A Plain Introduction to the Gospel

How this class came about is I was writing a book recently, and it took a lot of research, and I was teaching the gospel. I wanted to make sure I was teaching the gospel accurately, the way the Bible teaches it, not just what I was taught. And so it launched me on a very long study, and I came up with 10 lessons from that, and that's what I'm going to share with you.

This first lesson is just a plain introduction to the gospel. The gospel is a word that we throw around a lot. It's a very popular label. We talk about preaching a gospel message or going on a gospel mission. We have gospel projects. People listen to gospel music, including contemporary gospel. We have gospel meetings, gospel singers, gospel coalitions, gospel radio stations. It's just a very, very popular word.

But we're gonna look at really what the Bible says about the gospel, and we're gonna look at the plain gospel. Maybe you're wondering why we call this class the plain gospel.

And certainly by plain, we don't mean boring because the the gospel is not boring. But, really, the definition of plain is when it's spoken with unreserved sincerity, it's is communicated with frankness, honesty, and openness. Plain means speaking and acting without art or stratagem or disguise, And that's what we want to accomplish with the gospel. We don't we don't need to fill it up. We don't need to make it fancy.

When Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, and he was trying to think of all the people he'd baptized, says I'm glad I didn't baptize a lot of people, and he explains in verse 17, he says, for Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. When we try to be clever or cutesy with the gospel, when we're adding things to the gospel, it makes it void. And so we want to teach the gospel just the way it was originally taught. The that's the Greek word for the good message or the gospel. This word appears 55 times, it is translated as gospel, and another 9 times, it's translated at least in the translation I use, which is gonna be the New American Standard.

Another 9 times it's translated good news. That's the noun version. Now, or excuse me, is the verb form to preach the gospel, or if you will, gosspling. That appears another 77 times in the new testament. And so that's what we're gonna be studying is that plain gospel or preaching of the gospel.

I was taught when I was a young Christian that the word gospel comes from a Latin word, gospel, and it's a compound word, and that's false. And I have, since learned better. It's actually an old English word. Is how you would pronounce it in old English. Meaning good, and spell is a bit of news or a story.

And when we're studying the gospel, we're telling the good story about Jesus, the history of his birth, life, actions, death, his resurrection, ascension, and the doctrines of Jesus, or a revelation of the grace of god to follow man through a mediator, including the character, actions, and the doctrines of Christ with a whole scheme of salvation as it's revealed to Christ and his apostles. To really study the gospel, it actually goes back a little bit into the old testament as far as the good news of the coming savior. In Galatians chapter 3, we read in verse 8 that the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying all the nations will be blessed in you. And in the old testament, we see the word good news used, like Proverbs chapter 15 verse 30, which says bright eyes gladden the heart and good news puts fat on the bones. Or Proverbs 25 verse 25, which says, like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.

Isaiah uses the phrase good news quite a few times. Isaiah 50 2 verse 7 says, how lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, your God reigns. One of my favorite places in the old testament where good news is used is in 2nd Kings chapter 7, when the lepers go into the Assyrian camp, and they find all sorts of food, and they start hoarding it to themselves. But in verse 9, it says, then they said to one another, we're not doing right. This is a day of good news, but we're keeping it silent.

If we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household. So we see good news in the old testament, but but really, the gospel starts with the new testament, and that's where we're gonna focus our study on. And we want to learn the gospel as deeply as we can. I I want to know the gospel, don't you?

I want to know this gospel, which Matthew chapter 24, if you'll join me there, and I hope you have a a Bible in front of you. Matthew chapter 24 says that this gospel needs to be preached to the whole world before the end comes. Matthew chapter 24 verse 14 says this gospel of the kingdom of God shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. I want to know that gospel. I'm interested in the gospel, which the new testament says repeatedly is a benefit to the poor.

Flipping back to Acts chapter or excuse me, Matthew chapter 11. Matthew 11, and starting in verse 4. It says, Jesus answered and said to them, go and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight. The lame walk.

The lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. There's several times where you see this a couple of times in Luke where it mentions that the poor were able to receive the gospel. I'll talk more about that in another class, but very interesting.

In this class, we're going to learn the truth of the gospel, as is mentioned in Galatians chapter 2 verse 5 and also in verse 14. We're gonna learn the mystery of the gospel in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 19. The faith of the gospel, Philippians chapter 1 verse 27. The hope of the gospel, Colossians chapter 1 and verse 23. The standpoint of the gospel, Romans chapter 11 verse 28.

The word of the gospel, Acts chapter 15 and verse 7. The cause of the gospel, Philippians 4 and verse 3, the light of the gospel. 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 4. In our study, we're going to witness the first preaching of the gospel, which is mentioned in Philippians chapter 4 verse 15. We're going to master the defense of the gospel, Philippians chapter 1 verse 16, so we will see the furtherance of the gospel, Philippians chapter 2 and verse 2.

This is the journey that we're setting out before us as we study the plain gospel. So except for this first class on the plain introduction of the gospel and the last class that we're going to be doing, Each of these classes are going to be centered around one of the books of the Bible. Let me give you the titles, and we'll put these up on the screen here for you. But this first one, class number 1 is the the plain introduction to the gospel. And then our next class, we're gonna look at the marks of the plain gospel.

And then in our 3rd class class, we're gonna look at the plain gospel and acts, as we look at both Luke and acts, actually. And then in our 4th class, we're gonna look at Romans, obligated to the plain gospel. In our 5th class, we're gonna talk about first Corinthians, the core of the plain gospel. And then class number 6 is going to be based in Galatians, and we're gonna look at when the gospel is not the gospel. Our 7th class will be based in Ephesians, the plain saving gospel.

And then we'll have a class number 8, which will be on Philippians, the defense of the plain gospel. And then we'll look at both 1st and second Thessalonians. In Thesalonica, we'll look at the impact of the plain gospel in our 9th class. And then in our 10th class, we're going to summarize it all as we look at what does it mean obeying the plain gospel. That's class number 10.

So I hope that you are prepared. I am so excited to get to share this with you, but, really, my objective is not to convince you that I know the gospel well, but to get you to the point that you fully understand the gospel, and that you can communicate it to others effectively. I wanna get you to the point that anytime somebody says something about the gospel, he's like, oh, the gospel. Yeah. Let's talk about that.

Did you know this and this? And you will really be able to talk intelligently and from scripture as to what the true gospel is. So that's our objective. So I hope that you are motivated to study and to learn. It's going to be a great class and enjoyable study.

I hope you'll join us in our next class as we look at the marks of the plain gospel. So until then, have a blessed day.