1) The gospel is the good news about Jesus - His life, death for our sins, resurrection, and ascension. It tells of how God restores his reign through Jesus and how we can be forgiven and justified by faith. 2) There are different aspects to understanding the gospel, such as Jesus preaching about God's kingdom while Paul emphasized justification by faith. Both focused on Christ dying for sins. 3) The basic gospel message is that we are sinners but Jesus died for our sins so we can be forgiven and reconciled to God through repentance and faith in Him.

1. What is the Gospel?
Growing Deep in the Gospel – Take a hold of the gospel so Jesus can take a hold of you.
It is important to keep the big picture in mind as you look at the gospel.
The Big Picture
Jesus
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Gospel  Church  Mission
Last time – Why is the Gospel Important?
The gospel is important because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.
(Romans 1:16)
1. A Look at the Gospel
A. Four Aspects to the Gospel:
1. Understanding the gospel
2. Living the gospel
3. Proclaiming the gospel
4. Defending the gospel
You can find helpful information on these four aspects at despreisus.ro
2. Understanding the Gospel
A. The gospel is like an iceberg in that there is more depth to it than we can see initially.
B. The gospel is like a diamond in that there are many facets to the gospel.
The Bible uses different word pictures to help us understand the scope and depth of the gospel. It
uses the language of the law court (justification, punishment, judgment) to emphasize the moral
aspects of redemption. The language of the temple (atonement, sacrifice, sanctification) reveals
our accountability to God as our creator. The language of the family (adoption, bride and
bridegroom) focuses on our relationship with God. The language of the marketplace (ransom and
possession) points out God’s ownership of us.
C. Influences that Affect Us
1. Knowledge and understanding of God.
2. Knowledge and understanding of ourselves.
3. Knowledge and understanding of the culture and the times & spirit of our age.
What we need most of all to understand the gospel is humility and dependence on God and His
Word.
Bible
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Gospel
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2. 3. What is the meaning of the word “gospel”?
A. Meaning of the word “gospel” in Jesus’ day:
1. Euangelion - Greek word which means “good news” or “good message”.
2. At the time of Jesus it was not used in a religious context, but rather in the context
of kings and wars.
3. Most often it was a proclamation by a messenger to announce good news on behalf
of a king:
a. When a king would come to power, he would send out messengers to proclaim
the “good news” of his new reign.
b. If a son was born to him, he would send out messengers with the “good news”.
c. If he was victorious over an enemy in battle, he would send out the “good news”
of his victory.
4. In Mark 1:14-15 we see Jesus using the word in a similar way:
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
B. Descriptors of the gospel in the Bible – see handout with Bible verses.
1. Gospel 2. Good News
of God, God's, of the blessed God kingdom of God
of the grace of God about Jesus
of Jesus Christ Son of God, of peace through Jesus Christ
of Christ of a great joy
of our Lord Jesus, of His Son
of the glory of Christ
of the kingdom, of peace,
of your salvation, not man's, word
of the gospel
3. Other Descriptors
eternal wisdom of God
glorious word of God
law of liberty word of Christ, word of the Lord
message of reconciliation word of the cross
message of salvation word of faith
mystery of Christ word of life
power of God for salvation word of truth, word of the truth
4. Key ideas we learn from these descriptor words
a. The Gospel originated with God not man - means you can’t pick and chose what
you want to believe. “If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what
you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” Augustine
b. The Gospel is about Jesus - He brought the gospel into being - no Jesus, no gospel
c. Romans 1: verse 1- the gospel of God and verse 3- about His Son Jesus Christ
d. It is a great joy - Do you know this joy?
e. It is God’s wisdom - if you want to be wise search it depths.
f. It is a word - something that is spoken - Jesus spoke the creation into existence -
and it is the gospel spoken that brings life.
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3. 4. The Gospel vs. The Plan of Salvation
While the gospel and the plan of salvation are connected and overlap they are not the same exact
thing. The plan of salvation is what we do in order to receive the benefits of the gospel for
ourselves.
