What is the Gospel - A Message about Faith and Repentance (Part 1 of 2)

Review of the Series: A God-Centered Gospel

We are on the fourth and final section of our series entitled, What Is The Gospel? We've been looking at the gospel to gain a good understanding of it.

The first night, we took a God-centered approach to the gospel, starting with an understanding of God before diving into other issues. We looked at God as creator, sustainer, and sovereign Lord who rules over our lives. Because He created us, sustains us, and gives us our very breath—as we saw in Acts 17—He has the right to demand our submission and obedience. He defines what is good and evil for His creation, which exists to be in subjection to Him.

If we don't start with these principles, we risk viewing the gospel as man-centered, focused on man's rights and goals rather than God's authority to determine how we live.

The Bad News of Sin

The second night, we examined sin. God created us to be in subjection to Him and to find our enjoyment, contentment, and happiness in Him, His holiness, decree, and promises. Idolatry is finding primary enjoyment in something other than God.

God has the right to define right, good, and evil. To ignore or reject His standards is sin. The gospel is a message about sin because the good news makes no sense without the bad news. It's like going to a physician who diagnoses a terminal illness but knows the cure. Psychology can only mask symptoms, but the gospel addresses the root: indwelling sin.

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

The third night, we looked at Jesus Christ. He lived the life we needed to please God, died the death we deserved, and reigns as King. He saves us from God's wrath, secures us in God's love, satisfies us with God's glory, and satiates us with God's blessings.

Jesus is the only way of salvation. Finite creatures cannot satisfy God's infinite justice; eternal punishment is required. Only an infinite person—God—could do so in one act. Yet the law demands death, so Jesus took on human nature while retaining His deity. His one death has infinite value, securing us from judgment forever.

The Gospel as Faith and Repentance

These truths lead to our conclusion: the gospel is a message about faith and repentance. Jesus bore God's wrath for your sins—not potentially. There is no potential salvation in Scripture. Christ's work is complete: He took your sins, was judged in your place (justification), and imputed His righteousness to you. God declares you righteous and not guilty based on Christ's accomplished work.

This is reality from thousands of years ago. Present the gospel this way: a Savior crucified for them.

Faith: Trust in the Object

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)

Faith is part of the gospel because Scripture focuses on the object of faith, not the person exercising it. Sincerity or degree doesn't matter if the object fails—like trusting a chair that isn't there.

You're already in the position where Christ died for you. Faith isn't what saves; Christ does. As R.C.H. Lenski noted, faith is produced by the trustworthiness of the object—Jesus Christ. Is He sufficient to save you completely? Yes, because He died for your sins and rose again—an irrefutable historical fact.

Faith is realizing this truth, as in Hebrews 11:1: the realization of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen. It's beholding Christ's successful, perfect work on your behalf—the forgiveness of sins. It's astonishing: Christ died for you, freeing you from wrath and granting eternal life.

Grace is God's unearned involvement saving you by opening your eyes to this reality. You're dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1), unable to accept it. Salvation is God's gift—not works, lest anyone boast. We are fully His workmanship, walking in good works He prepared.

Christians are never responsible for salvation but responsible with it.

Repentance: Turning from Sin to God

The gospel is also about repentance. Jesus' first message was "repent." He befriended sinners for their repentance, dying to save from sin, not in it.

Realizing the gospel is for you reveals sin's horror. Repentance is dethroning self as lord, finding sufficiency in God, returning to how God designed humanity.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies, for you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:22-26 (ESV)

Without Christ, you're ensnared by the devil, doing his will—not free. Flee youthful passions (the world's pursuits, Satan's will). Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with believers who call on the Lord purely.

Avoid quarrels, be kind, teach patiently, endure evil, and correct opponents gently. God grants repentance, leading to truth, senses, and escape from the devil's snare.

Correcting Opponents with Gentleness

It's a very negative thing in our day to correct those opposing you, yet to do so with gentleness is in harmony with being loving. One of the most loving things you can do as the Lord's servant is to correct those disagreeing with you—not merely tolerate their beliefs. You can patiently endure evil, as verse 24 says, but you should teach and correct them patiently.

Why? Not to win an argument or make them look foolish, but so that God may grant them repentance in the knowledge of the truth. When you present the truth—teaching truth, correcting falsehood—you're proclaiming the gospel. In that moment of correction and receiving the gospel, God can grant repentance. God changes their mind.

We don't need to craft clever arguments or super-logical tactics. Simply present the truth. When error arises, refute it with the gospel's truth about foolishness, sin, and all we've discussed. Correct opponents because their salvation depends on it. God may grant them repentance—a change of mind.

The Gift of Repentance

Repentance, from the Greek metanoia, is turning away, changing your mind to change your life's direction. This isn't works-based; it's granted by God. Repentance is a gift. If you're struggling with sin as a believer, turn to the sovereign Lord who grants repentance.

It's changing your mind about enjoying sin. No longer finding sin or youthful passions enjoyable or worth pursuing. Because of realizing who Christ is and what He's done, He becomes the most beautiful reality. Compared to youthful passions, there's no contest. I don't want that; I want Him.

Repentance also means changing your mind to enjoy righteousness—valuing God, Christ's work, and Scripture's truths.

Notice in both texts: salvation isn't just from something—like sin or God's wrath—but to something. Many approach the gospel as mere escape, thinking it doesn't matter how they live. That's not the gospel. It's salvation from deadness unto good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-10), from sin unto righteousness.

In 2 Timothy 2:22-26, you're saved from slavery to Satan and doing his will, to being the Lord's slave and doing God's will. Saved from youthful passions, foolishness, and ignorant controversies, unto pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

Practical Steps to Dwell on the Gospel

First, dwell on the realization granted to you: Christ was crucified for you. Savor it as joy and encouragement amid suffering. It's the greatest soul-satisfying reality.

Jesus with the woman at the well—she pursued youthful passions, husband after husband, returning to an empty well, never satisfied. Jesus offered living water: an eternal spring within, accessible anytime in this barren world. That's salvation—the gospel as an ongoing source quenching thirst permanently. Dwell on it.

Second, be confident in who Christ is and what He's done. Paul, knocked down by Christ on the Damascus road, declared in Romans 1:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.

Paul knew it as revealed truth, not mere facts. Be confident; it's God's power to save.

Third, remind yourself of Christ and His work as often as possible. Like drawing from that inner water source—neglect it, and thirst, doubt, and problems arise, especially in suffering.

Fourth, practice hating sin. Hebrews 5 speaks of practicing to discern good and evil. Practice seeing sin in God's Word, hating it, loving righteousness. Make God's words insanely valuable, sin abhorrent. For example, practice loving obedience to parents, serving the Lord, advancing the gospel.

Keep these in mind: the gospel is about God, sin, the Lord Jesus Christ, faith, and repentance.