The Necessity Of The Gospel Series

Trans: So where do we go to get a clear picture of the what the gospel is? Obviously, like anything we do, we need to turn to the Scriptures and ask, “What does the Bible say about the Gospel?” And that is exactly what we are going to do over the next several weeks during this series.

Today I would like us to turn to the book of Romans. This letter was written by God as He spoke through the Apostle Paul and it was a letter to a group of people Paul had never met and in the beginning here, he wants to help them understand the gospel right up front. So, we are going to look at the first 4 chapters and see if we can wrap our brains around what is the Gospel according to the Bible. In Romans 1-4 we see 4 major themes related to the Gospel.

INTRO to Romans: After his introductory remarks in Romans 1:1–17, Paul begins his presentation of the gospel by declaring exactly what he wants them to know up front. He writes verse 16 saying that he is not ashamed of the Gospel because he knows the power of this good news first hand. Paul had experienced it personally and he had seen many people have their eyes opened and their lives changed as a result of it! He was a follower of Jesus and he was convinced by the Scriptures, his personal experience, and the testimony and observation of the experience of so many others. As a result he comes to this letter with confidence and boldness!

He says in verse 17, a verse we often times over look because of the focus on 16, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." The gospel shows us, gives us a righteousness we can have before God. The gospel, then, is the news of how we can be “right” with God. So let’s look at four key components of the Gospel that will help us remember what it is.

I. The Gospel Must always begin with an accurate understanding of God . (Romans 1:18-21)

Starting in verse 18 Paul writes of, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven” (v. 18). With his very first words, Paul insists that humanity is not autonomous. We did not create ourselves, and we are neither self-reliant nor self-accountable. No, it is God who created the world and everything in it, including us. Because he created us, God has the right to demand that we worship him. He also makes it clear that there is no excuse as this truth has been clearly seen. Romans 1:20 – “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Look what Paul says in verse 21: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Thus Paul indicts humanity: they have sinned by not honoring and thanking God. It is our obligation, as people created and owned by God, to give him the honor and glory that is due to him, to live and speak and act and think in a way that recognizes and acknowledges his authority over us. We are made by him, owned by him, dependent on him, and therefore accountable to him. That’s the first point Paul labors to make as he explains the good news of Christianity.