What Is the Gospel?

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4In simplest terms, the Gospel is the Good News of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The root of the Gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3: “...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…”Man’s problem is not what he lacks; it is what he has, which is a sin problem. Sin brings about spiritual debt, defilement, and dominion. The Gospel is the only thing that can save us from our sins.To understand the Gospel, we must see its scriptural content.Jesus’ death deals with sin’s debt; his blood atoned for our sin, paying that debt He did not owe.Jesus’ burial deals with sin’s defilement; it assures us that He has put our sin in the grave of God’s forgetfulness. Jesus’ resurrection deals with sin’s dominion. Because He rose from the dead, and is still alive today, He has power over sin and death.Second, we must see the saving intent of the Gospel.1 Corinthians 15:1-2 says, “...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.”The Gospel’s first intent is for us to believe it and be saved; no other way will lead to salvation.Adrian Rogers says, “(Salvation) is not in sincerity or sentiment or service or sacrament, but in the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is gloriously simple and simply glorious.”When we believe the Gospel, we are also strengthened, day-by-day.Jesus saved us from the penalty and pollution of sin once and for all, but He is saving us from the power of sin daily.When we believe the Gospel, we are also secured.Jesus Christ is our wonderful assurance; He has us in His hand.Finally, we must recognize the extent of the Gospel.It extends to every person, every place, and every problem. Adrian Rogers says, “There’s no other message that has an answer to sin, sorrow, and death except the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”Apply it to your lifeIf someone were to ask you what the Gospel is, do you have a ready answer for them? Remember Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection, and what they mean to those who believe the Gospel.