Understanding the REAL Gospel

ALL OF US HAVE SINNED

Romans 3:23 … all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ….
Romans 5:12 death spread to all men, because all sinned —
Romans 5:18-19 … judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation ….
Ephesians 2:1-3 We all once conducted ourselves as the sons of disobedience.

ALL OF US DESERVE TO DIE

As we have seen in the previous section, ALL people have sinned. What we will see, in this section, is that all of us deserve to die because the wages of the sins we have committed is death.

Romans 3:23 … all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God ….
Romans 5:12-19 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned —
Romans 5:13-19 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Romans 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
James 4:7 … to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES

It is NOT just Adam that was in the vehicle about to go over the precipice … BUT all his descendants … and none of them could save himself. Indeed, none of us can save himself or herself.

Matthew 5:48 To save ourselves, being “good” (or even “very good”) would not be enough. We’d have to be perfect.
Acts 13:39 We could not be justified by the Law
Romans 2:13 … but Romans 3:20
Galatians 3:11 It is evident that no one can be justified by law-keeping
Ephesians 2:15 …you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins… we were dead in trespasses …

We could never save ourselves because we’d have to be perfect. Being good, or even very good, would not be enough. In addition, we’d have to keep the Law perfectly (and that would not be possible). As Paul implied, in several letters, no one would ever be justified by the law, meaning their ability to keep the Law. If we were to be justified by our law-keeping, we’d have to keep the Law perfectly.

James 2:8-9
James 2:10 To break a part of the Law, while keeping the rest, is just as bad as breaking the entire Law.

WE DO NOT HAVE TO SAVE OURSELVES

This is the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel >>> We do NOT have to save ourselves b/c Jesus Christ has already done all that is necessary for us to be saved.

God Sent Jesus

John 3:16 God sent His Son to live among us … as one of us.
John 3:17 Jesus did not come to condemn
Luke 9:56 Jesus (the Son of Man) came to save men’s lives

Because God loved us so much, He sent His Son (and He sent His Son to save us).

Who was Jesus?

Matthew 16:13-17 “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
John 1:1,14 … the Word (which became flesh) was God ….
Jesus, who had existed before, in eternity, as the Word of God, became a human and lived on Earth as Jesus of Nazareth.
As Jesus of Nazareth, He was fully Man, even while being fully God.

What was Jesus supposed to do?

Matthew 1:21 Jesus was so-named b/c He would save His people from their sins
Luke 9:56 Jesus (the Son of Man) came to save men’s lives
Luke 19:10 He was to seek and save the lost
John 12:47 not to judge, but to save the world

Jesus was sent to save us … and He succeeded

Luke 2:49 Jesus was about His Father’s business
John 19:28-30 … “It is finished.”

Jesus was able to say “It is finished” because He knew that all (that He had come to do) had been accomplished. In the final analysis, WE DO NOT HAVE TO SAVE OURSELVES BECAUSE GOD SENT JESUS TO SAVE US AND HE DID. That was the job He had to do and He finished it.

JESUS DID ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY TO SAVE US

Jesus paid the PENALTY for our sin

This is important b/c He paid NOT just for sins, BUT for all sins for all time.
This He did by paying the PENALTY for sin.
- Romans 3:23 ALL (everyone/not just some) have sinned
- Romans 6:23 The wages (what was earned/worked for) is death
Because ALL people who have ever lived and will ever lived have sinned, Jesus had to pay the penalty of sin for ALL people … and that is what He did.
Illustration: He didn’t just pay for the meals of all the people eating in a restaurant at a particular time, but for all the meals that had ever been served in that restaurant AND all the meals that would ever be served there in the future.
Romans 5:8 … Christ died for us
Isaiah 53:6 … the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all
John 14:6 that He was “the way”.

Jesus defeated Death

This He did by being resurrected from the dead – by coming back to life.
Romans 5:10 … having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

WE HAVE BEEN RECONCILED TO GOD

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 God… has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ ….
Romans 5:10-11 … we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son …. having been reconciled ….
Colossians 1:19-22 … it pleased the Father … to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him … 21 And you, who once were alienated … yet now He has reconciled ….

