What is the Gospel?
God made this world to be a place where He could be in communion with us. We were made to celebrate His glory and enjoy intimate communion with Him. Eden was literal Heaven on Earth as He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden and created nature and pleasure for our enjoyment of Him. The stars reflect His glory. The animals sing His praises, yet He chose us as His masterpiece. In the Garden, we were given free will to enjoy Him at all times. Any fruit from any tree in Eden was available to them — all except the one named, the Tree of Life.
Disobeying the Lord would turn out to have disastrous consequences. Not because God is evil, but because He is holy. The allure of sin was offered to Adam and Eve by the Serpent, Eve took the fruit, ate it, and passed it to her husband. Immediately, their eyes were open to their nakedness and what they had truly done. They clothed themselves with leaves. God called out to them asking, “Where are you?” already knowing the answer, but they hid from Him. He cursed the serpent for his role as the tempter and a close relationship with God was no longer viable for humanity in a world plagued with all He is not. After clothing them, He then placed an angel in front of the garden so they could not return.
This all sounds like a story without a happy ending, but there is. In that very Garden, God promised that a Seed would come from the woman that would crush the head of that serpent once and for all. God’s ultimate plan is to return us to the Garden and bring literal Heaven back down to Earth. Only this time, there will be no opportunity or even desire to sin and separate ourselves from God as we now have a stand-in: the ultimate blood sacrifice to replace the temporary covering in the first Garden of Eden. His name is Jesus, and He is the Word of God in the flesh.
THREE QUESTIONS: HOW, WHY, AND BY WHOM WAS THE WORLD MADE?
WHY? Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.” This world was not made by chance or by accident. God (Elohim) intentionally created the Heavens and the Earth out of nothing (God the invisible Father). You have to be above something to create it. To reflect Heaven on Earth and bring Glory to Himself.
HOW? Genesis 1:2 — “The Spirit of God hovered over the waters.” Aided by the Holy Spirit.
WHO? Genesis 1:3 —“Let there be light.” When we say let there be light, we have to go and turn the light on or light the match. When God spoke, it was. Why? His Words had an author and authority (God the visible Son). A person, Jesus. “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
So, why was everything created if God is already whole in Himself? God doesn’t need us, we need God. So why did he take the time to make us and bless us humans? Because out of all he created, He made us special. We are meant to reflect His glory while nature just tells us of His glory and worships Him. Both are important, but we are His magnum opus, His masterpiece because of the life He breathed into us. He designed us to have a relationship with Him. How were we going to return to Him, though?
THIS IS THE GOSPEL: JESUS CHRIST IS THE GARDEN AND THE WAY BACK TO THE FATHER.
JESUS’ BIRTH.
The Old Testament contains hundreds of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus at His appointed time. From Jesus’ birth to His death and subsequent resurrection, God foretold His plan by word of His prophets. Jesus is God incarnate. When He came onto this Earth, He emptied Himself of His glory, “taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:7) In other words, He became man to save men.
The book of Isaiah contains a large section of prophetic utterances about the Promised Messiah. Isaiah 7:14 states, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This was 700 years before Jesus arrived.
Now, picture this. Prophets have been proclaiming for many generations what is to come. A prophet named Malachi is the last to hear and speak from God. There is silence. No prophecies, no words — nothing from God. 400 years of stillness pass by.
All of a sudden, an angel appears in a small, poor town called Nazareth. And he doesn’t meet with a prophet or a king, but a young woman named Mary. Mary was engaged to Joseph, but they were not married yet. I wonder how she felt when the angel Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” (Luke 1:31) I also wonder how Joseph felt at the weight of his earthly assignment to lead and raise the King of Kings.
A census was decreed for all to return to their hometowns. This was to fulfill the prophecy “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).
So, they went.
Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem. Population: maybe 90, but full due to the aforementioned census. He was born in a lower room of a house (“kataluma”) where the animals were kept. Humble, but warm. Clean and quiet. Lowly. This promised and Divine King the Jews had waited for came on an unexpected night, in an unsuspecting place.
