The Gospel is Jesus

PJ Smyth & Pete Kropman

We start a new series at the GodFirst blog today, using a resource we’ve recently put together entitled, “Get Started in the Gospel.” These series of posts, which will run for a number of months, will, like the booklet, help both new believers and those who’ve been believers for ages get started and established in the Gospel. We never grow out of the Gospel. It is both the ABC and the XYZ of the Christian life. Today, we’re looking at the Person of Jesus, who is, in a sense, the Gospel.

Jesus is the Gospel

The Gospel is a person, the God-Man Jesus Christ. Mark makes this point in the opening verse of his book:

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

(Mk 1:1) [1]

Gospel literally means “good news” [2] and it refers to the message about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and the resulting benefits that come our way. So, understanding the gospel begins with understanding who Jesus is. Here we go:

Jesus is.

Jesus is the eternal Son of God. God exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, yet each person is co-existent, co-equal and co-eternal. Together they are God. Two great passages regarding Jesus are John 1:1-18 and Colossians 1:15-23.

Through man’s sin, perfect creation and man’s perfect relationship with God was radically corrupted. Sin, suffering, sickness and death all became elements of life. God, being perfectly holy, demanded justice for sin and couldn’t “just forgive” anyone without His holiness being violated. God is clear that the consequence of sin is death (Rom 6:23) Therefore, the members of the Trinity planned amongst themselves to act in great love toward humanity, by the Father sending His only Son to bear His just wrath for sin so that those who put their trust in the Son, by the power of the Spirit, may be acquitted of their rebellion. So Jesus came (Jn 3:16-18).

Jesus comes.

He was incarnated as a man, being conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He is both fully God and fully man and is perfect in every way. While being sinless, He chose to identify Himself with sinful humanity that it might be redeemed. He is the ultimate revelation of the Father: the true image of the invisible God.

Jesus dies.

Jesus died in our place. He offered Himself up for death on a cruel Roman cross as a substitute for those who would believe in Him. At the cross in Jesus Christ, we see the perfect mix of God’s love, mercy, holiness and judgement – and to the believer, this is an awe-inspiring sight.

Jesus rises.

By raising His Son from the dead, God the Father demonstrates that He accepts Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf.

Jesus reigns.

He ascended into heaven, never to die again, from where He rules as Lord of all, interceding for His people, who eagerly await His return.

The Gospel is the exceedingly magnificent news that God has sent His Son to live a perfect life on behalf of sinful people who never could, and then die the death they deserved to die. To those who believe and trust in this news, Jesus’ death on their behalf means that they will never die themselves, but by virtue of Jesus’ perfect life being credited to their account, will instead live eternally in the presence of God.