Week 5: What is the Gospel?, Part 1

TEACHING NOTES – CLICK THE “NOTES” LINK ABOVE FOR THE CLASS BOOKLET

Team time

• Reviewing our covenant together
• Going over outline learned thus far (three-part “over-outline”, four-part “presentation outline”)

Doctrinal instruction

What the gospel is NOT

• Story of Dr. Mudge

It’s easy to get the gospel muddled up if we’re not careful.  And it’s disheartening to hear the muddled gospel proclaimed by many televangelists or so-called evangelical preachers or witnesses.  A good illustration of how badly a story can be muddled is found in the experience of the editor of an English newspaper more than a century ago.  He opened the daily paper to find that they had hopelessly conflated and mixed together two stories:  one about a newly patented pig-killing and sausage-making machine, and the other about a local clergyman, the Rev. Dr. Mudge, who was being presented with a gold-headed cane.  The muddled story read as follows:

“Several of Dr. Mudge’s friends called upon him yesterday, and, after a conversation the unsuspecting pig was seized by the hind leg, and slid along a beam until he reached the hot-water tank…. Thereupon he came forward and said there were times when the feelings overpowered one, and for that reason he would not attempt to do more than thank those around him for the manner in which such a huge animal was cut into pieces was simply astonishing.  The doctor concluded his remarks, when the machine seized him and, in less time than it takes to write it, the pig was cut into fragments and worked up into a delicious sausage.  The occasion will long be remembered by the doctor’s friends as one of the most delightful of their lives.  The best pieces can be procured for tenpence a pound, and we are sure that those who have sat so long under his ministry will rejoice that he has been treated so handsomely.”

(quoted in Mark Dever’s Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, p. 64-65)

We need to be sure we don’t confuse the gospel message.  Therefore, it’s helpful to declare what the gospel is NOT:

(the headings come from Dever, p. 66-81)

1)  NOT “I’m okay, you’re okay!”

• Some people think of Christianity as something of a religious therapy session, little more than one of many ways to help people feel better about themselves.
• The gospel is then a message of reassurance, “good news” that we’re basically fine and that we just need some “help along the way.”
• Or, if we do need some reformation, the power for that reformation is within us, if we’d only realize it. We just need some motivation to unlock the goodness we all basically possess, and the gospel helps provide that motivation.

This is fundamentally wrong, as we’ve already discussed in Week 1.  As we saw then, the Bible says people apart from Christ are 1) spiritually dead; 2) already under God’s wrath; 3) storing up ever greater wrath; 4) constantly accused (not saved) by law and conscience; 5) without a single good deed on their account; 6) incapable of pleasing God; 7) enemies of God; 8) incapable of atoning for sin; 9) blind and deaf to spiritual truth; 10) incapable of changing. 

• Furthermore, the fact that everyone will die physically proves that “I’m okay, you’re okay” is not true. The gospel must offer more to us than this, or it is not “good news.”

2)  NOT simply “God is love”

• This is a popular counterfeit. I. Packer says “A half truth passed off as the whole truth becomes a complete untruth.” 

If the message of the gospel is simply that “God loves you,” then we’re no better off than before.  God has always been love, yet lost people apart from Christ are still in need of a radical transformation in order to avoid eternity in hell. 

• The fact is, many people see God’s love as weak and ineffectual, as though God were little more than a well-meaning Grandfather. This is not the message of the Gospel, although God’s love is a major component of our proclamation.  Rather, we need to declare what kind of God He is and how such a God loves.  God’s love is different than human love, and it’s up to us to proclaim the whole counsel of God to lost sinners.

3)  NOT simply “Jesus wants to be your friend”

• Some of the most damaging counterfeit gospels available today portray Christ as little more than a friend and loving companion to help us through life’s trials.
• This false picture completely misses the fact that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and that He comes to rule over the lives of sinners for their benefit.
• This view also omits Christ’s violent death on the cross in our place under the wrath of God.
• Furthermore, this false gospel misses the element of sacrifice and self-denial which each person must make to follow Christ.

Jesus said “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:38)  Jesus did not simply come to help us through life’s ups and downs, or to give meaning to life, or to be a friend in need, or even to clean up the mess we’ve made of our lives. 