WE SHALL BE SAVED

Romans 5:8-11 … having now been justified … we shall be saved from wrath through Him … much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
1 Corinthians 15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.
Romans 5:12 … death spread to all men, because all sinned ….
Romans 5:15 … the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
Romans 5:16 … the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
Romans 5:18 … judgment came to all men … the free gift came to all men….
Romans 5:19 … many were made sinners, so also … many will be made righteous.

What is a gospel?

The word “gospel” means “good news‘ … so a gospel is, essentially, a message of good news.

What is the significance of a gospel?

The fact that there is a gospel (with good news) implies there was some “bad” news prior to the “good” news.

What was the BAD news that THE Christian Gospel was addressing?

That bad news was about the reality that all mankind had sinned against God and brought upon themselves the death penalty.
What made that reality even worse was the fact that there was nothing that anyone, anywhere in mankind, could do to save himself, herself … or anyone else.
The result was that Man** was completely helpless and in a totally hopeless situation.
That was the bad news, so what, you may ask, is the good news?

What is the GOOD news of the Christian Gospel?

Simply put, the good news is the reality that God has already done for Man what Man could NOT do for himself.
As we read in John 3:16, God did that by sending His Son, as Jesus of Nazareth, to die in Man’s stead (Romans 5:6), thereby paying the death penalty for Man and making it possible for Man to be reconciled to God and to have everlasting life (2 Cor.5:18-19).

What is the Gospel message of the Bible?

The Gospel is the one true Gospel.
It is the good news of Man’s salvation by God … or, to put it another way, the real Gospel is the good news of God’s rescue of sinful, helpless, hopeless Man.
Even though there is only one Gospel, however, there have been many versions of the one true Gospel, including the “traditional” gospel, which is really an incomplete version of the real Gospel.

What is the “traditional” gospel?

The “Traditional Gospel” is the news that Jesus Christ died so that Man would not have to die … and rose from the dead so that Man can be saved.
The good news of the “traditional” gospel is that SOME people will be saved, but SOME (possibly most) persons will still go to Hell.

What is the REAL Gospel?

The REAL Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ died so that Man would not have to die … and rose from the dead so that Man can be saved.
The good news of THE REAL GOSPEL, however, is that ALL people WILL BE SAVED, ultimately.
In other words, Jesus Christ came to save the whole world … and He was successful.

So what is the difference between the “traditional” gospel and the REAL Gospel?

According to the “traditional” gospel, SOME people will be saved … whereas, according to the REAL Gospel, ALL people will be saved, ultimately.
According to the “traditional” gospel, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, but He was only able to save some … However, according to the “real” Gospel, He saved ALL … As the Good Shepherd, he was not satisfied with saving only 99 of the 100 sheep … He would not rest until the 100th sheep was saved.
In one sense, the “traditional” gospel limits God, in one way or other … whereas the real Gospel does not.
In another sense, the “traditional” gospel is incomplete … whereas the real Gospel is not.

, giving a good news that is for some … whereas the real Gospel is complete, proclaiming a good news that is for all people. the whole world and succeeded. To be clear … there is only one Gospel, as Paul made clear in Galatians 1:9.

However, there are (and have been) many variations of that one Gospel.
By “traditonal Gospel”, we mean the incomplete version of the Gospel that most people may have heard.
The REAL Gospel, therefore, is the more complete and, once understood, the much more reassuring version of the original Gospel that was preached in the first 500 years of the Church’s history.

There are many ways of sharing the one Gospel, including telling of God’s Purpose, Man’s Problem and God’s Provision.

God’s Purpose was to make Man in the image of God, so that Man could have a special, unique relationship with God and ultimately receive everlasting life.
Man’s Problem, however, which prevented original Man from receiving everlasting life, was Sin and the Death that it caused. Sin separated us from God … and Death rendered us incapable of doing anything to be reconciled to God.
God’s Provision was/is Jesus Christ, who came and did for Man (including us) what Man (including us) could not do for himself, by keeping the Law perfectly, not sinning in any way. Most importantly, however, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin once for all (for all sins -past, present and future – for all time) so that Man (including us) would not have to pay the penalty of the second death … and by His resurrection, Jesus made it possible for Man to live victoriously by having Jesus living His life through him.

