WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

THE GOSPEL IS THE GOOD NEWS THAT

GOD BECAME MAN IN JESUS CHRIST.
HE LIVED THE LIFE WE SHOULD HAVE LIVED,
AND
DIED THE DEATH WE SHOULD HAVE DIED…
IN OUR PLACE.
THREE DAYS LATER, HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD,
PROVING THAT HE IS THE SON OF GOD,
AND
OFFERING THE GIFT OF SALVATION AND
FORGIVENESS OF SINS TO ANYONE
WHO REPENTS AND BELIEVES IN HIM.

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THE BACK STORY by Dr Brian Miller

The outline of the Gospel presented above provides a quick summary of the essence
of the Christian message. Simply presenting such a summary could prove sufficient for
a person to receive God’s gift of salvation and begin their journey as a child of God.
However, others who have little exposure to Christianity might need a more detailed
explanation. In particular, they could be greatly helped by an overview of the Christian
backstory revealed throughout the entire Bible. A common way to explain the Biblical
narrative is to break it into four acts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Each
act should speak to the hearer’s personal experience and to their deepest longings.
Moreover, the backstory will provide the context, which will allow the hearer to fully
grasp the meaning and implications of the core gospel message.

ACT I: CREATION

Overview

The story begins in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. The text describes how God created
everything out of nothing by the power of His will. Everything was created as good and
operated in harmony according to God’s edicts. The culmination of the first act was the
creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. They were created in His image,
and they were given stewardship over all creation. As such, they lived in harmony with
God, each other, the environment, and themselves. They constantly had their deepest
longings – security, acceptance, and significance – met through God.

Application to hearer

After describing the nature of creation, you could ask the hearer if they have a longing
for a world without suffering or injustice. Or, do they desire relationships where they can
be fully transparent and fully known without fear of being judged or otherwise hurt. Or,
do they long for their lives to fulfill some greater purpose. You can then point out that
these desires are evidence of their longing to return to the state of the original creation.

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ACT II: FALL

Overview

The first people were given the choice of either trusting God as the source of their
identity, security, and significance or choosing to become like God and decide for
themselves what is right and wrong. They would then also have the power to choose
their own course in life. This choice was embodied in their decision to eat the fruit of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, an event known as the Fall.

This temptation for moral autonomy promised freedom, but it actually brought
bondage. After turning from God, they lost the source of true life – God’s love – so like
a plant with its roots cut off, every aspect of their being began to decay. For the first
time they felt shame, relational breakdown, and fear. They could no longer easily fulfill
their purpose to steward creation, but the land became difficult to manage, producing
thorns and thistles. More significantly, instead of experiencing a close relationship with
their creator, their rebellion caused a gap between them and God.

The Fall not only resulted in brokenness at the individual level, but it resulted in the
degeneration of society. People were designed to live in a perfect state. However,
since they no longer had their most basic needs met through God, they looked to other
sources, which could not properly fulfill those longings.

The implications of the Fall can clearly be seen today. People often look to relationships
to received love and acceptance, but no one can provide perfect love. As a result,
relationships break apart, causing pain and even hatred. Others look to sex to fulfill the
void in their souls, but casual sex only provides temporary relief, much like heroine.
The void can then become ever greater, resulting in increasingly self-destructive sexual
patterns. Others look to career success, but no amount of success can provide truly
sufficient feelings of security and significance. As a result, people become workaholics
or increasingly cutthroat and controlling. Many employ a diverse array of other
strategies to meet their deepest longings. These futile attempts at replacing a
relationship with God can all lead to self-destructive behaviors and thought patterns.

As a parallel subplot, a rebellion also took place in the spiritual realm. Angelic beings
rebelled against God and were expelled from His presence. The Bible uses various
designations for these fallen beings including demons, principalities and powers, and
evil spirits – including Satan. These creatures have since committed themselves to
undermining God’s creation by further empowering and directing people to follow their
natural tendency to dehumanize and destroy themselves, each other, and the
environment.

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Application to hearer

You can illustrate the reality of the Fall by asking the hearer if this part of the story rings
true. For instance, you could ask if people they know wrestle with a sense of insecurity,
so they present a false image of themselves to others. Or, do they feel that they are not
living up to their full potential and are unsafisfied with the progress they have made in
their careers. Or, do they see in society systematic injustice, prejudice, or
environmental irresponsibility. All of these problems stem back to our separation from
God.

ACT III: REDEMPTION

Overview

God did not abandon His creation despite the fact that people rebelled against Him.
Instead, he initiated a rescue operation with the intent of drawing all people back to
Himself. As described in Genesis, he called Abraham to start a great nation, which
would be a blessing to all peoples. Abraham’s descendants became the Hebrew
people. Several centuries later, they ended up as slaves in Egypt. God then called
Moses as His instrument to free the Hebrews from Egypt and to form them into the
nation of Israel. He also gave them the Mosaic Law, which showed them how to model
a restored creation by practicing justice, experiencing prosperity, and maintaining a
close relationship with their creator. The nation failed to live up to their calling, but God
revealed that through them would come a savoir of the entire world.

