What is the Gospel? • 11.05.23
Nick Lees   -   November 5, 2023

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What is the Gospel?
Romans 3:9-26

The truth of the Gospel for us

  1. Everyone is dead in their sin
  2. The law brings awareness of our sin but leaves us condemned
  3. God’s plan to save is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ
  4. All who believe in Jesus Christ are justified

 

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles (Romans 1; page 1116)

As I mentioned earlier, our focus this month is on the Stewardship of the Gospel. God has entrusted to us the most important message in all of creation. The answer for how sinful men/women can be at peace with their holy Creator and have the hope of eternal life with him. The Gospel is the hope of humanity. It is the only way of salvation and eternal hope. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we steward it well.

God did not intend that we would sit on the Gospel message and keep it to ourselves. This Good News is meant to be spread across the globe. God intends to make a people for himself of every tongue, tribe, and nation. And he intends to use ordinary people like you and me to accomplish his plan. So wise stewardship of the Gospel is required for Christians. This is an integral part of our calling to follow Christ. If you recall what Jesus said to his first disciples in Matthew 4:19:

Matthew 4:19 (ESV)

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Jesus’ call is to follow him, and he promises to do a work in them/in you/in me. He sends us out to fish for men or, to put it another way, to make disciples. To share the Gospel. To tell others of Jesus and the call to believe in and follow him.

Throughout this month, we’ll be sitting under the teaching of the Apostle Paul, who also received this call to steward the Gospel. It happened for him when he was on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians! A bright light shone around him and blinded him. Here is what happened next:

Acts 9:4–6 (ESV)

4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

The resurrected Jesus Christ appeared to Saul (aka Paul) and called him into Gospel ministry.

Acts 9:15 (ESV)

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

If you’re familiar with your Bibles, you know that God used Paul to spread the Gospel far and wide over the next few decades. During that time, he faced many obstacles and sufferings, yet he persevered in the faith and God used him to plant many churches and write a large portion of the New Testament. Paul is a great reminder to us that God can use ANYONE, even those who formerly hated Christ and killed Christians. As we will hear in more detail in coming weeks, God delights to use the weak and lowly as stewards of the Gospel.

Now, I had you turn to Romans earlier, let me reintroduce you to Paul years after he had believed in Jesus Christ. Let’s look at Romans 1:1-6. Listen to how Paul speaks about himself and his calling in this passage:

Romans 1:1–6 (ESV)

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

He is a servant of Christ, an apostle commissioned by Jesus to carry the message of the Gospel to the world. This Gospel was promised long ago by the Old Testament prophets who did not understand the full details of it in their day. This gospel concerns God’s Son, Jesus, who is of the lineage of King David, having taken on humanity and walked among us, and is the Son of God in power through the resurrection from the dead. This Jesus is the Messiah or Christ, the Anointed One, our Lord, the giver of grace. This Jesus has sent Paul to proclaim this message to bring about the obedience of faith that Jesus might be glorified among the nations.

WOW. What an introduction to a letter! Paul lays it all out there in the first few verses. His calling and his message are of great importance for the entire world! This letter to the Romans is an extensive treatment of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But wait. What is the Gospel? I keep saying this term, but what do we mean by it?

Some of this has already been implied in what I’ve said, but let’s slow down and make sure we’re on the same page. To state it simply, the word Gospel literally means Good News. What is the Good News? The gospel (good news) tells us of God’s plan of salvation for sinful humans from his just wrath through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, all accomplished by God’s own grace and not the sinner’s merit. (Repeat) This is a definition that will be unpacked as we progress through this study.

The Gospel is a message from God to us. It details the human condition and the way of salvation that God has provided from that condition. The Gospel is exclusive in its explanation of the way of salvation (“Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life” – John 14:6 and “The only name by which one may be saved” – Acts 4:12), yet it is inclusive in that it is for all who would repent and believe, whether Jew or Gentile. (“for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” – Romans 1:16-17) The Gospel reveals that without faith in Jesus Christ, we all stand condemned in our sin. This is a message that demands a response from everyone who walks the earth.

This will be explored in greater detail as we study God’s Word. Let’s turn our attention to Romans 3. As I read this, I want you to notice how the first thing we hear is the Bad News before we hear the Good News.

Romans 3:9–26 (ESV)

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

       “None is righteous, no, not one;

11        no one understands;

no one seeks for God.

12    All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

no one does good,

not even one.”