The first ones to hear of His birth were the lowliest of all — poor, uneducated Shepherds watching their flock in the fields. The first ones to bring Him gifts were kingmakers — the mysterious clan of magi.
This is the Gospel. No matter who you are, Jesus came to seek and save the lost. That is all of us. We have come to love, worship, and adore our Suffering Servant, the King of Glory.
JESUS’ DEATH.
Do you know what gifts the magi brought to Jesus when they came? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is symbolic of royalty, the frankincense of worship, and lastly, myrrh.
Myrrh was a type of oil used to embalm the bodies of the dead before their burial.
Why would the magi present such a gift to new parents and a precious baby? I’m not sure they knew either, but God foretold Jesus’ story already. The birth of Jesus was also preparation for His forthcoming burial. King David prophetically spoke of Jesus’ death by crucifixion. The interesting part is, that crucifixion was a Roman tradition and was not even invented yet. But God knew. He writes, “Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me .They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” (Psalm 22:17-18)
This exact scenario happens to Jesus on a cross in Golgotha right outside of Jerusalem. For God to enact a new covenant, blood had to be shed. Perfect blood. Jesus’ precious blood.
An innocent, sinless man was murdered. Many people think it was solely political or to further an earthly agenda, but Jesus Himself said, “For I have come down from Heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38)
This was no ordinary crucifixion conducted by the Romans. This was no ordinary conspiracy coming from the Jewish leaders. God used human wickedness to fulfill His glorious purposes. The Roman governor who was to sentence Him, Pilate, asked the silent Jesus, “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (John 19:10-11)
Over 2000 years ago, “He became sin who knew no sin so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) The author of life was killed by those He came to save.
At the end of His life, He cried out to Heaven, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” and, after a drink from a urine-stained sponge spoke, “It is finished.” His work was now done.
They took His body down and prepared Him with myrrh and aloe following Jewish burial customs. He was wrapped in linen just as the day of His birth, and placed in a garden. A new tomb.
His disciples scattered. People mourned. A Roman centurion regretted His role. Three days pass…
JESUS’ RESURRECTION.
THIS WAS NO ORDINARY DEATH. THIS WAS NO ORDINARY SUNDAY.
“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.” (Luke 24:1-8)
Where did He go? What happened? This tomb was placed under Roman watch and seal which meant it was guarded at all times by at least 16 men. Anyone who broke the seal would be punished by death. Also, a very large and heavy stone was placed in front of the tomb so that no one could enter or exit.
It seems like only the hand of God could…. wait. What did Jesus say about His own death?
“…For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40)
Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead with all power in His hands. The Seed crushed the head of the serpent and took back the keys of death from Satan. He is now seated at the Right Hand of God as we await His return. Before He ascended, He promised a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who leads and guides all believers to this day. He left His disciples with The Great Commission: “Go out into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
Jesus willfully laid down His life in obedience to God on our behalf. Because of His sacrifice and resurrection, we have complete access to God again.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Will you accept the call of this glorious Gospel?
The Bible. (I recommend starting with the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in KJV, NASB, or ESV.)
Pray and ask God for His will to be done. Ask for forgiveness for your sins and for Him to purify and make your heart more like His. Ask to be filled with His Spirit and guided by His word. Just talk to Him, He’s listening.
Find a local, Biblically sound church in your area. Surround yourself with believers who can support you in your new walk. This is very important.
Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace. A homicide detective investigates the claims of the Gospel.
Cross Examined on YouTube by Frank Tourek, one of my favorite apologists.
The Heaven Tour by Dr. Brad Zockoll — His ministry is dedicated to talking about what Heaven and the New Earth will be like. He can also be found on TikTok and YouTube.
How to Read the Bible Series — The Bible Project.
What is the Gospel? — R.C. Sproul.