Then, GOD BECAME MAN IN JESUS CHRIST. In ways which are beyond human
understanding, Jesus of Nazareth represented the very presence of God on earth. As
such, he revealed God’s true nature and will for mankind. In particular, he taught us
how we were meant to live in harmony with God, each other, and ourselves. In addition,
he LIVED THE LIVE WE SHOULD HAVE LIVED. He represented a “second Adam” or
Adam 2.0 (1 Cor 15:45-49). He acted in perfect submission to the Father’s will. He also
inaugurated the “Kingdom of God” (God’s rule and authority) breaking into the world
through such actions as healing the sick, feeding the hungry, forgiving sinners, and
casting out demonic powers. At the end of Jesus’ ministry, he was captured by the
Roman officials, crucified, and buried. These acts represented the powers of the world
– political, religious, and spiritual – all conspiring to destroy God’s representation on
earth.

Through Jesus’ death on the cross, HE DIED THE DEATH WE SHOULD HAVE DIED.
For, mankind both corporately and individually have lived contrary to God’s will by
acting in ways which hurt each other and undermine His creation. Therefore, we have
all made ourselves His enemies and thus deserve destruction. However, instead of
God unleashing judgment on us, Jesus took the punishment we deserved IN OUR
PLACE when he died on the cross (Romans 3:25).

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THREE DAYS LATER, HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD, PROVING THAT HE IS THE SON OF
GOD. Jesus rose from the dead in a glorified body. This act demonstrated that he truly
is God’s representative, thus authenticating his claims. In addition, it represents Jesus
defeating the powers of evil in the world, so individuals and even creation itself could
begin to experience restoration and renewal.

Jesus then appeared to his followers and told them to go into all of the world to
proclaim that God was OFFERING THE GIFT OF SALVATION AND FORGIVENESS OF
SINS TO ANYONE WHO REPENTS AND BELIEVES THE GOSPEL. People who turn
from their rebellion against God (repent) and trust in Jesus’ message and work on the
cross (believe) receive forgiveness from their sins, and they are adopted into God’s
family (the church) as His children. God’s spirit then enters them to guide and
empower the transformation process of healing their brokenness and restoring them to
their true humanity.

The transformation process largely takes place through the Holy Spirit connecting
individuals with other Christians in close community. Each member is given a spiritual
gift to serve the others and better enable them to follow Jesus’ teaching and become
mature in the faith. Then, the church can act as Jesus’ representative on earth to
embody His Kingdom through such acts as healing individuals and communities,
promoting justice, creating beauty, exorcizing evil powers, and proclaiming truth.

Application to hearer

This part of the story can be specifically tailored toward the hearer’s background and
interests. For instance, if the hearer complained about religious groups acting
judgmentally and hypocritically, you could mention that the people who most opposed
Jesus were the religious leaders. In fact, they particularly disliked him for how he
showed such great compassion and mercy to religious outcasts (e.g. modern day gays
and lesbians) and for how he challenged their hypocrisy. In fact, part of Jesus’ mission
was to save religious people from their self-righteousness.

Likewise, if the hearer has a strong interest in social justice or environmentalism, you
could mention how Jesus called his followers to form a radically counter-cultural
community committed to serving the outcast and restoring creation. You could also
mention that the true source of social injustice, environmental destruction, and other
social ills is people’s self-absorption and idolatry to profit over showing concern for
local communities. Jesus came to overcome these sicknesses of the heart by
reconnecting people to God’s perfect love, which compels us to act with others’ best
interest in mind.

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ACT IV: FINAL RESTORATION

At the end of history, Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. All of those who
have accepted God’s forgiveness will be completely restored to God’s original
intention. Those how choose to continue to live in rebellion against God and act as
agents of destruction in the world will be fully cast away from God’s presence. Then the
physical world and the heavenly realms will combine into a fully restored creation
brought to its completion ,and we will enjoy this new creation and God’s loving
presence forever.

Application to hearer

Many complain about God not stopping the evil and suffering in the world. However, for
God to truly stop evil, He would have to kill every one of us. Instead, God has begun
the process of removing the evil from us now, and this process will be completed when
Jesus returns to usher in the fully restored creation. Then, all evil will be removed. In the
meantime, people have the chance to experience the new creation through the
community and activity of the church. They also have the opportunity to receive God’s
offer of forgiveness and transformation.

CONCLUSION

No substitute exists for a personal encounter with someone explaining the story of God
and the gospel. The more you share the story, the more comfortable you will become in
doing it.

Let’s get started!

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