I explained in my previous article that the Bible has one theme: God’s amazing plan to redeem us. The gospel is the “good news” of that plan. In this article, I’ll establish some basics of the gospel.
In Romans 1:16, the apostle Paul wrote, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.” The gospel can save souls eternally! There are, however, negative aspects of the gospel to consider.
According to these verses, those who don’t obey the gospel will suffer eternal punishment away from God. The gospel is more than good news, it’s a set of instructions God expects us to follow. Do you claim to serve God without obeying Jesus’ commands? Beware!
Some faithfully follow a gospel. They just follow the wrong one, like the Galatian Christians in the first century. Look how Paul rebuked them . . .
This passage teaches there is only one gospel. When people distort it, they create a different (false) gospel. The real gospel, however, cannot be changed—even by an angel! If we try to alter it, we are cut off from God.
These facts bring two questions to mind:
- How can we be certain we know the one gospel?
- Where should we start in order to learn about the one gospel?
We’ll begin answering these questions in my next article.
