A Right Understanding of the Gospel

In the past years, I have thought a lot about one of the White Horse Inn radio shows on the gospel. They sent one of their producers to the Christian Book Distributors Conference to ask some questions. One of the questions was, "What is the Gospel?" If I remember correctly, only one person used the name of Jesus in their answer. A lot of people do not have a correct understanding of the Gospel.

In many churches, outreach brings in many. They may hear, "Come to Jesus, your marriage will be better, your depression may leave, on and on and on." Is this the gospel.? No.

A right understanding of the gospel includes an understanding of our sinful state, the fact that our only hope for salvation is through faith in Christ's finished work on the cross, the fact that our sins are forgiven, we are justified, and clothed in His Righteousness. Our good works contribute nothing to our salvation. And yet God works in us as Philippians 2:13 states for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Therefore it is about Gods work, not ours.

With a wrong understanding of the gospel, so many feel the pressure to live up to some Christian expectation of how they ought to live. And as they continue to struggle, they feel helpless. That is when we ought to remember well that our only hope for salvation is in Christ. I will have to write more about this later. Please know I am not promoting an antinomian theology!

Heidelberg Catechism says it well.

Lord's Day 1 (Q & A 1 2)

Lord's Day 1

Q & A 1

Q. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,^1
but belong—
body and soul,
in life and in death—^2
to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.^3

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,^4
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.^5
He also watches over me in such a way^6
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven:^7
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.^8

Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life^9
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.^10

^1 1 Cor. 6:19-20
^2 Rom. 14:7-9
^3 1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14
^4 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2
^5 John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11
^6 John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5
^7 Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18
^8 Rom. 8:28
^9 Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14
^10 Rom. 8:1-17

Q & A 2

Q. What must you know
to live and die in the joy of this comfort?

A. Three things:
first, how great my sin and misery are;^1
second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery;^2
third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance.^3

^1 Rom. 3:9-10; 1 John 1:10
^2 John 17:3; Acts 4:12; 10:43
^3 Matt. 5:16; Rom. 6:13; Eph. 5:8-10; 2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Pet. 2:9-10

Thanks for reading, Coleen