There is nothing greater than the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Jesus is the central theme of
all scripture and he is the central theme of the gospel. Jesus is the embodiment of the love, mercy,
kindness and justice of God. The Father
drew us to his Son by sending Jesus to take our place and to give his life to
us. He came out of love for the Father
and out of love for every person in creation.
Even in Christ’s coming he brought mankind exactly what was
needed in himself. He brought light. He brought life. He brought grace. He brought truth. He brought what man was missing even before
he gave himself to be taken up on the cross.
He brought the remedy for all man lost in the garden. Jesus preached the gospel. Jesus brought the gospel. Jesus was the gospel. John speaks:
The darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5
Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:16-17
Gospel means “good news” and that is exactly who Jesus
was. He was the good news when born in
Bethlehem. He was the good news when he
grew up in the knowledge of God. He was
good news when he ministered to the lost.
He was good news when he healed all who were sick. He was good news when he discipled his
disciples. He was good news when he was
lifted up on the cross for man’s sins.
He was good news when he rose from the dead. He was good news when he appeared to his
disciples after his resurrection. He was
good news when he ascended. He was good
news when he sat down at the right hand of his father having completed his work
of redemption.
There is no other gospel outside of Jesus and his completed
work. Men may add things to what the
gospel is and they may take away from it but the gospel does not change. Men may fabricate ideas and beliefs into what
they think is the gospel but the gospel is not amended. Men may follow doctrines that are accepted by
millions but the gospel remains unaltered.
There have been many false gospels but one only true gospel
and that is the gospel where Jesus in his fullness brought the good news with
him and the good news of his completed and glorious work of redemption.
I love the gospel! I
love the good news in Jesus. I will
contend for the true gospel. I will
confront any other gospel that comes to take the place of the true gospel. We must beware that we do not believe any
other gospel.
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the
one we preached to you let them be under God’s curse! Galatians 1:8
Jesus delivered the gospel to us but how do we receive
it? The scripture is quite clear that we
receive the gospel only by faith:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to
Everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the
Righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE
RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” Romans 1:16-17
(Please check
out my tweets on my Twitter account at @confrontcalvin.)
