I. The Gospel of Jesus Christ Video

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II. The Gospel of Jesus Christ Transcript

In the Old Testament writings we are told that human nature has been corrupted by what God considers to be evil in passages like Psalm chapter 53 verses 2 and 3, which say this in the English Standard Version of the Bible: “God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are who understand, who seek after God. They have all fallen away, together they have become corrupt, there is none who does good, not even one.”

At the same time we also find passages like this one from Psalm chapter 32, verses 1 and 2, which say this in the English Standard Version of the Bible: “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.”

The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the New Testament explains how God can forgive and bless those who have fallen away and become corrupted by what God considers to be evil.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a collection of eye witness testimony from the first century found in four of the New Testament books that were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The entire message these four men shared about Jesus Christ can be summarized in four basic points that explain what God has done to fix the flaws that the Old Testament proves still exist in human nature today.

The first point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God became a man and his name is Jesus Christ.

We can read about this in John chapter 1 verse 1 which says this in the ESV Bible: “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We must also add John chapter 1 verse 14 from the ESV Bible to that because it says “and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. Do you believe God the Creator became a creature? (Why or why not?)

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The second point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God, as a man had every opportunity to be disobedient and become corrupt the same way we are, but He never crossed that line. This point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is something we can read about in Hebrews, chapter 4 verse 15 which says this in the ESV Bible: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. Do you believe God as a man never became corrupt like the rest of us?

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The third point of the Gospel is the idea of sacrifice: that God as an innocent man died in our place as a substitute so we could go free in his place. This third point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be seen by reading 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21, which says this in the ESV Bible: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. Have you received the righteousness of God in exchange for your sin?

#2. Do you understand how the life of Jesus Christ can cover the corruption in human nature?

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The fourth point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God proved to us we could be free from our disobedience and its death penalty. This proof is a past historical event known as the Resurrection of Jesus Christ that occurred in the first century. We can read about this in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 through 8, which say this in the ESV Bible:

“Now I would remind you brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you also received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared to me also.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. Can you see Jesus Christ is the only answer to the corruption in human nature?

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Hearing The Gospel of Jesus Christ

I want to talk briefly about what happens when people start listening to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John chapter 3 verse 16 through 23 Jesus Christ explains the results of believing and rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to us. This is what the ESV Bible says:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

So the reality of our lives is that people can either accept Jesus Christ and “be saved through him” or they will “love darkness rather than the light because their deeds are evil” which causes them to reject Jesus Christ. This is why in the Gospel of John, chapter 3 verse 18 the ESV Bible says “whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

In the Old Testament writings, the people who did not believe in the corruption that God sees in human nature were warned in Leviticus chapter 16 verse 14 (ESV) that “I will do this to you…” in order to change their minds and then God gave Moses a long list of consequences that would happen in the lives of the people living here on earth.”

Discussion Questions:

#1. Do you think you are going to be saved or condemned by God? (Why or why not?)

#2. What do you think will happen in the lives of people who God loved very deeply, but they never loved God in return when their lives on earth are over and they die?

Conclusion

I have one final thought to share with you concerning accepting for rejecting the Gospel. In Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1 through 3, we can read this in the ESV Bible: “Therefore we must pay close attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”