What is the Gospel? (Romans 1:2–4)
What is the gospel? A sermon on Romans 1:2–4: God's message to the world, promised by the prophets, about his Son—Jesus himself is the gospel.
Introduction
What is the gospel? We use that word a lot, don’t we? It’s a part of the Christian’s ABCs and 123s. Can you define it? What do you mean when you tell someone you believe the gospel? How do you intend a person to understand you when you share with them the gospel? Or, maybe you’re tongued-tied to give an answer, in the words of the song: “I’m sorry but I’m just thinking of the right words to say. I know they sound the way I planned them to be.”
So, do you know what the gospel is? One recent survey revealed that 48% of American adults believe that if a person is generally good or does enough good during their life, they will “earn” a place in heaven. I want 0% of you to agree! Only 35% disagreed. I want 100% of you to disagree! The same survey revealed that 52% of self-described Christians accept a “works-oriented” means to God’s acceptance. Again, I want 0% of you to agree! Most shocking, large numbers of self-described Christians in churches whose official doctrine says eternal salvation comes only from embracing Jesus Christ as savior believe that a person can qualify for heaven by being or doing good. 46% of Pentecostals, 44% of mainline Protestants, 41% of evangelical churches, and 70% of Catholics. (statistics) I want OURC to beat 0% agreement! Amen? We need to know what the gospel is!
Paul opens his letter, identifying himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus” who was “called to be an apostle.” What message was he called to speak on behalf of Christ? He then says he was “set apart for the gospel of God.” It’s this gospel or “message of good news” that he explains in verses 2–4.
Theme
Paul proclaims God’s gospel is his message to the world, promised ahead of time by prophets, about his Son.
God’s Message to the World
What is the gospel? It is God’s message to the world. Where did this message of Jesus Christ come from? “Pastor, I saw a reel with a clip from the History Channel that said the story of Jesus Christ was a myth based on ancient religions such as the Egyptian god Osiris, who also is said to have died and rose again. Then I saw another video that said Jesus was real, and his followers simply wanted to do good, but then in 325 the Emperor Constantine gathered religious elites to condemn everyone but themselves and determine ‘orthodoxy.’”
Let’s go to the source—Scripture. Paul says the gospel is the gospel of God (v. 1). The gospel is God’s gospel. This means God’s is the author, origin, and source of the gospel. Then he says in verse 2, this gospel…God…promised beforehand. Note that well. He’s saying the gospel isn’t a message originating from Paul’s mind and heart. The gospel isn’t the religion of Paul. Paul, who wrote this, says the gospel comes from God himself.
The gospel is God’s message to the world.
One application of this for us Southern Californians is our tendency to say this is “Pastor John’s church” or “I go to Pastor Danny’s church.” Beloved, Paul, John MacArthur, and I, are just servants and messengers given a divine and heavenly message. Amen? As much as I’m flattered you love me enough to say you go to “Danny’s church,” this is God’s church because the message is his!
Coming from God, this gospel is “good news!” He, a holy God, saves us sinners. He promised this message beforehand, as the prophet Isaiah said,
How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Isa. 52:7)
The “good news” is a message of peace between God and man; of the happiness we have that God is on our side; of the salvation he gives in Jesus Christ. This means that the gospel is God’s revelation of saving grace, not condemning law. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).
Did you hear that? You and I are here today by a divine appointment. You’re condemned already by your sins; you deserve to be punished; you’re on death row spiritually. “But God” has drawn you here to hear a message of good news! He says that he alone is able to save you from your sins. He alone is willing to save you from your sins. Do you hear him?
The gospel is God’s message to the world.
Promised Ahead of Time by Prophets
What is the gospel? It is God’s message to the world, promised ahead of time by prophets. “Ok, Pastor. Paul says the gospel is from God, but why should I believe him? Every crackpot religious leader claims to speak for God.” What if I told you that you were the heir of an ancient kingdom in Africa or Europe? That would be a stupendous claim! What if I then showed you your family tree, tracing you back and back, and then I showed you pictures and documents chronicling this kingdom and how it all led to you?
Rabbi Saul-turned-Apostle Paul makes a stupendous claim about God here! He’s not making this up. He traces back through ancient prophets who preached of a Savior to come. Look at verse 2, which says of the gospel, which he (God) promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.
Let me state and encourage you to follow up on this statement: Jesus is the most verifiable figure from the ancient world. There are multiple attestations in early sources from supporters (Paul’s letters and the Gospels) to non-supporters, both Jewish and Roman. Contemporary non–Christian sources both Roman and Jewish in the first and second centuries never denied his existence. The New Testament manuscripts are the most abundant and verifiable of the ancient world.
