ROMANS 3:21-26, But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation (appeasing the wrath of God; atonement) by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness because, in his divine forbearance, he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
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What is the Gospel
The word “Gospel” appears over 100 times in the New Testament. It’s all over the Bible because it’s the point of the Bible. “Gospel” means good news. The word was often used in the first century in a military context. When the battle had been won, the general would send back an evangelist with “the gospel,” the good news of victory. Good news is fundamentally different from good advice. And every system of belief outside of Biblical Christianity is advice, telling us what we need to do to get to God. But the Scriptures don’t announce good advice on how we’re to reach up to God, but good news of what God’s done to reach down to us.
We often use this definition for the Gospel:
The Gospel is the just and gracious God of the universe looking upon hopelessly sinful
people and sending His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to bear His wrath against
sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have
faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever.
David Platt
An even more simple way to think of the good news of Jesus is in four words, Jesus in our place.
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus lived a perfect life in our place and died for our sins. Our sin crushed Him on the cross, but His perfect life was credited to us. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, confirming that God was pleased with His sacrifice. For all who turn from sin and trust in Jesus, they will share in His victory over sin, death, and Satan—forever.
Every person relates to the Gospel in one of three ways:
Lost: Like the younger son in Luke 15, they are in open rebellion against God and know it.
Religiously Lost: Like the elder brother in Luke 15, they appear moral and obedient but trust in their own goodness rather than in God's grace.
Redeemed: Those who recognize their need for Jesus and live in the joy and freedom of His rescue.
The Gospel is for both non-Christians and Christians. While it's essential for entering the Kingdom of God, it's also the means by which believers continue to grow and be renewed. We never outgrow our need for the Gospel. As Tim Keller said, "The Gospel is not just the A-B-C of Christianity; it’s the A-Z."
The Gospel saves us not only from the penalty of sin but also from its power in our daily lives. It’s not something we graduate from; rather, we are meant to go deeper into its truth, allowing it to shape every part of our hearts and lives.
A man-centered gospel focuses on our desires and needs—health, wealth, happiness—offering a version of God who exists to serve us.
The true, biblical Gospel centers on God. It acknowledges our biggest problem is sin against God and proclaims His solution: Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
Not at all. While the Gospel is God-centered, it does reveal how deeply God loves us:
- We’re made in His image (Genesis 1:26).
- He uses us for His purposes (Romans 10:14-15).
- He saved us because of His love (John 3:16).
- We receive every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1).
- He is for us (Romans 8:31-34).
- Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
- We are His treasured possession (1 Peter 2:9).
The key is to celebrate these truths while keeping God's glory and grace at the center.
We live in a God-centered universe. The Gospel is not about making much of us—it’s about making much of God. Yet in His grace, He has made much of us by sending Jesus. We are called to turn from sin, trust Jesus, and let the Gospel saturate every part of our lives—forever.