The gospel is a message that has been passed down for centuries and centuries. In this modern age, where “new” ideas are formed every so often, people question the relevance of this ancient message. Is it time to add or subtract aspects from the message to be more accepted and relatable in our current culture? To answer these questions is straightforward; we need to understand what the gospel is and its message.
What is the gospel?
“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and in righteousness, (2 Timothy 3:16).”
The gospel is a message from God about himself and the human condition. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul the apostle writes, “All scripture is God-breathed”, meaning that it is from God; God has used the prophets, apostles and history to reveal himself to us. In short, the gospel is a revelation of God, and he has revealed facts about himself through the authors and prophets of the Bible giving them divine inspiration.
The message of the Bible.
Now that we know that the gospel has divine authority, let’s consider the message that has been revealed in the gospel. There seems to be a common misconception that the Bible is all about the dos and the don’ts. Where if you don’t obey the commandments you will go to hell; and if you obey the commandments you will go to heaven. But that was never the main message of the Bible.
“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”
Romans 3:19-20
Slaves to Sin
The main message of the Bible is about the human condition; the Bible tells us that all humans are in “the bondage to sin”. And the law (referring to the ten commandments) exposes the fact to us; it is like a ray of light piercing through a dusty room revealing how much dust is actually in that room. The law was never meant to bring salvation for it tells us that the dusty room is our hearts that we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and one day we will all be held accountable for our sins and receive judgement.
The truth is we humans haven’t been the same ever since Adam sinned.
Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned
Romans 5:12
We have all sinned against God, and our relationship with the source of life is broken. If you study history, it is easy to observe a pattern throughout human civilisation. Kingdoms rise to be prosperous but eventually fall into ashes as they become more and more corrupted by sin. That was the case for ancient Israel, the Roman empire and even modern civilisations such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Humans have always been “slaves to sin ” (Romans 6:20) and it is no different today.
Salvation by Grace alone
We have always needed a Saviour it was the case for Abraham, Isaac, King David and it is still the case for us. A Saviour to restore our relationship with God our Creator and to save us from slavery to sin that we may have joy, love and peace. And the gospel means “Good news” because there is a Saviour and everything in the Bible points to him- the Lord Jesus Christ. “For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus the son of God, who was perfect; even the law couldn’t condemn him and but he chose to die on the cross for his people bearing their eternal judgement, rescuing them from slavery to sin. For us he died on the cross and in three days he was raised from the dead. So that those who believed in him are “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:10)
And now there is no condemnation for those who have faith in the Lord Christ Jesus; for the work is finished in his ultimate act of love and obedience. The story of salvation of grace and grace alone, shows us that we have contributed nothing to deserve this free gift, so that our hearts may be filled with gratitude, joy and love.
The gospel message remains relevant
So is this message still relevant in this modern age? Has God changed or have the human condition changed? The gospel is as relevant to us now more than ever. This is because the message of salvation by grace alone is something that mankind will always need.