God’s message to the world goes even farther back than the first century. It was promised ahead of time by prophets. God promised the gospel before the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus through his prophets in the holy Scriptures of the Old Testament.
Beginning at the beginning, there have been promises and prophecies of God’s good news to the world. The Creator spoke to Adam and Eve of a son to come who would crush the serpent that led them into sin (Gen. 3:15). Enoch prophesied of the coming of the Lord himself with ten thousands of his holy ones (Jude 14). To Abraham the Lord spoke of blessing all the nations through his family line. To Israel the Lord made his promise of salvation tangible in the sacrifices of lambs—pointing to one final sacrifice of a perfect lamb; in the priesthood of men—pointing to one final high priest who was no mere man; in the tabernacle and temple that housed God in their midst—pointing to God’s becoming human and dwelling among us. To David the Lord made a promise of a son to sit on his throne forever (2 Sam. 7:14). Through the prophets, even more specific promises detailed where this Savior would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2), how we would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14), how he would die by crucifixion (Ps. 22; Dan. 9), and the list goes on.
“But Jesus really isn’t for me. I don’t have time; he’s not relevant to my particular life.” Set aside how you feel and think. I just want you to get an impression with how God planned and orchestrated the millennia of human history to bring Jesus to this world. He did this exactly for your most relevant problem: you’re spiritually separated from God by your sins. There’s nothing more relevant! Now, we as churches need to take part of the blame for your disinterest. When we send you mailers or IG ads about advice on finances, relationships, happiness, parenting, etc., all we’re doing is making the gospel another self-help thing, which you can get in a lot of other places. When we do this, we think we’re being relevant, but we’re actually making the gospel irrelevant! Instead, this church is going to proclaim loudly and clearly that we only have one thing to say but that you can’t hear it from anyone else anywhere else. That is the gospel.
It is God’s message to the world, promised ahead of time by prophets.
About his Son
What is the gospel? It is God’s message to the world, promised ahead of time by prophets, about his Son. “Pastor, I’ve been to church. It was all right-wingnut politics or pink-haired pastrixes.” I’m not talking about cultural Churchianity. I asked you, “what is the gospel?” “Ok, so I went to church last year with a friend and they said there were all about, “Love God, love neighbor; do unto others as you would have them do to you.” This is not the gospel. Love is the result of God’s gospel.
The gospel that Paul was set apart for and sent to proclaim as an apostle is God’s message…promised ahead of time…about his Son. Paul says the message of “the gospel of God” that prophets promised beforehand is concerning his Son (v. 3). Martin Luther said, “Here the door is thrown wide for the understanding of Holy Scripture, that is, that everything must be understood in relation to Christ.” (Luther, Romans, 4) John Calvin said it simply: “The whole Gospel is contained in Christ.” (Calvin, Commentary, 15 cf. Institutes 2.9.2)
As Christians, we can talk about the gospel in impersonal ways: “The gospel saves. He’s a gospel preacher.” What do we mean by this? The gospel isn’t even the good news about Jesus; it is Jesus! As he says elsewhere, it’s “him we proclaim” (Col. 1:28); “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in himwhom they have never heard?” (Rom. 10:14); “for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2); “for all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20).
Why is Jesus the gospel? Look at what he’s done: who was descended from David according to the flesh (v. 3). He was descended from David, meaning, not only was he truly human, but he came in fulfillment of all those promises and prophecies preached ahead of time for hundreds and thousands of years! As the eternal Son of God, he entered our world by taking to himself true humanity being descended from the ancient Jewish line of king David according to the flesh.
In theological terms, we call this his state of humiliation. He was humbled for you! He was humbled to exalt you! He was also declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord (v. 4). That’s a mouthful! When Paul says Jesus was declared, the idea is that he was appointed. As the Son of God in human flesh, he was appointedto an authority he didn’t have in his humiliation. But after his resurrection from the dead,he was appointed to the place of power as the-Son-of-God-in-power; that’s his title now! We call his state of exaltation.
Back to my question: why is Jesus the gospel? Because he’s done everything I can’t do to save myself! He’s God; I’m not. He was perfectly obedient to God’s commands; I’m not. He died an unjust death that I might be justly acquitted by God; I’d hardly die for you. He rose again to newness of life; I couldn’t do that with all the money in the world. He was humbled that I might be exalted. He was exalted that I might be saved.
Conclusion
What is the gospel? Paul proclaims God’s gospel is his message to the world, promised ahead of time by prophets, about his Son.
Jesus is the gospel!