13    “Their throat is an open grave;

they use their tongues to deceive.”

       “The venom of asps is under their lips.”

14        “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

15    “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16        in their paths are ruin and misery,

17    and the way of peace they have not known.”

18        “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

What a powerful message for us this morning! Are you thankful that Paul did not stop at the Bad News?! Let me help you understand the context a bit more. From chapter 1:18 through 3:20, Paul has been revealing the universal plight of sin upon humanity. Both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) are dead in their sin and stand condemned before a perfect and just God! This is incredibly bad news, but it is essential for us to understand if we’re going to hear and receive the Good News which follows.

Pastor Martin Lloyd-Jones once said, “there are no more wonderful words in the whole of Scripture than just these two words ‘But now.’ ” He is speaking of verse 21 and the turn from the Bad News to the Good News. In the time we have remaining this morning, let’s unpack…

The truth of the Gospel for us

Unfortunately for us, the truth of the Gospel does begin with the Bad News. It is this that Paul hit so heavily on in verses 9-18. Our first truth takeaway is…

  1. Everyone is dead in their sin

Everyone. As Paul quoted from Psalm 14, “none is righteous, no, not one. No one understands; no one seeks for God.” This is God’s judgment of the human condition and there is not even one of us, past/present/or future who escapes it. This is the Bad News, and it confronts us this morning.

Contrary to what your family may have told you or perhaps what you tell yourself, you are not an inherently good person. The effect of sin is pervasive in our world and in each of us. Everything and everyone is stained by sin. What is sin? The Old Testament word for sin literally means missing the mark. It is missing the mark of God’s holiness. (As we heard in Romans 3:23, we are all falling short of the glory of God in our sin…) Sin is not just an action, it is also a condition of uncleanness or impurity before a holy God. It corrupts God’s good creation. Sin is a way of life that opposes God’s way of life. The classical definition of sin is “a lack of conformity to the law of God”. God has revealed his will to us in his word and sin is rejecting it to go our own way. We reject his path of righteousness for the path of wickedness.

As those in the line of fire with these statements, we like to justify and excuse our behavior and condition. “Well, I’m not that bad! I do good things. I’m a nice guy/gal!” This is self-justification and it will not hold up on Judgment Day before our perfectly Righteous Lord and Judge. All of our self-justifications will flee away before the One to whom we have to give an account. We will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are guilty of grievous sin. Left to ourselves, there is no escape from God’s just judgment of our sin.

Paul strung together a variety of quotations from the Old Testament in this passage to make his point. Our speech and our behavior reveal the depth of our sin nature. This ties in so well with what we have just learned in our previous series “Blessed are the Peacemakers” where we heard (Fruit to Root tree) that our fruit (behavior/words) comes from our root (heart/desires). Sin is pervasive and deeply rooted in each of us. And our sin nature is revealed in our thoughts/words/and deeds.

“The way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Paul uses these passages to make his argument clear – neither Jew nor Gentile can stand before God as righteous and approved. Everyone has the same problem. They need a way to be reconciled or at peace with God.

Oh, how we long for the way to peace with God to be revealed to us! And it has been! … But first we must look at what comes next in verses 19-20. Our second truth takeaway is…

  1. The law brings awareness of our sin but leaves us condemned

Our Creator has not left us unaware of what is right and wrong. He spelled it out for us in his law, which is found in the Word! The Jews had the special privilege of being the chosen people of God to receive the law. They were called to be a people set apart for God that they might influence the nations for him. However, the law became a stumbling block for them, as they could not keep it! The law brought awareness of sin to the Jews and now, the Gentiles (non-Jews), but it did not provide a way for them to keep it. In Paul’s own words in verse 19, by the law, we are all held accountable to God. He continues in verse 20, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” God leaves no room for someone to hold to the false ideology that they are an inherently good person or that their good outweighs their bad. No one will be justified by their works! The law of God leaves us all condemned.

At the end of the day, our sin nature is too strong for us to overcome by our own strength/will. Ironically, this sermon comes the week of Reformation Day when Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the Wittenburg (Vittenburg) Church. Martin struggled with the very thing we are discussing here, condemnation under the law due to his own sinful nature. He wrote often about his struggle. The following comic uses artistic license to portray his struggle. (Reftoons comic – 2 pages) It was as he wrestled with the teachings of the book of Romans that God gave him understanding. He did not have to remain condemned in his sin but could have confidence that God had made a way of justification through faith in Christ.

