I began this website by uploading papers from my seminary classes, but they are probably too advanced for casual readers. I now want to write fresh content so anyone can quickly grasp the basics of Christianity and understand the biblical problems in various religious traditions. Above all, we must have a clear understanding of the gospel.

The word gospel comes from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον and literally means a message of good news. It can mean the narrative genre about Jesus' general life and ministry, but in a more technical sense refers to the message of spiritual hope found in Jesus' offer of salvation. (For clarity's sake, "salvation" can mean a deliverance or rescue from many things depending on the context. This article is concerned with how we are eternally delivered from Hell.)

Why Do We Need Salvation?

We might begin this discussion by asking: why do we need salvation? Most people will agree humans have a sinful condition. We have moral failures while God is holy and just. Nearly every religion claims people can simply balance out their bad deeds with good deeds, but the Bible states emphatically no one becomes righteous before God by works of the Law (Romans 3:20–23).

Because all have sinned, no one meets God's perfect standard (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Everyone who dies without being made right with God — justified — will be separated from Him forever in a place called Hell, or more properly the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11–15).

One might argue, "God seems too strict! Wouldn't it be unfair to condemn a regular law-abiding citizen the same as the worst of murderers?" That would be a valid concern in a human context. However, God is a being unchanging in all His perfections. Holiness — separation from moral impurities — is not merely a part of Him but of His very essence. He is infinitely holy (Isaiah 6:3), as well as infinitely just, good, and full of wrath. God cannot dwell with or overlook any sin (Habakkuk 1:13). God cannot welcome sinners into His intimate presence (Psalm 5:4–6). Anyone who has sinned in one portion of His Law bears a guilt equal to transgressing all of it (James 2:10) — because all sin is equally in violation of the infinite magnitude of His character. God is light, and in Him darkness does not dwell (1 John 1:5). That creates a big problem for us who sin every day!

The Lamb of God

We try to manage justice on the principle that the punishment should fit the crime. Littering does not deserve the death penalty, but mass murder typically would qualify. Yet the Bible speaks of justice in terms of who is offended and what appropriate restitution would then be required. Anyone who defrauds their neighbor must pay back what they owe (Leviticus 6:2–7).

When anyone sins, they are robbing God of His glory and violating the goodness of His creation. If we think of God as the cosmic ruler of the universe, it puts everything into proper perspective. Harming our finite neighbor can be atoned for in material terms. But sinning against God incurs a debt that is impossible to repay by human means. We would need to make restitution to repair an offense against the boundlessly just King of the universe. Naturally, the conclusion is that only God Himself can provide the satisfactory — or propitiatory — covering for sin.

In the Old Testament, since the time of Cain and Abel, people offered sacrifice to God. He was pleased with their obedience as acts of worship and signs of repentance. But God never had satisfaction in the blood of animals to replace the death we deserve. The sin problem remained in the person, though they were ceremonially washed. God is concerned with our spirit, not the outward body. Our inner self — our conscience — needed a spiritual renewal to have sin permanently removed as a barrier with God (Hebrews 10:1–14).

Jesus, the Christ (or anointed Son of God), gave His own life to cover all sin forever. As God (John 1:1–3; Hebrews 1:8), only Jesus had the authority to lay down His life, and only His blood can appease the Father for the penalty we deserved — spiritual death in Hell.

The good news of Christianity is Jesus' cry on the cross: "It is finished!" (John 19:30). Jesus had fulfilled all prophecies in satisfying the wrath of God. The infinite offense is paid in the infinitely valuable blood of God in Jesus (Acts 20:28). Sin was fully satisfied forever in one moment in time. The word Jesus used, Τετέλεσται, is spoken in the perfect tense. It describes a past action with ongoing results. We might say, "It has been and will continue to be finished!" We ought to have the utmost confidence that Jesus' sacrifice was, and always will be, sufficient.

The Gospel of John introduces the character of Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He acted exactly as the Passover lamb was intended to symbolize (Exodus 12:3–13). God passes over our sin because it is covered by Jesus' blood.

