What is the gospel?

The Gospel is the announcement of what God has done to save us in Jesus Christ. 

  • It is historical. The Son of God became a man, lived as a Servant, suffered and died on a cross for our sin. He was buried and raised from the dead on the third day as the beginning of a new creation. He now lives with the Father in heaven and will one day return to judge the living and the dead and complete his work of salvation (1 Cor. 15:1-4). 
  • It is “news” not advice. The Gospel is good news about what God has done, not good advice about what we must do to save ourselves. This separates Christianity from every major religion in the world. And it means that our answer to the question “When was it that you were saved?” is literally, “I was saved about 2,000 years ago on a hill outside of Jerusalem.” We receive a salvation accomplished outside of us.  
  • It is Trinitarian. Salvation is eternally planned by the Father, achieved by the Son, and applied through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:1-14). We are united to Christ by the Spirit – and as a result all the benefits of Christ’s person and work become ours – from election to future glorification.  
  • It is multifaceted. No single metaphor captures the breadth and depth of the Gospel. We have been redeemed from the tyranny of sin and death (language of the marketplace). We have atonement and satisfaction of God’s wrath (language of the temple). We have adoption into the people of God (language of the family). We have justification from our guilt and wrongdoing (language of the law courts). We have many ways of explaining the Gospel and no single analogy captures its fullness.  
  • It is received by faith. We respond to the Gospel by putting our faith in Jesus Christ alone and what he’s done for us. We don’t “prepare” ourselves for salvation – we accept salvation as a free offer.  
  • It is transformative. The Gospel is the power of God for transformation, not just “information.” We are united to Christ’s work, but also united to his Person. As a result, we become increasingly like the one we worship and serve. Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone (Eph. 2:8-10).  
  • It reconciles “all things.” Sin has affected everything in our life and world. Nothing is free from its curse and stain. And God’s salvation is aimed at restoring “all things” through Christ and the Spirit. One day we will be resurrected from the dead. And our resurrection will “pull” creation along with it (Rom. 8:18-21).  
  • It brings us to God. The Gospel is good news primarily because it brings us to God himself. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order (ἱνα) to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18).” God himself is the goal of our salvation – there is nothing better than eternal life with him.  
  • It inaugurates a kingdom. The Gospel is the proclamation of God’s reign breaking into human history. Jesus Christ is the King who has come, is coming again, and whose loving, just, and merciful rule is already present among God’s people. The Gospel announces the establishment of God’s righteous, peaceful, and joyful kingdom, and is the invitation to become a citizen of this new realm. 

One 11 am service,
February 9th!

Hi NSCBC! Due to inclement weather, we will have 1 service tomorrow, February 9th, at 11 am. Stay safe and warm, and we'll see you at 11!