Luther recounts this breakthrough in his own walk with God:

Then finally God had mercy on me, and I began to understand that the righteousness of God is a gift of God by which a righteous man lives, namely faith, and that sentence: The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel, is passive, indicating that the merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’

Now I felt as though I had been reborn altogether and had entered Paradise. In the same moment the face of the whole of Scripture became apparent to me. My mind ran through the Scriptures, as far as I was able to recollect them, seeking analogies in other phrases, such as the work of God, by which He makes us strong, the wisdom of God, by which He makes us wise, the strength of God, the salvation of God, the glory of God. Just as intensely as I had now hated the expression ‘the righteousness of God,’ I now lovingly praised this most pleasant word. This passage from Paul became to me the very gate to Paradise. (Martin Luther in his letter to friend Hermann Stossel)

The passage he’s speaking of is Romans 1:16-17, which we shared earlier:

Romans 1:16–17 (ESV)

16 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. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

The gospel is the power of God for salvation from our sins and God’s just wrath! Not only does it make us aware of the bad news, as we have seen in verses 9-20, but it also declares to us the BEST NEWS in verses 21-26:

Romans 3:21–26 (ESV)

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Our third truth takeaway is…

  1. God’s plan to save is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ

This is the consistent message of the Old and New Testament. What was once a mystery to the Old Testament prophets and saints has been revealed in the coming of Christ. The only way of salvation is through faith in Jesus. While we aren’t going to trace the Old Testament passages and themes that pointed ahead to this coming Savior today, that will be the focus of part of our series in December “Behold the Christ”. The Bible reveals from start to finish, Genesis to Revelation, the plan of God to make a people for himself and to be in relationship with those people through faith in Jesus Christ.

It is through faith in Jesus that God’s righteousness/justifying work comes to bear on a sinner’s heart and life. You and I no longer have to remain dead in our sin, not because of anything we have done, but solely because of what Jesus Christ has done! By faith we are united with him in his perfect righteousness. By faith we are forgiven of our sins and declared righteous. Those who were once dead in sin can now be made alive in Christ!

As Paul states in verse 24, this justifying work of God is entirely an act of grace. No one earns it or deserves it. Perhaps you’ve heard it put this way. Grace is… God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense. It is God’s unmerited favor. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life and went to the Cross in his people’s place. On the Cross, he bore the wrath of God that was meant for his people’s sins.

As Paul makes clear here in verse 24-25, God’s justifying work is through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (he paid the ransom). Jesus alone faced the terrifying wrath of God on our behalf. He drank the cup of God’s wrath dry so that there would be no wrath left for those who have faith in him!

Paul states that God’s justifying work required Christ as our propitiation. That’s a million $ word. What does it mean? It means that Jesus both satisfied and removed God’s wrath from his people. Just as we’ve said, there is no wrath left for his people. The blood of Jesus Christ was shed for the forgiveness of sins, past/present/and future. Those who were once dead in sin, impure and unclean, can be washed white as snow through the precious blood of Christ. There is a reason so many hymns sing about the amazing power of the blood of Jesus. It is by his shed blood that one moves from death to life.

Hearing this Gospel message that Paul is proclaiming was life-changing for the Jews and Gentiles of his day. The Jews had sought to be justified or declared righteous/innocent by their works, their adherence to the law. However, when Jesus came, he pointed out that they could never attain the perfection necessary to do so. Then he blew their minds even further by pointing out that the way of salvation was through faith in Him. The Jews had to come to grips with the reality that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah and the only way of salvation. They had to renounce their works-based righteousness for faith in him.

Meanwhile, the Gentiles were also invited to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. This was even more eye-popping! The rest of the nations were invited into the people of God. These pagans who formerly worshiped a myriad of Greek or Roman gods or perhaps put their trust in their intellect or wealth were being told that the only way of salvation is to trust in the One, True Savior, Jesus Christ. No other way could save. Faith in Jesus was and still is the appropriate response. They did not have to keep offering sacrifices or penance to appease false deities. They could come to Jesus and find rest for their weary souls.

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This rest comes when you realize Jesus has done the work and you are free to live for him. This is the only Gospel (Good News) for salvation. Any other way is a false gospel. And many false gospels have arisen over the course of world history. Many are still perpetuated to this day. Which is why it is of the utmost importance that God’s people are stewarding the gospel well by boldly declaring the true Gospel, presenting it to others and inviting them to receive the blessing of the forgiveness of their sins and new life in Christ.

