Why is there a Gospel? This is a question worth talking about. Notice I’m not asking “What is the Gospel?” That’s a great question, but it’s not what we’re talking about today.
Why is there a Gospel? Two very basic reasons for you.
Why is there a Gospel? Because we’re that bad.
The good news is that Jesus Christ the Son of God came to die to save sinners from the judgment they deserved.
One way we understand the depth of a problem is by seeing how big a solution was needed to overcome the problem. Imagine someone tells you this story: “My son was playing with the GI Joes in the toilet. Long story short, five hundred dollars and a plumber later, and we’re back to normal.” You may not understand what exactly that child did, but you know it was big because of the solution that was needed.
We can be told we’re sinners. We can understand the Law of God and that we’ve broken it. We might even feel guilty. But the depth of the problem really stretches out before us when we realize that we needed the perfect Son of God to bear hell on the cross to redeem us. We didn’t need some charitable works. We didn’t need some time in purgatory. We needed our creator to die.
Why is there a Gospel? Because we are just that bad.
Why is there a Gospel? Because God is that good.
Why should the human race have salvation offered to them? Why should a people so full of sin and evil, folly and faithlessness get a second chance? Why should humanity be rescued? Why not just abandon us and start over again? Why should defiant ingrates be given grace upon grace?
The Gospel reveals a God of staggering goodness. Our God provided an extravagant salvation for a hopeless and wicked people. We really can’t do justice to the goodness of God. We can’t fathom the depths of his faithful love. Spend all your life trying to get your mind around it… you never will.
Why is there a Gospel? Why is there hope and mercy, grace and love for Adam’s fallen race? Because God is just that good.
Summary
Why is there a Gospel? On the one hand, humanity needs the good news of the Gospel because they really are that bad. But Good News, everyone, God really is incredibly good.
Or as John Newton famously said on his deathbed: "Although my memory is fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior." This article was originally published at https://www.dayspringreno.com/blog/why-is-there-a-gospel on December 26, 2020.
Jason Ching (MA, Westminster Seminary California) is a pastor at Dayspring Church in Reno, NV. He is husband to Naomi and father of three.
Note: The views expressed in this article are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of other contributors on this site.
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