The Gospel is good news about Jesus Christ. (Check out our new sermon series: The Gospel.) Unlike every other religion that offers good advice on what you should do to (hopefully) get right with God, the Gospel announces good news about what God has done for us in Christ so we can have peace and joy and life in Him. This is good news for our past, present and future!
We often think of the Gospel as only good news for our past – that Jesus died for our sins so we could be forgiven and reconciled with God. That is definitely central to the good news, but there is even more! The Gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16) – both for the brand new believer and the long time believer. This message is not only the power that saves us at that first moment of faith but it is the power we need for every day of our Christian lives.
You can see in the image that the three dimensions of the gospel all rest on the foundational truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is Lord in perfect humanity, authority and divinity.
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Mark 1:1
- Jesus was the perfect man. He lived the life we failed to live so he could die the death we should have died. He fulfilled every requirement of the Law of God and so, through his death and resurrection he is able to not only pay for sins but to grant us his perfect righteousness. So looking back, we can trust Him with our sins and know that in Christ, we are forgiven.
- Jesus also reigns with absolute authority over all things. His resurrection proved His victory over sin and death forever and then he ascended into heaven where he reigns at the Father’s right hand, in the position of highest honor and power. So looking up, we can trust Him for our strength, knowing that he has set us free from the power of sin and given us the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us throughout our lives.
- Finally, Jesus is Lord in perfect divinity. From eternity past He has been one with the Father and the Holy Spirit in a mutual exchange of glory and love – much like a dance that we are invited to enter through Christ. When the believer dies or when Christ returns we will see His glory in all of its fullness and will enjoy His presence forever and ever. In fact, “we will be like him, for we will see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). So looking forward, we can trust Him with our struggles, knowing that in the end Jesus will restore all things and usher us into eternal peace, rest and joy in Him.
This is the 3D Gospel – good news for our past, present and future – centered and resting on the Lordship of Christ. To see the 13 perfections of Jesus as Lord, read this post. All of this content was inspired by the research and teaching of Pastor Scott Lothery of The Orchard Church in Chicago.