THE CERTIFIED GOSPEL
The Gospel is not a message created by men. It is not a religious opinion, a philosophy, or a collection of human ideas. It is the good news of what God has done through Jesus Christ. Because the gospel comes from God, it carries divine authority. Paul described it as “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
THE GOSPEL WAS PROMISED. The message of Christ did not suddenly appear when Jesus came into the world. God had been preparing the way from the beginning. The prophets spoke beforehand of the coming Messiah and the salvation He would bring. Paul said that the gospel was “promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:2). What God promised, He fulfilled in Christ.
THE GOSPEL WAS PROVEN. Jesus did not simply claim to be the Son of God. His life, His works, His death, and especially His resurrection testified to who He was. Paul declared that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). The empty tomb stands at the heart of the Christian message. Our faith rests upon an event God accomplished in history.
THE GOSPEL WAS PROCLAIMED. Jesus commanded His disciples to take the gospel into all the world (Mark 16:15). The apostles did not preach themselves. They preached Christ crucified and risen. Their message was not designed to entertain people or win popularity. It was designed to call sinners to faith, repentance, and obedience to Jesus Christ.
THE GOSPEL IS POWERFUL. The Gospel does what human wisdom cannot do. It brings forgiveness to the guilty, hope to the hopeless, peace to the troubled, and life to those who are spiritually dead. It reveals the righteousness of God and calls us to respond in faith (Romans 1:16-17). The Gospel does not merely inform us about salvation. It is God’s appointed message through which salvation is proclaimed.
THE GOSPEL MUST BE PRESERVED. We have no authority to rewrite the Gospel to make it more comfortable, popular, or acceptable. Paul warned that even if someone preached another gospel, it was to be rejected (Galatians 1:8-9). The Gospel does not need improvement. It needs faithful proclamation.
The Gospel is certified by God’s promises, confirmed by Christ’s resurrection, proclaimed by His apostles, and powerful to save those who believe. Therefore, we do not need a new gospel. We need to return to the Gospel God has already given us.
Christ died. Christ was buried. Christ was raised. Christ reigns. And the good news of what He has done still calls every person to believe, repent, and follow Him.
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PRAYER
Father, help me never to be ashamed of Your Gospel. Give me courage to proclaim it faithfully, wisdom to understand it clearly, and humility to obey it completely. Keep me from changing Your message to please men. May my life point others to Jesus Christ, who is the heart and hope of the Gospel. Amen.
BDD
