What is the Gospel - In Your Own Words

[Holy Universe]

Greetings. I'm doing a study on the Gospel, exploring different ways of sharing the message.

I think it's helpful to have a few minute version - simple enough a child could understand and a more elaborate version - going through all the details.

Would anyone mind sharing there two versions?

1. The simple one
2. The "theological dissertation" one

As I began this study, I found myself more and more putting together a quite complex Gospel, but now see the wisdom of the simplicity of the gospel - to keep it simple.

I found that knowing it is different than understanding it (which is salvation). Now there is also a wisdom in sharing it as well. Being able to teach and share one's knowledge is a skillset for sure - and needs to be practice - unless born with it by grace of God.

Blessed are those in service to God with felicity, the ability to find appropriate expression for one's thoughts, For awesome is He and how unfathomable his ways. Even the simplicity that is within Christ and the gospel is awe inspiring considering the depth it contains.

Cheers

 

[dwb001]

 

[d taylor]

-
​

Gospel simply means good news, so if you are asking about a gospel addressing how a person receives God's free gift of Eternal Life salvation and becomes a born again child of God.

Then the good news is that to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life salvation. God requires only one condition and that is belief or faith in Jesus.
That is to believe in Jesus, that Jesus is the resurrection and the life, the only begotten Son of God / the promised Messiah. So believe in the person Jesus for Eternal Life.

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

 

[1Tonne]

I found that knowing it is different than understanding it (which is salvation).

I agree with this. Many people know the Gospel, but they do not understand it. This is often because they have been told the Good New without the bad news first. When speaking to the lost we, should not give them the cure first. First, we need to show them their need for a saviour. That they have sinned and sinned against God. When saying the bad news, many Christians just skim the sins that the unbeliever has done but this can downplay the depravity that is within the person. It can make the person think that they are not really that bad. So, if possible, it is best to bring the law first. God's law. If we can show the person that their sin is not against man but God, then they will see a need for His mercy.
This is what I do:

The Great Chocolate Evangelizing trick - This works.

I have been trying to find easy ways to approach non-believers and then tell them the Gospel. I personally find going up to a stranger and saying the full Gospel very scary. I read on this forum about a challenge where the stranger must name all the 10 Commandments in 60 seconds. If they get...

www.christianforums.com

And another great one to learn off is Living Waters

Living Waters

The vision of Living Waters is to inspire and equip Christians to fulfill the Great Commission. You can learn more about our ministry at http://www.LivingWaters.com. You can visit our store by going to LivingWaters.com/store, or by clicking the Living Waters Store link below. Hosted by Ray...

www.youtube.com

Also, many believers, even though they know what the Gospel, do not know how to say it clearly. Often, they can waffle on or miss important bits out (such as the law). So, if you are not confident, write it down and memorise it. I did this, and now I can say the Gospel confidently when previous, I was terrible.

 

[maxamir]

 

[Holy Universe]

View attachment 335919

This is outstanding, as I've literally found myself saying almost word for word the same!! Amazing. It's like looking in a mirror. Praise God for writing his laws in our hearts for truly we are one spirit in Christ.

 

[Holy Universe]

We must know who God is first and foremost, his attributes, for He is holy, holy, holy. This is critical to understanding the gospel.

Only then can we turn to ourselves to see we are not, but utterly depraved and deprived, our hearts desperately wicked beyond measure, but by the restraining love and power of God, all of us, would not be unlike the worst of humanity, if given the same conditions. Horizontally, man is also wicked toward man, due to his heart - wars, not caring (opposite of love) and vertically, we knew not God or sought Him and his rightousness, so we were estranged from God and no longer had the holy sprit within us after the fall (for mankind are not spiritually dead as some claim, but the bible says we have two spirits, the one breathed into us and the holy spirit, so we can communicate with God and be in his presence in spirit and truth), but I digress.

Only then is it appropiate to bring up God's love, for many a time it says that God is holy, holy, holy, but nay ever that He is love, love, love, so first and foremost we should view God as such, imo. It is out of His love, he doesn't destroy us immidiately, but is longersuffering. It is also because of His love and namesake He sent Christ to us, gave him to us as propitation for us sins - indeed, it is the blood of christ that satisfies God's judgement, making him now just and justifier. Now we see the rightousness of God and His love for he is holy, holy, holy, salvation is by grace alone and not works, whereby all other religions oppose christianity, in the height of their arrogance, assume God will be indebted to them of their works.

As you can see, whenever I break out into explaining the gospel, it is quite lenghthy, I can keep going on and on, and will try to wrap up my thoughts in another post, but i'm preparing some text for sabbath tomorrow, and need to get back to that.

