Parkview Street Gospel Hall
234 Parkview Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Gospel
So what is the gospel message that we preach? It is the message of good news that we read in the Bible, God's Word. It is the message of God's provision of salvation for sinful humanity. It is the message concerning His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Before we try and explain it to you using our own words, let us see what God's Word has to say in relation to the gospel. Many verses tell us in a concise manner what the gospel says. Let us look at I Timothy 1:15. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Paraphrasing the verse, we could read it like this: "This is a true saying, and you can trust in it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am the worst." The first line of this verse deals with the credibility of the message. This is a message that you can trust, because it comes straight from the pages of God's infallible Word, the Bible, and the truth of it will never change. It is a fact of history that you can depend upon, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
This word "sinners" may raise objections, but God's Word clearly states in Romans 3:23 that "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." This is because all men and women are sinners by nature, we all have the same sin problem. The sins that people commit can vary in type; but whether it be murder or disobedience to parents, it is all sin in God's sight. Sin is simply rebellion and disobedience against the absolute righteous standards of God, which are summarized in the Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), which include lying, dishonoring parents, and coveting something that belongs to another. We have all done these things; an evidence of our sinful nature. This is also why death is universal; every single person dies, because as Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death." If you sin, you will die, as that is the penalty for sin, and what sinners must get paid.
The Bible teaches that God is holy and righteous. God says Himself, "I the Lord your God am holy" in Leviticus 19:2, and as a result, He demands payment for man's sin. Sin must be judged; it cannot go unpunished. This is why the Bible teaches us about hell and the lake of fire, places where God judges those who do not accept His Son as their Saviour. This will be an eternal judgment, which will never end. We don't like to speak of these things, but the Bible speaks of them, and we would not be true to the message if we did not mention these things. The Lord Jesus said "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3,5); He spoke of the judgment of hell as a place where "the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44,46,48).
So we are all sinners, and God must judge sin. Therefore we would all be doomed to hell. But the good news of the gospel message is that God has done something about it. "But God commends His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," (Romans 5:8). In wondrous grace, God loves us, in spite of our sin, and so He gave His only Son to die a sacrificial death for sin on the cross. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." God's Son was perfect; He lived a perfectly sinless life, recorded for us in the four gospels at the beginning of the New Testament. At the end of His life here on the earth, He offered Himself on the cross of Calvary to take away our sin. He bore the judgment that my sin deserved so that I can go free. Sin must be judged, and at the cross of Calvary, God laid the sin of the whole world on the Lord Jesus Christ, and judged Him there for it all. He willingly gave up His life there on the cross, and rose again from the dead three days later. Today He is at God's right hand. So although God could not leave sin unpunished, He could lay the charge of the sin of the whole world to His Son, so that those who believe on Him can go free, without having to face the wrath of God, and be eternally separated from God, in hell and in the lake of fire.
But although there is provision for the whole world of sinners, not everyone will be saved. It is those who believe the message, who are obedient to the truth of it, who are saved, "For by grace are you saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Some say that you have to give money to the church, or get baptized, or reform your life, to gain the forgiveness of sins. That is not what the Bible says. Ephesians 2:9 tells us that it is "Not of works, lest any man should boast." So God's salvation, and forgiveness of our sin, is not based on any works that we can do.
But I must take my place as a sinner. "All have sinned". The Lord Jesus said in Luke 5:32, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." And there is none righteous, but the Lord meant that He could not save those who were self-righteous. He used the illustration of a sick person who needs to go to a doctor; "They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31). You don't go to the doctor generally unless you realize that you have a disease. And so if you don't recognize that you are a sinner, you won't go to the Lord Jesus for salvation, and you will not be saved. And that is why Paul says in our verse in I Timothy 1:15, "of whom I am chief." Paul realized that he was a sinner. Paul may have appeared to have been a very religious person outwardly, apparently keeping God's law. But he knew that inwardly he was a sinner, and was prepared to take the place as the chief of sinners. Believers in the Lord Jesus who are saved have come to appreciate that they are sinners, but they have come to Christ, and have placed their faith in His work on the cross. Our salvation is not about what we have done, or what we can yet do, but it is based upon what Christ has done for us, in bearing God's righteous wrath against sin on the cross of Calvary.
Today in this message of the gospel that we have tried to explain, God offers to you the free gift of salvation. You must accept your place as a sinner, and then place your faith in the Person of God's Son, and the work that He did on your behalf when He died on the cross. The work of salvation is all done, the Lord Jesus cried from the cross, "It is finished" (John 19v30). God is eternally satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son for man's sin. All we have to do is rest upon what He did for us, and receive God's gift of eternal life; "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Additional verses at the right side of this page convey further the truth of the gospel. You can also listen to some audio gospel messages.
Other Helpful Gospel Texts from the Bible:
"Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the scriptures." I Corinthians 15:2-3
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
"For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." I Timothy 2:5-6
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hears My word, and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." John 5:24
"He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36
"Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no one comes to the Father, but by Me.'" John 14:6
"He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastise-ment of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
"I am the Door; by Me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved." John 10:9
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:22
"Come unto Me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
"Christ also has once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." I Peter 3:18
"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:17
"If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
"Behold, the Lamb of God, which bears away the sin of the world." John 1:29