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both
Lord and Messiah.” Acts 2:36
Peter tells the people the “Good News” about Jesus.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles,
“Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37
The people respond to what they learned about Jesus.
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
Peter tells them the way of salvation.
5. Jesus vs. Paul – Kingdom vs. Justification
Jesus emphasized the kingdom of God in His preaching of the gospel where Paul emphasized
being justified by faith.
Kingdom of God – restoring the reign and rule of God over all creation, where God’s will is done
(Matthew 6:10).
Justification by Faith – being declared righteous because you placed your trust in Jesus and what
He did for your sin.
Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and
believe in the gospel.”
Matthew 4:23
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Romans 3:21-26
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who
believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by
Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his
blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his
forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate
his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have
faith in Jesus.
Some people claim that Paul preached a different gospel from Jesus but that is not true. What
Paul and Jesus did was emphasize different aspects of the gospel but it was the same gospel.
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4. Jesus was focused on the cosmic implications of the gospel and Paul was focused on how people
became a part of kingdom that Jesus preached because of the confusion over the Law. You also
need to take into consideration that Jesus was preaching the gospel before the cross and Paul
was preaching it after the cross so it is understandable for them to be looking at it differently.
There is a danger when only one emphasis is focused one. Implications of the kingdom vs.
personal application. Was there anything that they both preached? Yes!
6. Heart of the gospel - Jesus dying for our sins
Paul’s focus:
1 Corinthians 2:2
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,
Did Jesus preach His death for the forgiveness of sin?
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many.”
Matthew 26:27-28
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink
from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins.
So we see that both Jesus and Paul preached about Jesus dying for our sins.
7. What is the gospel?
According to Jesus and Paul the gospel in its simplest form is: Christ died for our sins and
rose again according to the scriptures.
The four gospels confirm that the gospel is about Jesus. Each gospel is titled with “kata”
in the Greek which means “according to”. So here is what they say:
1. The gospel according to Matthew
2. The gospel according to Mark
3. The gospel according to Luke
4. The gospel according to John
As we read each one what do they say is the gospel? They say that the gospel is the
good news about Jesus:
1. His Life
2. His Death
3. His Resurrection
4. His Ascension
5. His Return
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5. Here is what we have if we take what Jesus and Paul focused on and add the heart of the
gospel to them:
1. The reign and rule of God has been restored.
2. Christ died for our sins and rose again according to the scriptures.
3. Our sins can be forgiven through faith in Jesus.
Focus of the Gospel Message
Since the heart of the gospel is Jesus He should be the focus of the gospel that we know
and preach to others.
Basic Gospel Message Outline
1. Why we need Jesus – sin
2. What Jesus did for us – the cross
3. How we are reconciled to God through Jesus – repentance and faith
Basic Gospel Message – Short Version
Though we deserve judgment, hell and wrath because we turned from God, who is our Creator, to
be our own gods, there is good news! God has provided the way for our sin to be forgiven so that
we can be restored in our relationship with Him and become His children and live with Him forever
in His eternal kingdom. That way is through His Son Jesus, who became a man and lived a
perfect, sinless life and then went to the cross where He paid the penalty for our sin. What we
need to do in order to receive this salvation is to turn from sin back to God and place our faith in
Jesus and all that He did for us.
Basic Gospel Message – Long Version
We need Jesus because we have sin against God. We rejected our Creator and have denied Him
His rightful place in our lives. Instead we have turned in our hearts from Him to be our own gods,
to seek our own significance, purpose and happiness apart from Him. Because God is holy and
just, sin cannot be in His presence. So we are separated from Him and have only judgment, hell
and His wrath for our sin waiting for us after we die.
But because of His great love and desire for relationship with us, God sent His Son Jesus in order
to provide a way for us to be restored to Himself and become His children, now and forever, in His
eternal kingdom. Jesus lived a sinless life then went to the cross where the Father placed all of our
sin upon Him. Because of our sin Jesus was separated from the Father for the first time in all of
eternity and then He experienced the wrath of God for every sin then He died. Since Jesus had no
sin of His own, after He had paid the penalty for every sin, He rose from the dead proving He was
the Son of God and that He had overcome sin making salvation possible for us.