4)  NOT simply “You should live right”

• The most common false gospel in the world is a “gospel” of human achievement, of morality and good deeds.
• For such people, to be a Christian is to “follow the Golden Rule,” to live a “good life,” to go to church, and obey the Ten Commandments. The gospel is then seen as an additive to help us do what we’re already capable of doing.   This is completely wrong. 
• The gospel calls us to repent and trust Christ, not to go out and clean up your life. The gospel is also confirmed by the power of the Holy Spirit to produce good works in us later by faith. 
• The true gospel proclaims a different order: “Saved in order to do good deeds,” rather than “Good deeds in order to be saved.”

What is the gospel?

• The word “gospel” means “good news,” and it is essentially a message we proclaim. What makes the news good? 
• It is good news because it comes from a good God and it results in incredible blessings for everyone who believes this good message.
• At its heart, the gospel concerns God’s gracious work to save sinners from their sin. The angel announced it first to Joseph:

Matthew 1:21  “You will give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.”

Thus, the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ has come into the world to save us from our sins.  The gospel, then, can only be understood properly by understanding “salvation” properly. 

• Salvation is a process in which rebellious sinners are forgiven for their acts of rebellion against the King (God), and are transformed into gloriously obedient subjects of the Kingdom of God. Thus the gospel is called the “gospel of the kingdom,” and the word “kingdom” and “gospel” can sometimes be used interchangeably:

Matthew 24:14  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

• Thus, if we’re not calling people into a whole-hearted obedience to the King and a sorrow for past rebellions, we’re not preaching the gospel Jesus preached.

In order to understand the gospel better, therefore, we must understand the “salvation process” properly:

What is salvation?

• Christians are frequently surprised to find out that salvation is a process that has more parts than justification (i.e. forgiveness of sins).
• In order to understand the true gospel, we must understand true salvation. The Bible declares that there are four major milestones or events of our salvation, and that they do not happen all at once. 
• The Bible also declares that everyone who is truly regenerate by the Spirit will definitely finish the process and end up glorified in heaven:

Romans 8:29-30  “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

The four main theological divisions of the salvation process are:

Regeneration – Justification – Sanctification – Glorification 

A Full Salvation from Sin:  The Four P’s

Salvation is God’s gracious activity in Christ by which He frees sinners from the penalty, power, practice, and presence of sin.  Salvation is thus a process which is begun here on earth and will not be fully completed until Judgment Day.

1. Saved from sin’s penalty

• The penalty of sin is clear: eternal judgment under the wrath of God in hell.  We have already discussed this (in session 1). 
• On Judgment Day, God will demand an accurate accounting for every sin a person apart from Christ has ever committed:

Revelation 20:12  “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”

• Any who have a single unforgiven sin will be cast into the lake of fire forever and ever. This is called the “second death,” and it is the most terrifying penalty of our sin:

Romans 6:23  “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

• The only way to avoid this penalty is faith in Christ. Christ suffered on the cross in our place, that we might not have to suffer this penalty. 
• He also came to give us a perfect righteousness as a free gift. On Judgment Day, God will require perfect righteousness from each person in order to enter heaven.  The only source of perfect righteousness is Jesus Christ, and the only way to receive that gift is faith:

2 Corinthians 5:21  “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that, in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.”

Romans 1:17  “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.'”

• The moment a sinner puts faith in Christ, he/she is immediately forgiven, declared “Not guilty!” for all sins. This is called justification. 
• Justification happens in a moment, simply by faith apart from works. It can never be taken away from the true believer, it can never be improved upon, it can never spoil or fade, it is “kept in heaven” for us (1 Peter 1:3-4).  We do not feel or see it at all, and we will not experience its full effects until Judgment Day itself when our verdict is read for all to hear.

This is salvation from sin’s penalty.

2. Saved from sin’s power

• At the same moment that a sinner repents and trusts Christ, that person is freed forever from the authority of sin over them. They never need sin again, but are free forever from sin’s power:

Romans 6:17-18  “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

• To be a slave to sin means we have no authority to deny its commands over us. We were at sin’s mercy and sin could command us to act out rebellion against God’s commands. 
• The salvation that God brings gives us total freedom from the authority of sin forever, enabling us to refuse whenever sin commands us to disobey God. Perhaps the best illustration of this power is in the story of Cain and Abel.  Both had brought offerings to God, but God had only accepted Abel’s.  Cain got angry at both Abel and God, prompting God to speak to Cain:

Genesis 4:6-7  “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.'”

