What is the Gospel?

The Gospel - the Good News of Christ - is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. Paul defines the Gospel in I Corinthians 15:3-5: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.” The facts concerning Christ are conveyed by four prominent verbs.

Christ Died
Paul said, “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3). Christ died as our substitute. Had he not taken our punishment, we would all bear it ourselves. Christ died as my substitute and yours. Isaiah, seven hundred years before Christ, prophesied His death when he said, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5).

Christ Was Buried
The second verb Paul used concerning Christ is that ” He was buried” (I Cor. 15:4). Since Paul did not repeat the phrase “according to the Scriptures,” it is likely that he mentioned Christ’s burial simply as a proof that HE died. The proof of death is burial.

Christ Rose
The third verb Paul used is that “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:4). This is the second time Paul used the phrase “according to the Scriptures.” He wanted his readers to know that, just as Christ’s crucifixion was not a surprise, neither was His resurrection. David predicted the resurrection of Christ when he said, “For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption: (Ps. 16:10).

Christ Was Seen
The fourth verb Paul used is “seen”: “he was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve” (I Cor. 15:5). Notice again that Paul did not repeat the phrase “according to the Scriptures.” It is likely that just as Paul mentioned Christ’s burial as proof that He died, he mentioned that Christ was seen as proof that He arose.

The Gospel - the Good News of Christ - is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. His burial is proof that he died. The fact that He was seen is proof that he arose. The clearest way to present the Gospel is to give the historical facts as they are given in the New Testament. The Good News we are privileged to announce is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.