Receiving Eternal Life

Jesus removing sin is amazing news — perhaps the best news of all time. But there is more to the gospel story. We all lack spiritual life. Forgiveness (sin not being charged to our account) does not resolve the inherent spiritual death sin causes. Unending vitality with God as an adopted child has always been a gift given through faith in Jesus for it. Eternal life is a present possession for those who are convinced that Jesus will provide it. We know this from clear promise verses like John 3:16, 5:24, and 6:47.

It is simple to say "believe in Jesus for eternal life," but there is a lot of confusion drawn from that statement. First, people define "believe" differently across traditions. To most denominations it means a reliance that compels action. They argue faith necessarily implies works — or, more properly, a volition to willfully act in accordance with the beliefs.

Such a paradigm fits the understanding that salvation includes elements of either participating in sacraments, perseverance, obedience, repentance of sins, confession, or keeping some portion of the Law. However, if faith is defined as itself a work or as encompassing works, then eternal life cannot be described as a gift at all. You passively receive a gift. If you work for something, it qualifies as a reward or wage.

The Bible presents faith as a persuasion of truth (Acts 26:28). It is incompatible with works (Romans 4:5–6). Faith rests on the assurance of things hoped for — God's promises — not our human effort (Hebrews 11:6).

When we ask people outside of Christianity, "Do you believe this is true?" we never mean something like "Have you committed your entire life to obeying everything about this claim?" It is rather strange that faith and believing takes on a special definition within religion that does not exist in the real world. If the president makes a claim about economic or foreign policy, I can believe what he says is true or reject it. Those are really the only two options.

Of course, God wants us to live productive and healthy lives by obeying His commands. But that is distinct from believing a truth. We all act inconsistently with our beliefs. God promises that whosoever believes in His Son for life — at that moment — enters into the status of a child of God (John 1:12–13). And God, as the only perfect Father, does not abandon His children. He disciplines every son He loves, yet they remain eternally secure in His family. We are born again into a new life by faith (John 3:5–10; Titus 3:5). You are always born once, not continually born again and again!

In fact, the Gospel of John presents other analogies of faith as once receiving a forever gift. Jesus told the Samaritan woman she only needed to drink once of His living water (John 4:14). He told the crowds after feeding five thousand men that if they eat of His message — that is, believe Him — they would certainly rise to life (John 6:37–40).

Faith in Jesus

Next, someone must believe "in Jesus" — that is, regard the person of Christ as the giver of eternal life. If someone believes in a different Jesus, one who significantly contradicts the biblical account of Him, then they are not trusting in Jesus. And any Jesus who offers a different kind of gift — a temporary, probationary life as opposed to unconditional eternal life — is a false Jesus. Only the Jesus of the Bible saves us!

This part of the gospel is probably the most debated. How much does someone need to know or affirm about Jesus to know He is the "Jesus of the Bible"? That is difficult to pin down exactly. Most doctrines in Christology are interconnected.

I might adjust my view in the future, but for now I would say at least someone should understand Jesus as a historical person and yet God. You would logically then know He has both the power to give eternal life and the utmost integrity to keep His promises. I would not expect or require someone to know every mystery of the Godhead or the hypostatic union. The most foundational verse defining Jesus is, of course, John 1:1: "...and the Word was God."

In reality, people will struggle with the idea of Jesus as God in any sense prior to faith. We should be abundantly patient to explain as much as we can to help them understand the truth. The focus of evangelism should be the promise of eternal life through the biblical Jesus.

It would be irresponsible — if not impossible — to clearly share the gospel without communicating the big three P's of Jesus:

The Bible provides many other promises, including forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17), and entrance into God's future Kingdom (1 Peter 1:3–4). The Gospel of John repeatedly stresses the eternal life believers have with God. We should use biblical language found in the only primarily evangelistic book of the Bible. However, someone could understand implicitly that these other eternal benefits include a life forever with God.

Maybe the best approach is simply to tell someone to read a few chapters a day of the Gospel of John on their own and come back with questions. I think we can always benefit from letting the truth speak for itself. Every word of it was specifically chosen to sufficiently lead someone to believe in Jesus to have eternal life (John 20:30–31).