Sin crouches daily at the door of every sinner apart from Christ.  We are challenged to “master” it, to defeat it, to dominate it.  However, apart from Christ, we have no power or authority to say “No!”  The glorious good news of the Gospel is stated plainly by the Apostle Paul in our “Emancipation Proclamation” from sin’s power:

Romans 6:14  “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”

Sin has no power over us in terms of authority if we have trusted Christ!

3. Saved from sin’s practice

• However, there is a power of sin in our bodies in that they have been trained to sin through years of experience.
• This power of sin is that of habit, and it is incited by external temptations, by the devil, and by the body’s own weakness.
• This is the next step of salvation: saved from sin’s practice.  The Bible calls this gradual growth into daily Christ-like holiness “sanctification.”  We have to be taught step by step to live in the freedom from sin that Christ purchased for us. 
• The grace of God is that teacher, working a gradual crushing of the habits and practices of sin over the lifetime of the believer:

Titus 2:11-12  “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…”

• We say “No!!” to sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, putting sin to death every time we refuse a temptation. This is precisely the work the indwelling Spirit does for every believer:

 Romans 8:13-14  “…if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

• This work is a partnership between the Spirit and the believer, and it goes on for the rest of your life. We can still fail and lurch into sin where we have no business being and where we do not belong. 
• When we do, the Spirit convicts us of His revulsion against it, we confess it and repent from it, and walk again as new creatures in Christ. However, anyone who is not regularly putting sin to death by the Holy Spirit is not a Christian.

4. Saved from sin’s presence

• This is the final step of our salvation, and the Bible calls it “glorification.” It involves a total freedom from the very presence of sin in heaven. 
• No more indwelling sin nature, no more “body of death” (Romans 7:24) in which resides our proclivity to sin, no more external temptations, no more devil! What glorious freedom!  It also includes a resurrection body, perfect in every respect. 
• It involves an instantaneous transformation the moment we see Christ face to face, and it is accomplished completely by the power of God and by His grace:

Romans 8:29-30  “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-53  “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed–  in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”

1 John 3:2  “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

Our gospel message is the wonderful news that full salvation from sin in all its devastating consequences is available through faith in Christ.

The penalty of sin… The power of sin… The practice of sin… The presence of sin

All removed through faith in Christ!!

• We understand that these things are accomplished for us only by Jesus Christ. They are won for us through His victory at the cross. 
• In order to understand the gospel, we must understand the full achievements of Christ on the cross. The accomplishments of the cross are so immense and sweeping that the Bible uses a wide variety of language to cover them

Practical instruction

Avoiding a “canned-presentation”

• It is very important that we avoid giving a canned-sounding presentation of the gospel. Some people memorize an approach to witnessing, then push “play” on the tape recorder of their minds and out comes the sound from their mouths. 
• Jesus shared the gospel differently in almost every occasion, always in a way tailored to the situation, with some give and take between Him and His hearers.
• The purpose of the gospel outline we’re memorizing is not that we should dump it verbatim on people, but rather to give us a road map for our conversation, so that we hit the stops we need to in our conversation. Also, the memorized Scriptures are essential for the presentation, for “Faith comes from hearing the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
• What I propose instead is that you have a “gospel conversation,” and ask questions of your hearer the way Jesus did. But control the flow of the conversation by means of the mile markers of this gospel outline.

Carrying on a “gospel conversation”… concentric circles

• The management of a “gospel conversation” should progress through concentric circles from more general and superficial topics through to the core issues of the gospel.
• The goal is to draw the person to whom we’re witnessing into a consideration of these core issues so that we have an opportunity to share the saving message of the gospel.
• One of the key tools we can glean from Jesus’ evangelistic technique is that of asking searching, open-ended questions that cause a person to reflect on life or death issues.

Jesus may have been the greatest question-asker ever.  His earliest recorded conversation with anyone was with the teachers in the temple courts.  What amazed them more than anything was the questions He asked, and the understanding those questions showed (Luke 2:46).  When His parents expressed their immense worry over Jesus’ having stayed behind in the temple, Jesus asked them two questions:  “Why were you searching for me?  Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49).  From there, He went on to ask many other incredible questions of people:  “What do you think about the Christ?  Whose son is He?”; “Who do you say that I am?”; “What is the Kingdom of God like?  What shall I compare it to?”; “Where did John’s baptism come from—from heaven or from men?”; “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Real-Life Example:  We can and should use this approach in witnessing.  For example, suppose you’re getting your hair cut at a “Great Clips” store.  The woman seats you and asks how you want your hair cut today.  You answer the question and she settles in to do her work.  You can lead her through ever more serious levels of discussion by your questions:

1)  Level 1:  “How long have you worked here?”  “Do you like working at a place like Great Clips, or would you rather work in a smaller salon?”  “Has today been busy?”  “What’s the busiest day?”  “What kind of hair is easiest to cut?  What kind is hardest?”

