2011 GLCC 15th ANNIVERSARY 2011 GLCC 15th ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE SERIES 3: THE GOSPEL MESSAGE SERIES 3: THE GOSPEL REVIEWEDREVIEWED

I. I. INTROINTRO

How many believers do you know today How many believers do you know today can adequately answer the question can adequately answer the question “What is the gospel?”“What is the gospel?”

~ Many people, though clearly ~ Many people, though clearly believers, have only a very believers, have only a very

elementary knowledge of the elementary knowledge of the gospel.gospel.

~ ~ Jerry BridgesJerry Bridges: “The gospel is not : “The gospel is not only the most important message in only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history. Yet we allow message in all of history. Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives live their entire lives without clearly without clearly understanding itunderstanding it and and experiencing experiencing the the joy of living by it.joy of living by it.””

One reason for this is that most One reason for this is that most believers think that the gospel is believers think that the gospel is only for unbelieversonly for unbelievers..

~ As a result, Christians are not ~ As a result, Christians are not instructed in the gospel. instructed in the gospel.

~ ~ And because they do not fully And because they do not fully understand the riches and glory understand the riches and glory

of of the gospel, they cannot preach the gospel, they cannot preach it to it to themselves, nor live by it in themselves, nor live by it in their their daily lives.daily lives.

BUT THE GOSPEL IS FOR BUT THE GOSPEL IS FOR BELIEVERS ALSO, AND WE MUST BELIEVERS ALSO, AND WE MUST PURSUE HOLINESS, OR ANY OTHER PURSUE HOLINESS, OR ANY OTHER ASPECT OF DISCIPLESHIP, IN THE ASPECT OF DISCIPLESHIP, IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE GOSPEL.ATMOSPHERE OF THE GOSPEL.

~ To do that, however, we must firmly ~ To do that, however, we must firmly grasp what the gospel is and grasp what the gospel is and

what it what it means in practical terms means in practical terms to preach it to preach it to ourselves every to ourselves every day.day.

II. II. THE GOSPELTHE GOSPEL

The single passage in all of the Bible The single passage in all of the Bible that most clearly and completely explains that most clearly and completely explains the gospel is the gospel is Rom 3:19-26Rom 3:19-26..

As we look over this statement of the As we look over this statement of the gospel, we can see seven truths that we gospel, we can see seven truths that we need to clearly understand.need to clearly understand.

III. III. 7 IMPORTANT TRUTHS OF THE 7 IMPORTANT TRUTHS OF THE GOSPELGOSPEL

1) 1) No One Is Declared Righteous No One Is Declared Righteous Before God by Observing the Law Before God by Observing the Law (vv. 19-21).(vv. 19-21).

The word The word righteousrighteous means exact and means exact and perfect conformity to the law of God.perfect conformity to the law of God.

~ “Law of God” in a general sense: ~ “Law of God” in a general sense: refers to refers to the transcript of God’s the transcript of God’s nature and the rule of obedience nature and the rule of obedience that He requires of all human that He requires of all human beingsbeings. .

The standard of obedience required by The standard of obedience required by the law is the law is absolute perfectionabsolute perfection..

~ Js 2:10~ Js 2:10

~ Gal 3:10~ Gal 3:10

ONLY PERFECT OBEDIENCE IS ONLY PERFECT OBEDIENCE IS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

As Christians we readily acknowledge As Christians we readily acknowledge that we can never through our own that we can never through our own obedience attain a righteousness that is obedience attain a righteousness that is sufficient for salvation. sufficient for salvation.

~ ~ But then as believers we act as if But then as believers we act as if we can live lives acceptable to we can live lives acceptable to God.God.

~ In our ~ In our everydayeveryday relationship with relationship with God, most of us are no different in God, most of us are no different in our thinking than the unbelievers who our thinking than the unbelievers who think they will go to Heaven because think they will go to Heaven because they’ve been good enough. they’ve been good enough.

~ ~ To live by grace, we must rid To live by grace, we must rid ourselves of such thinking!ourselves of such thinking!

2) 2) There is a righteousness from God There is a righteousness from God That Is Apart from Law That Is Apart from Law (v. 21).(v. 21).

Since we cannot attain a sufficient Since we cannot attain a sufficient righteousness on our own, God has righteousness on our own, God has provided it for us. provided it for us.

~ ~ This righteousness from God is This righteousness from God is none other than the perfect none other than the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, righteousness of Jesus Christ, who who through His sinless life and His death through His sinless life and His death in obedience to the Father’s will, in obedience to the Father’s will, perfectly fulfilled the law of God.perfectly fulfilled the law of God.

The righteousness of Jesus Christ is as The righteousness of Jesus Christ is as much much a historical realitya historical reality as is the fact as is the fact of sin.of sin.

~ ~ Rom 5:12-19Rom 5:12-19: Adam’s sin over : Adam’s sin over against Christ’s righteousnessagainst Christ’s righteousness

~~ George SmeatonGeorge Smeaton: “[The Apostle : “[The Apostle Paul] exhibits the two great Paul] exhibits the two great

counterparts of sin and counterparts of sin and righteousness righteousness as equal realitiesas equal realities—the one as the —the one as the world’s ruin, world’s ruin, the other as its the other as its restoration. The one is a completedrestoration. The one is a completed

act as well as the other. They are the act as well as the other. They are the only two great events or facts in the only two great events or facts in the world’s history and they confront world’s history and they confront each other.”each other.”

It is important to realize that our Lord It is important to realize that our Lord Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the law Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the law of God, both in its requirements and its of God, both in its requirements and its penalty.penalty.

Therefore when God justifies us, or Therefore when God justifies us, or declares us righteous, declares us righteous, He does not He does not create some sort of legal fictioncreate some sort of legal fiction, , calling something righteous that is not. calling something righteous that is not.

~ Rather, He declares us righteous ~ Rather, He declares us righteous on on the basis of the real, the basis of the real,

accomplished accomplished righteousness righteousness of Jesus Christ, of Jesus Christ, which is which is imputed or credited to us imputed or credited to us through faith.through faith.

Robert HaldaneRobert Haldane: : “To that “To that righteousness is the eye of the believer righteousness is the eye of the believer ever to be directed; on that ever to be directed; on that righteousness must he rest; on that righteousness must he rest; on that righteousness must he live; on that righteousness must he live; on that righteousness must he die; in that righteousness must he die; in that righteousness must he appear before righteousness must he appear before the judgment-seat; in that the judgment-seat; in that righteousness must he stand for ever in righteousness must he stand for ever in the presence of a righteous God.”the presence of a righteous God.”

The righteousness of Jesus Christ is The righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed or credited to us forever.imputed or credited to us forever.

~ From the day we trust in Christ as our ~ From the day we trust in Christ as our Savior, on throughout eternity, Savior, on throughout eternity,

we we stand before God stand before God clothed clothed in the in the righteousness of righteousness of Jesus ChristJesus Christ..

~ Isa 61:10 ~ Isa 61:10

This standing in Christ’s This standing in Christ’s righteousness is never affected to righteousness is never affected to any degree by our good-day or bad-any degree by our good-day or bad-day performance.day performance.

~ Unless we learn to live daily by faith ~ Unless we learn to live daily by faith in (that is, by reliance on) His in (that is, by reliance on) His

righteousness, however, our righteousness, however, our perceptionperception of our of our

standing before standing before God will God will vary depending on our good vary depending on our good or or bad performance.bad performance.