I'll continue where I left on who Christ is because thats so important - it had to be Christ, only Him, not any man, or even angel in heaven, but Him.

The key part I want to add I didn't see mentioned yet is the blood - it is this that is the key, the blood, the blood, the blood, as Robert Breaker likes to emphasize, lol. This is the mechanism so to speak of our salvation for life is in the blood, and only life can be used as a payment for sin, in the OT it covered sin, but do to Who Christ is, it is the permanent remission of sin.

Alas, back to work. Cheers

 

[Holy Universe]

Just came across this, which is also something on my mind as of late in 2 Corinthians.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ

 

[1Tonne]

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Then explain why we would perish.

 

[Soyeong]

Greetings. I'm doing a study on the Gospel, exploring different ways of sharing the message.

I think it's helpful to have a few minute version - simple enough a child could understand and a more elaborate version - going through all the details.

Would anyone mind sharing there two versions?

1. The simple one
2. The "theological dissertation" one

As I began this study, I found myself more and more putting together a quite complex Gospel, but now see the wisdom of the simplicity of the gospel - to keep it simple.

I found that knowing it is different than understanding it (which is salvation). Now there is also a wisdom in sharing it as well. Being able to teach and share one's knowledge is a skillset for sure - and needs to be practice - unless born with it by grace of God.

Blessed are those in service to God with felicity, the ability to find appropriate expression for one's thoughts, For awesome is He and how unfathomable his ways. Even the simplicity that is within Christ and the gospel is awe inspiring considering the depth it contains.

Cheers

(1) In Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the Gentiles, and God's law was how his audience knew what sin is (Romans 3:20), so repenting from our disobedience to it is a central part of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

(2) The Gospel of the Kingdom is directly connected with the promise, so what Jesus taught in Matthew 4:15-23 was in accordance with him being sent in fulfillment of the promise to bless us by turning us from our wickedness (Acts 3:25-26), which was the Gospel that was made known in advance to Abraham in accordance with the promise (Galatians 3:8), which he spread to those in Haran in accordance with the promise (Genesis 12:1-5). Furthermore, repenting by becoming zealous for doing good works in obedience to God's law is the way to believe in what Jesus accomplished through the cross (Titus 2:14, Acts 21:20).

In Genesis 18:19, God knew Abraham that he would teach his children and those of his household to walk in God's way by doing righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to him all that he promised. In Genesis 26:4-5, God will multiply Abraham's children as the stars in the heaven, to his children He will give all of these lands, and through his children all of the nations of the earth will be blessed because he heard God's voice and guarded His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. In Deuteronomy 30:16, if the children of Abraham will love the Lord their God with all of their heart by walking in His way in obedience to His commandments, statutes, and laws, then they will live and multiply and God will bless then in the land that they go to possess. So the promise was made to Abraham and brought about because he walked in God's way in obedience to His law, he taught his children and those of his household to do that in accordance with spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom, and because they did that.

In Psalms 119:1-3, God's law is how the children of Abraham knew how to be blessed by walking in His way, and in John 8:39, Jesus said that if they were children of Abraham, then they would be doing the same works as him, so the way that the children of Abraham and multiplied and are a blessing to the nations is not by having many physical descendants, but through turning the nations from their wickedness and teaching them to do the same works as Abraham by walking in God's way in obedience to His law in accordance with spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom.

 

[honey badger]

Greetings. I'm doing a study on the Gospel, exploring different ways of sharing the message.

I think it's helpful to have a few minute version - simple enough a child could understand and a more elaborate version - going through all the details.

Would anyone mind sharing there two versions?

1. The simple one
2. The "theological dissertation" one

As I began this study, I found myself more and more putting together a quite complex Gospel, but now see the wisdom of the simplicity of the gospel - to keep it simple.

I found that knowing it is different than understanding it (which is salvation). Now there is also a wisdom in sharing it as well. Being able to teach and share one's knowledge is a skillset for sure - and needs to be practice - unless born with it by grace of God.

Blessed are those in service to God with felicity, the ability to find appropriate expression for one's thoughts, For awesome is He and how unfathomable his ways. Even the simplicity that is within Christ and the gospel is awe inspiring considering the depth it contains.

Cheers

the whole gospel can be seen in this verse ...

And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know I am the Lord.

 

[maxamir]

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Then explain why we would perish.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

It is very simple. It is declared exactly:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV
1. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2. By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

That is it. Nothing is added. Nothing was taken away.

1. first of all... Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
2. he was buried,
3. he rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures:

Just keep that in remembrance and act accordingly in your walk, which is the proof of your faith.

