The Gospel in a nutshell

It's always good as Christ-followers to continue to grow in your understanding and revelation of the Gospel. 

 
In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, the apostle Paul summarizes the most basic ingredients of the gospel message, namely, the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ. Note the four clauses introduced by that in bold type in verses 3-5 below:

15:1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 15:2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 15:3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 15:4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve…4

These verses, which were an early Christian confession, give us the heart of the gospel and show the that the resurrection is an integral part of the gospel. Note that Paul described this as “of first importance”—a phrase that stresses priority, not time. The stress is on the centrality of these truths to the gospel message.

Actually, the central ingredient of the gospel message is a two-fold confession: (1) Christ died for our sinsand (2) He was raised on the third dayThe reality of these two elements can be verified by the Scriptures (cf. Ps. 16:10Isa. 53:8-10) and by such awesome historical evidence as the empty tomb and the eye witnesses. Thus, the other two elements mentioned here accomplish two important facts regarding the gospel. The fact that He was buried verified His death, and the fact that He appeared to others verified His resurrection

-excerpt from http://bible.org/article/what-gospel

  • John 3:16 (breakdown)

For God (the greatest Giver)

so loved (the greatest motive)
the world (the greatest need),
that He gave (the greatest act)
His only Son (the greatest gift),
that whosoever (the greatest invitation)
believes (the greatest decision)
in Him (the greatest Person)
believes in Him (the greatest opportunity)
should not perish (the greatest deliverance),
but (the greatest difference)
have (the greatest certainty)
eternal life (the greatest possession).

  • The response to the gospel is always deep personal repentance-

Mat 3:2 NLT - "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."

Act 3:19 NLT - Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

1Jo 2:12 NLT - I am writing to you who are God's children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.


 

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