In order for us to receive salvation we need to recognize that we have sinned against God. That
we have rejected and rebelled against our Creator to be our own gods. We need to confess it to
ourselves and to God and then we need to turn in our hearts from sin back to God. Then we need
to put our faith in Jesus and all that He did for us and embrace Him as our savior and king and live
life accordingly.
Key Bible Verses for the Gospel
1. Mark 1:14-15
2. John 3:16
3. Romans 3:21-26
4. Romans 6:23
5. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
6. 2 Corinthians 5:21
7. Colossians 1:19-23
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6. Mark 1:14-15
14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and
believe in the gospel.”
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 3:21-26
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law
and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all
who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 whom God set
forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in
His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate
at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has
faith in Jesus.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you
received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I
preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also
received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and
that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God.
Colossians 1:19-23
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all
things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace
through the blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by
wicked works, yet now He has reconciled. 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present
you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith,
grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard,
which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
The Gospel according to the Scriptures – Basic Outline
1. Creation
2. Fall
3. Redemption
4. Restoration
William’s Outline of the Gospel according to the Scriptures
1. Eternity Past
2. Creation
3. Fall
4. Redemption
5. Restoration
6. Eternity Future
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7. The Gospel in Detail Outline – see the booklet “The Gospel in Detail” for further information
1. Eternity Past
a. Nature of God
b. Character of God
c. Satan and the angels’ rebellion
2. Creation
a. God is the creator of all things
b. Creation of Adam and Eve in God’s image
c. Life before the fall
3. Fall
a. What God commanded and why
b. Temptation by Satan
c. Consequences of sin
1. for Adam and Eve
2. for the rest of God’s creation
3. for us today
4. for everyone on judgment day
4. Redemption
a. God’s love for us and His plan of salvation
b. Jesus
1. His nature as God-man
2. His life and ministry - never sinned
3. His sacrifice on the cross
4. His resurrection
c. What Jesus accomplished for us
d. How we receive this salvation through Jesus
5. Restoration
a. In the present- following Jesus (sanctification)
b. In the future - kingdom of Jesus (glorification)
6. Eternity Future
a. New heavens and earth
b. Eternal kingdom of God – To be with Jesus and the Father forever!
Reflection Questions
 What would you write for a one sentence, a one paragraph and a one page
definition/explanation of the gospel?
 If someone were to ask you what the gospel was how would you answer them?
Grow Deep – Let the gospel go deep into your heart and out into your life.
1. What you do with the gospel and Jesus determines everything in your life including your
eternal destiny.
2. Resolve to make the gospel the highest priority in your life and ask Jesus to empower you
to do so day by day through the Holy Spirit.
3. Take the time to study, meditate and pray over the gospel on a regular basis so that you are
continually growing in your understanding of it.
4. As you grow in your knowledge and understanding of the gospel take a hold of it by faith
and learn how to live it out.
Last Word
Take a hold of the gospel so Jesus can take a hold of you.
Psalm 32:1-2
Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for
those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin…
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8. Review Questions
1. What did the word “gospel” mean in Jesus’ day?
2. What are some of the things you learned from looking at the descriptors of the gospel in the
Bible?
3. What is the difference between the gospel and the plan of salvation?
4. What are your thoughts and observations about the different focuses Jesus and Paul had
when they preached the gospel?
5. Give at least two different answers to the question, “What is the Gospel?”
6. What things impacted you the most in this study of the gospel and why?
To Learn More
1. Memorize the seven key Bible verses and the Gospel in Detail Outline.
2. Write out a one sentence, one paragraph and one page definition/explanation of the gospel
in your own words. Review the notes, read the key Bible verses and look at the examples
on the handouts you received.
3. Practice explaining the gospel by yourself then with to those close to you then look for
opportunities to do so with others as well.
4. Over the next two months read the booklet “The Gospel in Detail”. As you read the
summary and Bible verses for each section write out a summary in your own words.
5. Review these notes regularly and write down what God is teaching you.
6. Discuss items 1-5 with someone or in a small group.
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