 

[maxamir]

We must know who God is first and foremost, his attributes, for He is holy, holy, holy. This is critical to understanding the gospel.

Only then can we turn to ourselves to see we are not, but utterly depraved and deprived, our hearts desperately wicked beyond measure, but by the restraining love and power of God, all of us, would not be unlike the worst of humanity, if given the same conditions. Horizontally, man is also wicked toward man, due to his heart - wars, not caring (opposite of love) and vertically, we knew not God or sought Him and his rightousness, so we were estranged from God and no longer had the holy sprit within us after the fall (for mankind are not spiritually dead as some claim, but the bible says we have two spirits, the one breathed into us and the holy spirit, so we can communicate with God and be in his presence in spirit and truth), but I digress.

Only then is it appropiate to bring up God's love, for many a time it says that God is holy, holy, holy, but nay ever that He is love, love, love, so first and foremost we should view God as such, imo. It is out of His love, he doesn't destroy us immidiately, but is longersuffering. It is also because of His love and namesake He sent Christ to us, gave him to us as propitation for us sins - indeed, it is the blood of christ that satisfies God's judgement, making him now just and justifier. Now we see the rightousness of God and His love for he is holy, holy, holy, salvation is by grace alone and not works, whereby all other religions oppose christianity, in the height of their arrogance, assume God will be indebted to them of their works.

As you can see, whenever I break out into explaining the gospel, it is quite lenghthy, I can keep going on and on, and will try to wrap up my thoughts in another post, but i'm preparing some text for sabbath tomorrow, and need to get back to that.

I'll continue where I left on who Christ is because thats so important - it had to be Christ, only Him, not any man, or even angel in heaven, but Him.

The key part I want to add I didn't see mentioned yet is the blood - it is this that is the key, the blood, the blood, the blood, as Robert Breaker likes to emphasize, lol. This is the mechanism so to speak of our salvation for life is in the blood, and only life can be used as a payment for sin, in the OT it covered sin, but do to Who Christ is, it is the permanent remission of sin.

Alas, back to work. Cheers

Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

All men are born spiritually dead in Adam (Gen 2:17) because he lost the image and likeness of God in the Fall and are cursed children of the devil, slaves to sin and Satan unless they are born again by grace in Christ in whom His holy image is restored and the spirit of man is made alive.

 

[Holy Universe]

Honestly, in my opinion, it should take atleast 15 minutes to explain things fully. The gospel is simple, but there are things which must be understood to be saved

Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,

Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

All men are born spiritually dead in Adam (Gen 2:17) because he lost the image and likeness of God in the Fall and are cursed children of the devil, slaves to sin and Satan unless they are born again by grace in Christ in whom His holy image is restored and the spirit of man is made alive.

I thought so too, heard a couple people mention it, however, it is false. The bible clearly mentions those regenerated have two spirits - the human one and the holy spirit. There is no denying.

Otherwise, do a little bible search. If what you assert is true, humans are spiritually dead, then there should not be a mention of the word spirit past like the 4th chapter of genesis, or what have you. But, very often, they mention their spirits.

For instance, Mary herself says in Luke 1:47, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Pray tell, what is she refering to here? The holy spirit? Well, Christ hadn't died yet. There are times in the OT where the holy spirit was on people, like Moses and other prophets and what not, so I'm not denying that. However, Mary uses "My" instead of "The holy spirit".

I can't say entirely for sure, this is what I understand it to be true. It's based on clear logic in the bible, not unlike the reality of trinity, there is no escaping the reality of what the bible says.

Therefore, at the fall, it was the holy spirit that was taken away from Adam, if this theory is true.

Don't take my word for it, do a google search. "Do we have two spirits in the bible". etc.

If you don't agree, pray tell, what is the reason for thinking to the contrary?

 

[Holy Universe]

Here is more articles supporting my belief.

TWO SPIRITS​

John 3:6 says, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” It is evident that in this verse there are two spirits. The first Spirit is capitalized, referring to the divine Spirit. The second spirit has a small letter, referring to the human spirit. That which is born of the divine Spirit is the human spirit. Our human spirit needs to be born of the divine Spirit.

Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31; and 36:26 tell us that God promised His people a new spirit. This new spirit, according to Ezekiel 36:26, is not the Holy Spirit, because Ezekiel 36:27, after the mentioning of the new spirit, says that God will put His own Spirit into us. There are two kinds of spirits. One is the new human spirit, and the other is God’s Holy Spirit. God is able to give us a new spirit by regeneration. What God promised in Ezekiel 36 is still being fulfilled in John 3:6. In John 3:6 we are told that our spirit has to be born of the divine Spirit. This is not just to revive it; this is not just to restore it; but this is to regenerate it.

