I really like how John Stott summarized the gospel: “The gospel is not good advice to men, but good news about Christ; not an invitation to us to do anything, but a declaration of what God has done; not a demand, but an offer.”1 Let’s take a look at each part of Stott’s definition.
The gospel is not good advice to men, but good news about Christ
Simply put the gospel is the good news about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of God’s people. According to the Ligonier Ministries website: “The gospel is built on the free and unmerited promises of God. It stands in contrast to every legalistic attempt to gain God’s favor by human effort. It is received by faith in Christ alone.”2
Since the Bible tells us that we are sinners who are totally dead in our sins and trespasses, no amount of good advice from man can change our lost state. Good advice implies that we can do something by listening to worldly wisdom. Sadly, no amount of worldly wisdom can change the reality that the best advice of man is useless since this advice implies we can do something to obtain our salvation. Since all humanity is unrighteous and under the wrath and curse of God it’s not more advice that we need but the supernatural solution to our sin problem – the gospel! No amount of effort or law-keeping can save us – only Christ death and resurrection can. Burk Parsons adds insight here: “The gospel isn’t advice, instructions, threats, or warnings. It’s the good news of victory of all God has done through Christ by the Spirit.”3
The gospel is not an invitation to us to do anything, but a declaration of what God has done
Mankind always wants to add good works and self-effort to somehow gain favor with God. However, no amount of good works can erase a lifetime of sin. The simplicity of the gospel is that God has done everything to make us right with Himself through the declaration of what Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. The gospel is what God has done not what we have done. It is impossible for us to save ourselves, therefore, we must look to God and His declaration of what He has done – and that my friends is the good news of the gospel!
The gospel is not a demand, but an offer.
The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will never demand or coerce us to come to Jesus. But what God will do is to offer us the best deal in the universe – salvation through Jesus Christ. While we would never come to Christ on our own, God will send people into our lives to share the gospel message with us. He will woo us to Himself and do everything possible to show us our lost state and our need for Christ. In the end, however, we must accept His wonderful offer of salvation through faith in Christ.
In closing, I challenge you to find a better deal than the gospel. Jesus offers us a wonderful exchange. You get to get rid of your lying, cheating, and substance abuse ways, things you really don’t want. And in return you get peace, joy, meaning and eternal life – things you really want – and it’s a free gift. The only thing we must do is to accept God’s offer of salvation through faith in Christ alone!
1 The Message of Galatians Quotes by John R.W. Stott (goodreads.com)