The Gospel
The Gospel
The gospel is a wonderful word to someone who has tasted the reality of it. It is simple enough for a child to understand (Matthew 19:14) and yet it is complex enough that great minds cannot understand it (1 Corinthians 1:27). There are three aspects of the gospel: the personal side of it; how it encompasses God’s entire plan for mankind; and the necessity of the proclamation of it.
It is personal
The gospel is intensely personal. It is the pivot on which every human beings eternal state rests (Mark 16:15, 16). Accepting it is life, eternal life; rejecting it is eternal damnation. A brilliant scholar with many degrees behind his name can write a book about it in such a way that an Atheist becomes tearful; and yet be utterly lost. A simple servant girl who can barely read or write can understand and believe the essence of it and be gloriously saved. It is not the theory that counts, it is the reality of it that counts.
It encompass God’s entire plan for us
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelations 17:14; 19:16) became a man. He was God’s answer to man’s greatest problem, which is sin. He was God’s chosen King Who must rule over all the sons of men. The One Who will not only bring salvation unto Israel (Isaiah 40:9; 52:7-10; 60:6; 61:1) but also unto all the gentiles (Ephesians 3:6). He whom God promised became man, He died for the sins of man, He was raised from the dead and defeated the devil, He now sits on the right hand of God and He will defeat all His enemies and finally all who believes in Him will be glorified with Him. This is in short God’s entire plan for man.
It must be proclaimed
The gospel message goes hand-in-hand with the proclamation of it. It is only when the gospel is proclaimed that men and women enter into the reality of it (Romans 10:14, 15). It is one of the dreadful realities of this life that a person can miss heaven by 24 centimetres (The distance between the head and the heart). Therefore, the gospel must be proclaimed by men and women who knows the reality of it. It is only through the Spirit of God that one can share in the reality of it (2 Corinthians 3:18). To receive the Spirit of God (Ephesians 1:13) one must be born-again (John 3:3). Reader, do you know anything about the reality of the Kingdom of God?
Three points to remember
Remember these three points: Firstly, the gospel is personal; it is not a theoretical framework but living reality. Then, the gospel is God’s entire plan for mankind; it is God’s view on reality. Lastly, the gospel must be proclaimed in order that others may share in this reality.