2)  Level 2:  “Why did you decide to become a hairdresser?”  “Do you enjoy cutting people’s hair?  Why?”  “You seem to enjoy talking to people… are most customers easy to talk with?” “Do you frequently have to cut the hair of your friends or relatives?  How does it make you feel when they ask you to do it?”

3)  Level 3:  “What would you say is the number one problem facing society today, and how do you think we can solve it?”  “If you inherited a million dollars tomorrow, how would your life change?  Do you think it would change you?”

4)  Level 4:  “What is your spiritual background?  Do you have a church you attend regularly?”  “Have you ever read the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus Christ?  What’s the most remarkable thing you ever heard about Jesus Christ?”  “If you could ask Christ one question—about anything at all—what would it be?” 

The following are some various questions you could use in conversations:

EVANGELISTIC  QUESTIONS

OPENING:

1. “What three things are you most thankful for in your life?”
2. “What is your happiest memory from childhood?”
3. “If you could meet any person from history, who would it be and why?”
4. “What qualities are most important in a mate and why?”
5. “Who was the person who most influenced your values? If you could sum up your values in a few thoughts, what would they be?”
6. “Why do you think there’s so much violence in the world these days?”
7. “Let’s say you were 80 years old and looking back on what you consider to be a good life. What would you want to be in that life?”
8. “If you could have anything at all, what would it be?”
9. “If you could only have one of the following, which would you choose: money, power, good relationships, accomplishments, character, long life?”
10. “What is the most important aspect to a successful life?”
11. “What would you say are the most important differences between your values and those of your parents? Grandparents?”
12. “Would you say most people are afraid to die? If so, why?”
13. “Do you ever think about death? Are you ever afraid to die?”

TRANSITIONAL:

14. “What is your spiritual background?”
15. “Did you enjoy going to church when you were a kid?”
16. “What’s the most beautiful natural sight you’ve ever seen? When you saw it,  what did it make you think of God?”
17. “Have you ever prayed for something and got what you asked for?”
18. “Why do you think most people don’t attend church regularly?”
19. “If you could ask God any question, what would it be and why?”
20. “What would it take for you to believe there’s a God?”
21. “What is the significance of Easter to you?”

EVANGELISTIC:

22. “Who do you think Jesus Christ was?”
23. “Why do you think Jesus died?”
24. “If I could prove to you that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, would you ask Him to be your personal Lord and Savior?”
25. “If you were to die tonight and have to stand before God to give an account for your life, and He were to ask you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?”
26. “Has there ever been a time in your life that you’ve asked Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, or are you still thinking about it.”
27. “The most important thing in my life is having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Would you like to know how you can know God personally?”

“Preparation”

The Four “I’s”

1)  Introduction:  Here, we introduce ourselves (and perhaps the church we’re from, if we’re on a visit with church members)

2)  Interests:  The outer limits of the “concentric circles,” here we discuss everyday secular issues and interests

3)  Involvement:  Here we move closer to the “core” issues by asking what their involvement has been up until now in church… were they raised in a church, do they presently attend one, etc.

4)  Inquiry:  This is the “key question” as follows:

The “Key Question”

“In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven?”

• This question makes a firm transition from more general spiritual issues to an opportunity to explain the gospel accurately
• This question also serves as a diagnostic tool to understand where the person’s at spiritually

Analyzing the answer:

1) A faith answer:  “Anyone who repents and trusts in Christ has eternal life.  I have repented and trusted in Christ, so I know that I have eternal life in His name.”

2)  A works answer:  “I think that if I try really hard to be a good person, and if I love others, I’ll be fine.” Or “If someone’s basically a good person, and if their good deeds outweigh their bad, they can go to heaven.”

3)  An unclear answer:  “I have always believed in God and I try to keep the Ten Commandments and to trust Christ.”

4)  No opinion:  “I have no idea.” Or “Many religions have many different answers to that question, but I don’t think we can really know for sure.”

 Homework

• Memorize “Key question”
• Use Key question with someone you don’t know