ALL HAVE SINNED

Romans 3:19-23 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – 22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

ALL DESERVED TO DIE

Romans 5:14, 18a Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come … 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation ….

Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death …

NO ONE COULD SAVE HIMSELF

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Ephesians 2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

That’s the BAD news – ALL sinned and deserved to die, but NO ONE could save himself.

The GOOD news, however, is that NO ONE HAS TO SAVE HIMSELF. How is that possible?

JESUS PAID FOR ALL SIN

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Romans 5:8 God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

2 Corinthians 5:14,15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Hebrews 2:8 For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him … But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for every one.

JESUS DEFEATED DEATH ON BEHALF OF ALL

Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Romans 5:18-19 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

ALL HAVE BEEN RECONCILED TO GOD

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Romans 5:10-11 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Colossians 1:19-22 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 ….

ALL CAN BE SAVED

Romans 5:8-11 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

1 Corinthians 15:22-23 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

Romans 11:32,33 For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.

Because JESUS paid for ALL sin, ALL have been reconciled to God, ALL can be saved and …

ALL WILL BE SAVED

Genesis 12:3 And in you [Abraham] all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Genesis 22:18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.

Isaiah 45:22-23 Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

John 3:17 God sent His Son into the world so that the world should be saved through Him.

John 4:42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

Romans 11:15 For if their rejection be the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Romans 11:25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved.

Romans 11:32,33 For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all.

Galatians 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations shall be blessed in you.”

1 Timothy 2:3-6 (KJV) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.

2 Peter 3:8,9 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing that any should perish but for all to come to repentance.

I John 4:14 And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

Despite the above scriptures which imply strongly that all will be saved, some will still try to counter by saying they refer to persons in the Church (i.e. persons who believe, a.k.a. the Elect). Note what the following verses say, however …

I John 2:2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
1 Timothy 4:10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

The two scriptures above make it clear that God’s plan is to save all, not just those in the Church. Jesus Christ Himself confirmed that when He said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” (John 12:32)

So what is that REAL Gospel?

“We trust in the living God,

who is the Saviour of ALL men,

especially of those who believe.”

The good news of the gospel variation that most people have heard is that Man can be saved … BUT he has to do something in order to be saved. In some cases, he is told he has to be baptized or pray the sinner’s prayer or do a “good work” of some kind. In other cases, however, he is simply told that he MUST just believe, BUT that “act of believing” is often presented in such a way that it comes across as nothing more than another “work”, albeit a good work.

What makes the “good news” of the REAL Gospel better news than that of the traditional gospel variation is the fact that, by virtue of what Jesus Christ did, there is nothing that Man needs to do in order to be saved … BECAUSE Jesus has already done ALL that was needed to be done — He lived a sinless life, He paid for all sins (past, present and future) so that our sins could be forgiven and we could be reconciled to God and He rose from the dead, conquering death and making it possible for us to have eternal life.

Essentially, the good news of the REAL Gospel is that …

our reconciliation with God took place when Jesus Christ died, as Romans 5:10 tells us, NOT when we believed;
we shall be saved, as Romans 5:10 also tells us, NOT because we believe, BUT “by His life” (i.e. because He lives);
our salvation is NOT about what we CAN do … to be saved, BUT about what God has already done … to save us;
our salvation depends on Jesus, not on us (John 10:28-29).

In the final analysis, however, the really good news of the REAL Gospel is that Jesus, who is our Saviour, came to save ALL of us … and He did (1 Timothy 4:10; 1John 2:2) … by virtue of His death and resurrection and … we do not have to believe in order to be saved … we just need to believe, as we read in Ephesians 2:8, that we have been saved, in Christ.

That last sentence may come as a surprise to many, but if you’d like to understand the biblical basis for that message, click on Understanding The Gospel.

** The word Man is used, in a generic sense, to represent ALL humans, female, as well as male.