MAKING THE GOSPEL CLEAR
This Sunday we are observing what is often called “Palm Sunday.” This name comes from the fact that on the Sunday of the “passion week” Jesus entered into Jerusalem under a cacophony of cheers and praise. In Luke 19, the Bible recounts the story of how Jesus rode on a donkey over the Mount of Olives, down the hill, and then up the hill and into the city. As He rode, people lined the road with their coats and palm branches as a sign of their adulation and honor. They gave Him this honor because they mistakenly believed that He had come to overthrow the yoke of Roman rule and restore the “throne of David” to Israel.
In today’s Jerusalem you can still walk along a modern version of that same road. It is easy to get chills by picturing yourself standing on the side of the road as Jesus road by on a donkey. You also can grasp what it must have looked like for Jesus that day as He crested the hill and took in a panoramic view of the city with the Temple looming in the midst of His view.
Standing there on that road today, you can also understand why Luke described the event this way: “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it.” (v. 41). The view is awe-inspiring still today. Jesus sees the entire city in panorama knowing that He has come specifically to fulfill God’s promise of the Christ – the anointed sacrifice for the sins of His people. He also knows in hearing their chants of Hosanna that they have totally missed the point of His arrival. He laments in that moment, “if you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.” (v. 42)
In our day, people are just as blinded. We live in a culture today where there are more misconceptions about Jesus than understanding. The Gospel today is misunderstood, misconstrued, lied about, and ignored. The academic culture has ridiculed the gospel. Liberal theologians have obfuscated the Gospel by altering it. Multi-culturalism has relegated the Gospel to simply one of a garden variety ways to define “spirituality.”
It is time for the church to speak with clarity and explain the Gospel. It is time to make certain that the Gospel is clearly defined in Scripture. One may choose to agree or disagree, but there is no room to change it, interpret it, or edit it. You cannot relegate it to one of many – that is to change it.
The Bible makes abundantly clear exactly what the Gospel is. It is the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ to fulfill the judgment for sins. I Corinthians 15 states clearly the Gospel. “I declare to you the gospel … by which you are saved: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
We must make it clear that this is the gospel. It is not anymore or less. It is not, by the Bible’s own statements, open to alteration. We must loudly and often proclaim the gospel. It is true that we must show our love as motivation for sharing the gospel. We should back up our explanation of the gospel with loving actions. But it is not loving to fail to share the truth. It is incumbent on us as believers to state with clarity the inherent clarity of the gospel itself.
1. There is only one gospel – Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.
There is only one gospel. That means that there is only one way to know God and be in His presence. That means there is only way to have eternal life and live in heaven. That means that there is only one way to avoid living for eternity separated from the presence of God as judgment for our sins. It means that all dogs do NOT go to heaven. It means that all roads do not lead to heaven.
The Bible does not leave room for that opinion. The Bible states clearly there is only one way to heaven. You may choose to reject that claim, but you cannot edit that claim. The scriptures do not allow for any other choice but to accept or reject. Jesus said this Himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.
It is stated clearly again in Philippians 2: 5-11. It is stated again clearly as the message of the church in Acts 4: 8-12. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” That is unequivocal and clear.
2. Jesus’ sacrifice has ALWAYS been the plan for the gospel.
From the book of Genesis through to the New Testament, God made the plan to send His Son to earth for the sole purpose of becoming the living sacrifice for our sins through His death. This truth is self-evident in every book of the Bible. The longest running lesson in scripture is the picture of the sacrificial lamb.
For example, Isaiah explains with unmistakable clarity that God would send the Messiah as the sacrificial lamb for the specific purpose of paying the judgment for sin with His death. “For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken.” (v.8)
Today, one cannot misconstrue the gospel as anything other than Jesus’ death for the payment of sin. It was prophesied clearly that this was the sole purpose of His coming.
Another clear prophesy of His purpose as the sacrifice for sins was given to his earthly father Joseph. In Matthew 1 is recounted the events of how Joseph came to learn about the child he would raise with Mary. The angel told Joseph in no uncertain terms, “she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21.
3. Jesus began His earthly ministry with His identification as the sacrifice for sins.
The Bible also teaches that Jesus was identified by John the Baptist in a very specific way as the sacrifice for our sins. Thus, Jesus began His earthly ministry with the identification of the very purpose of His earthly ministry – to be the sacrifice for our sins. In Matthew and Mark, we see John is “preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Mark 1:4.
In the version of this event told in John, John the Baptist specifically points out that Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins. “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29. There is no challenge or correction from Jesus. Instead, He begins His ministry affirming the clear identification of His ministry – to die for our sins. This is the gospel.
3. Jesus Himself taught He is the sacrifice of the gospel.
Jesus made no bones about His claim to be the sacrifice for our sins sent from heaven by God the Father. He explains clearly and certainly this truth. In fact, He leaves no room for interpretation or variation from this purpose. His statements are definitive and clear.
This is never made more clear than in the events recounted in Matthew 16:21-27. Matthew explains that Jesus “began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” Peter is so angered by these statements that he actually attempted to rebuke Jesus. Jesus sternly rebuked Peter and would not even allow him to finish. Jesus would not allow any confusion whatsoever as to the primary mission on earth – to be the sacrifice for our sins.
4. The Bible teaches our salvation comes solely through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Again, it is impossible to change the fact that the Bible teaches a plain and clear gospel – that Jesus died for our sins. The good news of salvation is that we are saving by believing in the spiritual effect of trusting Jesus death to be a substitute for our own judgment. It is by His death that we are saved.
For example, Peter teaches this truth: “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness- by whose stripes we are heeled.” I Peter 2:24. This passage also brings the entire message of scripture full circle, from the Old Testament through the New Testament, that the ministry of Jesus was to come and die for our sins.
We are baptized as a picture of the sacrificial death of Jesus and to show our faith in the work of His death in us. “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4.
Conclusion
With all of the myriads of attacks on the gospel in today’s culture, it is paramount for us to explain the clear truth of the gospel. It is the good news of the only means of salvation. It is the only way to escape the judgment of our sins. It is the best way to see that God loves us and is a merciful, caring God who loves us.
There can be no dispute as to the terms of the gospel. It is too clear and simple to allow for interpretation. The Bible is simply too unequivocal in its language for dispute as to the terms of the gospel. To change it is to deny it. To try and read in something else is to change the clear terms delineated in scripture. The clear statements of prophesy, identification of Jesus, His own words, and the message commanded to be preached by the church leave no room for alteration. The hearer is left with only two choices – to believe or deny.
Because it is the ONLY means of salvation, the gospel must be communicated. We must first affirm the clarity of the gospel. We then must commit ourselves to communicate the gospel with the same level of clarity.