TWO SPIRITS

 

[maxamir]

Honestly, in my opinion, it should take atleast 15 minutes to explain things fully. The gospel is simple, but there are things which must be understood to be saved

I thought so too, heard a couple people mention it, however, it is false. The bible clearly mentions those regenerated have two spirits - the human one and the holy spirit. There is no denying.

Otherwise, do a little bible search. If what you assert is true, humans are spiritually dead, then there should not be a mention of the word spirit past like the 4th chapter of genesis, or what have you. But, very often, they mention their spirits.

For instance, Mary herself says in Luke 1:47, “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Pray tell, what is she refering to here? The holy spirit? Well, Christ hadn't died yet. There are times in the OT where the holy spirit was on people, like Moses and other prophets and what not, so I'm not denying that. However, Mary uses "My" instead of "The holy spirit".

I can't say entirely for sure, this is what I understand it to be true. It's based on clear logic in the bible, not unlike the reality of trinity, there is no escaping the reality of what the bible says.

Therefore, at the fall, it was the holy spirit that was taken away from Adam, if this theory is true.

Don't take my word for it, do a google search. "Do we have two spirits in the bible". etc.

If you don't agree, pray tell, what is the reason for thinking to the contrary?

Every man consists of a spirit, soul and body but where the Holy Spirt does not reside, the spirit of man is dead as God had promised in Genesis 2:17. It is enslaved to sin and Satan because God's spirit was removed from man in the Fall. It is only by grace in Christ that a man is made spiritually alive/born again and made free from the curse.

 

[Holy Universe]

the whole gospel can be seen in this verse ...

And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know I am the Lord.

How is that the Gospel?

 

[Holy Universe]

Every man consists of a spirit, soul and body but where the Holy Spirt does not reside, the spirit of man is dead as God had promised in Genesis 2:17. It is enslaved to sin and Satan because God's spirit was removed from man in the Fall. It is only by grace in Christ that a man is made spiritually alive/born again and made free from the curse.

Genesis 2:17 could also refer to the death of Adam and Eve, for the died within 1 Day "Of God" (1000 years is as 1 day). Since we know that happened, that could satisify the condition. As often, with God, it's both and and not either or, so it certainly also applies to the holy spirit being taken, and that could then leave the spirit of man dead, for all the works will also be burned.

It's something I'm not clear on. For often, we hear people refer to their spirit and their spirit doing things, like rejoicing and what not in the OT, before Christ died. So how can a dead thing perform any actions.

Is the holy spirit bringing back to life something that isn't there, doesn't exist, or is the holy spiriting taking what is there and regenerating it, not unlike what He will do when he recreates the universe and earth after the 1000 years.

This is a fascinating subject and has lots of implications..

Often, I see other people worshipping, or doing "spiritual" things, like in Hinduism "Kundalini" Stuff, or Buddhism, so I'm trying to come to terms, if only Chrisitians have "spirits", aka from the Holy Spirit, what are these other people doing, even mormons describe a burning in the bosom (chest area), which I often feel, but can any of us Christians, say truthfully, that the mormons worship the same Jesus we do?

On that note, simply telling people the Gospel, believe in Jesus, yes, that is crucial in critical, but should we also not emphasise, believe in the right Jesus, and if you do the Gospel correctly, it will always point to the correct Jesus, and not the Jesus in Islam, Mormonisn, JW, etc.

Cheers, and its a blessing to hear chat with you guys. I often post at above top secret, but its constantly me always defending the gospel, saying much, but nothing sticking. It's good for my spirit and faith to be around fellow believers.

 

[Holy Universe]

Here is a rough draft, of the rough draft of the outline I'm making to create more elaborate texts/messages of the Gospel.

My goal is to have bullet points of each topic under this outline, as many as possible. The goal is not to have a script, but to be fluid - focused on mentioning the most important one or two bullet points, being intentional to cover each topic. If any points are left out of any of the topic, then the gospel would be incomplete. My goal is to lay "complete seeds" so to speak. Even if its brief, as long as each topic is addressed, the gospel should be alive and well - functional - any may blossom - given the spirit of wisdom and relevation of the knowledge of God, from Him alone.

My hope to is cover each topic. I have 7, which I intentionally looked for 7 points, haha. I might be able to combined Who Man is and What happened to Man, thus making 6, which is also the number of man, but I digress.

• Who God Is
• Who Man Is
• What Happend to Man
• Who Jesus Is
• What Jesus Did
• How God responded to What Jesus Did
• According to Scripture

If anyone wants an excercise to take a stab at the above, or make their own Gospel Topics, I'd love to hear it so I might incorporate it into my study.