Our fourth truth takeaway is abundantly clear in verses 21-26:

  1. All who believe in Jesus Christ are justified

Let’s talk through this statement.

  • All who believe
    • The gospel is for everyone who believes. Jew or Greek/Gentile. (c.f. Rom. 1:16-17 again)
    • The gospel does not discriminate between color of skin, socioeconomic class, gender, age, or the myriad of other reasons that we humans find for division. God’s people are a beautiful mixture of people from all over the world, with all different backgrounds and upbringings, with many differences, but one necessary and unifying thing in common – faith in Jesus Christ.
    • The gospel is for all who believe.
    • A response is necessary to this Good News! == Faith
  • Believe in Jesus Christ
    • Faith is necessary, and it is in the finished work of Jesus Christ. His D/B/R is the payment for your sins. Jesus must be your propitiation/Redeemer. This is the only way of salvation.
    • Have you acknowledged your sin and your desperate need for Jesus as your Savior? If not, what is keeping you from doing so? This is a matter of eternal life or eternal death. Facing the wrath of God or entering into his blessed presence and perfection forever.
    • If you have responded to Jesus in faith, then this next truth is especially precious to you.
  • Are justified
    • Declared legally righteous. Innocent. Free from condemnation. Saved from God’s wrath. Saved from eternal hell.

Romans 5:1 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:9 (ESV)

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

A common way of explaining this is that God looks at me as “Just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned.” In fact we have sinned, that is why we need Christ, but through faith in Christ we are now washed clean of our sin and clothed in his righteousness.

1 John 1:7 (ESV)

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Now, would you agree that being freed from sin and the wrath of God is already a really amazing blessing? AMEN! However, the beauty of the gospel is that not only are we freed from wrath and the penalty of sin, BUT we also have every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

The Gospel is also the source of great blessing! God has richly blessed us IN CHRIST. Everything that I need for life and godliness is mine in Christ. The hope of eternal life with my Creator is mine in Christ. The confidence that I will be with him in the sinless perfection of the New Heaven and New Earth is mine in Christ. What kind of response is appropriate at this point to this Good News? A wise steward of the Gospel ought to be marked by joyful thanksgiving. I am extremely blessed! I have every reason to give thanks and praise!

A wise steward is also marked by obedience to Christ. As we’ll hear more of next week, the Gospel is not only for salvation but for everyday life. Wise stewardship is walking in the light of the Gospel. *pause*

How does understanding the Gospel help prepare you to present it to others? (If time, solicit answers)

  • Boldness; freedom from fear of man; confidence in the truth; a peace that cannot be taken from you; a conviction that others need this hope of forgiveness; a reminder that everyone spends eternity somewhere
  • Perhaps you have a specific person, family or friend, who is impressed on your mind
    • 5-3-1 Cards

How should the Gospel change the way I view and respond to my circumstances? (If time, solicit answers)

A Gospel perspective ought to change everything about our life here and now. Wise stewards cultivate a gospel perspective.

Pastor Milton Vincent – “As for my specific earthly circumstances of plenty or want, I can see them always as infinite improvements on the hell I deserve.”

  • We can have hope in trials (Rom. 5:1-5)
    • Trials are for my good and God’s glory (Rom. 8:28-29; James 1:2-4; 2 Cor. 12:9-10)
  • I am grateful for the wrath I’m not receiving
  • I’m grateful for the blessings that are given to me!
    • “Life’s blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop of the wrath I deserve”
    • Even the smallest blessing should blow me away. And, yet we’ve been given EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ!
  • We now desire to give thanks in every circumstance (1 Thess. 5:18)
    • Paul & Silas singing hymns to God after being beaten with rods by the Philippians
  • We fight for contentment like Paul in Philippians 4

May we seek to be good stewards of the Gospel. Good stewards not only know the Gospel, they share the Gospel and allow the Gospel to change their daily lives. May we live this week in joyful thanksgiving and obedience to Christ, the One who died to save us from our sins. May our response to trials and the circumstances of life be informed by the blessed hope that awaits us at Christ’s return. If you’re in Christ, you’re going to glory with him!

Share the 7-day stewardship study + the other resources that we have compiled for their benefit.

Let’s give thanks in prayer.

Prayer of praise