Why is it so important to understand and defend the fact that the gospel is good news? Well for starters the word “gospel” literally means good news. But in terms of the bible, the gospel from God is His message of salvation; that’s what makes it good news. It’s a historical event that took place over 2,000 years ago by a real Person; that’s what makes it good news. The reason for stressing these distinctions is because God calls the gospel in Romans 1:16 “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 says he preached the gospel that he himself also received. It is a message we need to hear and receive by faith, not a task to be performed by us, and it’s the only message whereby God saves souls by His own power. The gospel is God’s doing and His message to be proclaimed, so we have no right to tamper with it. Also, it is the preaching of this pure gospel as the means by which God saves His people by His power, so the ability to save lies in God’s hands alone. It is received by faith, not by human effort. We do not do anything to be saved; we trust in another who did it for us.
In case you’ve never heard what the gospel actually is, or if you’re someone like me who needs to be constantly reminded of it, let me tell you this wonderful news. God has acted in history on behalf of sinners in order that we may be reconciled to Himself, be adopted as His beloved children, and be saved from sin, death, and hell. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Triune and only God, became a Man by being born of a virgin woman where He was conceived by The Holy Spirit, unblemished by sin. Jesus the God-Man lived a sinless life of perfect obedience to His Father to earn righteousness for sinners who have no righteousness of their own. As our substitute, He then was brutally beaten and crucified on a cross where He endured the full and just wrath of God The Father in our place to take the punishment onto Himself that we deserve as the payment for our sin against Him. After He died by giving up His spirit, Jesus was then pierced in His side by a Roman soldier to confirm His death and was buried in a tomb for three days. On the third day, Jesus bodily resurrected from the dead in victory and vindication of His Person and work on behalf of sinners. Jesus has ascended to the right hand of the Father and lives forever to intercede for us. Christ Himself is our salvation and He accomplished everything that was necessary for our whole and complete redemption. God saves everyone who trusts in Jesus and receives this free gift with empty hands of faith, apart from any works done by us. That is the gospel and it is good news indeed!
Unfortunately our natural sinful tendency is to take away from and add to that message. Whether it’s self-righteousness, pride, or unbelief for whatever reason, we think it’s too good to be true or that the work of Jesus is just not enough. It can’t be that simple, right? We think there has to be more to it so we tweak it a little, or in many cases, a lot. Somehow or another our own efforts get added into the equation and this is where the gospel becomes really bad news. God says that every single person is a rebellious sinner at heart and that all of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags in the sight of a thrice Holy God, let alone the evil we commit on a daily basis. We are utterly incapable of earning redemption for ourselves and if we had a part to play in our salvation even to the smallest degree we would all be without hope and lost forever. With the addition of our own works to the gospel, it is now not only bad news but it’s a message that cannot save a single soul and actually becomes a tool for condemnation. God makes it very clear in His word that Jesus is the only way of salvation and if you are trusting in anything or anyone other than Him and what He did to earn your peace with God and eternal life, you stand guilty before Him and face an eternal sentence in hell when you die. Now if you have OCD like me you might hear this and get the idea that you need to have 100% perfect faith in Jesus in order to be saved and that’s just not biblical and it’s not what I’m saying. Not one person who has ever been or ever will be saved has perfect faith. The weakest faith in Jesus for salvation is enough because it’s not our faith that saves us but the object of our faith that saves. The point I’m trying to drive home is that we do not add anything to the finished, sufficient work of Jesus and if we hear a “gospel” that includes our works then it’s not the gospel of Christ.
This false gospel also causes Christians to become navel-gazers. It takes our eyes off of Jesus and turns them on us and the result of that kind of introspection either leads to self-righteous pride with faulty assurance in ourselves, or fearful despair with no assurance at all. Neither of those things are good nor what God wants for His children. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for healthy self-examination, but when it comes to the question of “how can I know I’m saved?”, the first and most important place we need to look is at Jesus; His character and nature, His work, His promises. The question then becomes, “Is Jesus enough to be my complete Savior without any of my help?” And the emphatic answer to that is “YES!” We can have assurance when we trust who God says He is and that Jesus for us is in fact enough.
God has made Himself known to us in His word, and by keeping the gospel pure we see who He truly is and His very heart in the face of Jesus Christ; that He really is just that good, loving, merciful, and gracious to sinners who deserve nothing less than His eternal wrath. This was all His plan from before the foundation of the earth which He perfectly carried out, and He promises that He is going to be the One to finish it when heaven and earth are restored. We are the recipients and God is the Giver, and when we go home to be with Him in eternity we will be singing His praises, not our own. So let all of God’s children joyfully sing together,
“HalleluYah!
All I have is Christ!
HalleluYah!
Jesus is my life!”
–-Katrina
Gospel Assurance 