Here we are on our fifth installment of the gospel as the doctrine of the “day” and we are finally getting to the good part of the good news. I know it has been a somewhat tedious exercise to get to this point to be able to talk about Jesus, but we have to remember that we cannot assume that the people we want to share the gospel with have any idea why the gospel is necessary. We start with “God. Man. Sin.” first because that is the way the “story” has unfolded. It also is the way the Bible tells us to present the Gospel.
So we get to the fourth word…
- Christ
Wow. Where to start here? We could go really deep and long talking about the virgin birth, the dual nature of Jesus, the kenosis (the emptying of his divine nature), and on and on… Or we could go “nutshell” and just say Jesus died for your sins.
Well, I think both of these extremes miss the biblical ideal and will either muddle the gospel in a lot of important, yet unnecessary, theology or miss the true gospel by reducing it to a bumper sticker slogan, “Get right or get left!”
I think it best if we follow the pattern set forth in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 is very helpful…
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
Here are a few guidelines from this passage for talking about Jesus…
1. Use the Bible
I know this sounds kind of obvious, but Paul tells the corinthians to remember what they were taught, which would become the Bible. Cool huh? But the point is that the word of the cross is the power of God for salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18). It is not our testimony that saves people. Our lives are like a painting that displays the glory of Christ, but the Word is the creator and the paints are the words. So, make sure people hear the Word through the word...
2. Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures
This is an often overlooked part of this passage. Two times Paul says that Jesus fulfilled what was prophesied in the Old Testament. This is certainly important to him, but why? Well, it testifies to the faithfulness, trustworthiness, and power of God. He is a God who keeps his promises. We can trust Him with our lives. And He is powerful to ensure that they come to pass. This is important to tell people. We do not have a “blind” faith. True we do not walk by “sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), but that does mean that we do not know things about God. We call people to step out on faith, but it is a faith in a trustworthy God.
3. Jesus was God
When Paul identifies Jesus as the Christ, the Anointed One, he is making an important claim about Jesus’ identity. He does not spell it out here, but Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant. He is the King who reigns on the throne forever. He is not just a good man or a prophet. He is God.
4. Jesus died for our sins
This is the heart of the matter. There are TONS of verses to use to communicate this truth. John 3:16 is, of course, in the hall of fame. And while it is excellent in giving an overview of God’s purpose in sending his Son, it does not give the specifics for what Jesus accomplished on the cross in order that we might have eternal life.
I am not saying “Don’t use John 3:16.” But I am saying that we need to give people more. They need to hear the Good News. And when Paul says Jesus died for our sins, this means that there are two very important things we need to say. Both of which are taught in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
A. Jesus took our sin on Himself and took away God’s wrath from us - Don’t forget what we learned last week: we are children of wrath apart from Christ. His wrath is already on us because of our sin. That wrath WILL be expressed/experienced by someone: either each person will be punished in hell for his sin or Christ took it from him on the cross. We need to tell people that Jesus died in order to take the punishment/wrath of God for those who believe (1 John 2:2).
B. Jesus gives his righteousness to us - The second half of the equation of what Jesus accomplished on the cross when He “died for our sins” is that God credits to us the righteousness of Christ when we believe. God sees us as righteous and accepts us because Christ’s righteousness was “stamped” on our lives.
5. Jesus rose again and is alive today
The Resurrection is another part of the gospel that is usually left out of our conversations about Jesus. But it IS important. It is the final piece of Christ’s justifying work for those who believe.
A. The Resurrection secures our salvation - Romans 4:25
B. The Resurrection secures our new life in Christ - Romans 6:4
C. The Resurrection secures our future resurrection - 2 Corinthians 4:14
So, this is how we are forgiven, reconciled, accepted and loved by God… wow.
I know this sounds like a lot, but this is the gospel. This is what is taught in the Bible. And this is what we need to be diligent in telling people about Jesus.
This is GRACE!! I thought about using “grace” as another word, but when we talk about Jesus in this way, we are painting that picture of grace.
Next week we will talk about the fifth word, faith, and the proper response people need to have to the gospel in order to be saved.
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