“But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.” – Galatians 1:11

When last did you hear the Gospel preached? We’re not talking about the “prosperity-gospel”, the “feel-good-gospel”, the “user-friendly-gospel”, or the “postmodern-gospel”, we’re talking about the TRUE BIBLICAL GOSPEL of Jesus Christ? We already know that the word “gospel“ means “good news”, but what is the True Gospel all about and why is it so important? Let’s start with the way that Paul the apostle received the Gospel:

“For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” – Galatians 1:12

In contrast to the “other-gospels” mentioned above, Paul’s message was a revelation from God. The gospel that Paul preached was not man’s attempt to reach up and understand God, but it was God’s purpose to stoop down and communicate His plan of salvation to man. When it comes to the gospel, the world does not need the good advice and wisdom of man, it needs a revelation from God. And, for this reason, preachers should not be inventive or creative when it comes to presenting the gospel. The gospel is not about insightful teaching, good advice, or religious opinions – it is simply based on historical facts and we should just repeat what has been delivered to us...

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that 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,” – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

From this Scripture, it is clear that the True Gospel consists of three essential parts: (a) Christ died for our sins (b) He was buried (c) He rose again on the third day. If you are a Christian, this may not astonish you, since you should have heard it all before... but, have you realized that all three parts are essential in presenting the full gospel:

(a) Christ died for our sins: Because of our sin (Romans 3:23), none of us could ever make the payment that could set us free, and death and eternal punishment was staring us all in the face (Romans 6:23). God the Father then lay upon Jesus Christ all the guilt and the wrath that our sin deserved and He bore it in Himself perfectly (Isaiah 53). Being judged for sin in our place, He suffered excruciating pain both physically and spiritually to totally satisfy the wrath of God on our behalf, making the full payment for our sin on the cross, before giving up His life (John 19:30). Clearly this is essential in presenting the gospel and it all happened according to what was prophesied in the Scriptures.

(b) He was buried: The burial of Jesus Christ is also an integral part of the gospel, since it is the proof that He really died. His body was taken, prepared for burial and laid in a tomb (John 19:38-42), according to the Scriptures.

(c) He rose again on the third day: The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the last crucial part of the gospel. Without His resurrection, the rest would be meaningless. The fact that He rose again from the dead (Matthew 28:5-6) is the proof of His victory over sin, death and the enemy! If His death on the cross is the payment for our sin, then the empty tomb is our receipt that full payment was made for us. This is one of the many things that distinguish the Christian relationship with God from all the world religions: He is risen! The tomb is empty and his bones cannot be found in the grave like the bones of Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius, etc.

If the gospel is presented like this, then it is truly good news and we can understand why Paul said:

“but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:23-24

But, unfortunately, most preachers today do not deliver the gospel as we have received it. Many feel that it is too offensive to the seekers and the unsaved out there. Others feel that our understanding of the gospel is evolving and so the scope of the gospel is widening, and others are simply denying it. But the gospel does not need to be sugar-coated or watered-down to be effective, because it is the power of God...

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” – Romans 1:16

Those who want to change anything about the gospel, or add anything to the gospel, simply don’t understand it. It is not about getting our church buildings filled with people, but it is about getting the gospel out so that people can be saved from eternal hell. Therefore...

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’.” – Mark 16:15

Don’t worry about getting people in church first. Give them the saving gospel and those who are eternally changed by it will come to church seeking more of God, because He has designed it to work like that.

In Christ,
The Searchlight team