What is the Gospel?

This seems like a valid question.  When pastors are ordained, they are typically ordained into the "Gospel" ministry.  Church planters endeavor to spread the Gospel to those who haven't heard it.  Neighbors to Nations was formed for the very purpose of engaging in Gospel ministry.  Could this be one of those words that we use all the time, but can't articulate the meaning when asked?

Yep...that's the look I typically get when I ask someone to explain the Gospel.  As a minister, I can't help but feel that, at some level, we've been unclear and ineffective if our people cannot articulate the Gospel.  What's even worse is that many students who graduate from seminaries also have trouble succinctly explaining the Gospel. (resisting the urge to google "nervous preacher" images).

Why is it so difficult for us to articulate the Gospel?  Often, we equate the Gospel with our faith and we can't figure out how to spit out our faith in a sentence or two.  I think our mistake there is confusing the Gospel with the out-workings of the Gospel in our lives.  Another reason that we have trouble is that we know we don't know the Word as well as we should.  We are torn between explaining the Gospel in biblical language and butchering it or paraphrasing and leaving something out.  This is a big deal because in order to be evangelistic, we must be able to articulate the Gospel.

In an effort to prepare some of my students for a mission trip to Seattle last spring, I came across a helpful explanation at the 9marks site. In a 5 number list, they cover the Gospel:

1. The one and only God, who is holy, made us in his image to know him (Genesis 1:26-28).
2. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from him (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23).
3. In his great love, God sent his Son Jesus to come as king and rescue his people from their enemies--most significantly their own sin (Psalm 2; Luke 1:67-79)
4. Jesus established his kingdom by acting as both a mediating priest and a priestly sacrifice--he lived a perfect life and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law himself and taking on himself the punishment for the sins of many (Mark 10:45; John 1:14; Hebrews 7:26; Romans 3:21-25, 5:12-21).
5. He now calls us to repent of our sins and trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness (Acts 17:30, John 1:12). If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God (John 3:16).

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I hope you find this as helpful as I did.  Studying the scriptures associated with each point is a great starting point for a study of personal evangelism.  May we learn and espouse a clear and biblical Gospel.