gospel which
a person must understand before the statement will make proper sense to him. They are (1) sin, (2) spiritual death, or separation from God, (3) divine substitution, and (4) resurrection. These four concepts, which come straight out of Paul's definition of the gospel, are included in the following chart.
But what if a person does not know what God is like? He
will find it hard to understand these four concepts. The gospel grows
out of God's nature, and each gospel concept grows out of a particular attribute
of God. These four attributes of God are also included in the above
chart.
Notice the logical progression indicated by the arrows. Each of the four concepts in the gospel can be properly understood only when the preceding concepts and attributes are kept in mind. When each attribute and concept is understood in order, the gospel makes perfect sense. The gospel, rather than being a mystery or a riddle, is logical and sensible. This means that evangelism should include, not merely a statement of the gospel, but also education about the nature of God.
No wonder some religions and cults have a false gospel. They have a false view of God and of sin to begin with. Since they start with false ideas, the "gospel" which they build on that false foundation is sure to be false.
In summary, Paul's definition of the gospel leads us to four concepts: sin, separation, substitution, and resurrection. These four concepts are logically linked to each other and to the attributes of God. These are the concepts that must be presented and explained in evangelism.
