Many times when Chiristians think about the Gospel they think about the good news about salvation from sin, death and hell. Thought this is certainly an important aspect of “the Gospel” it is not the primary aspect. The tendency for modern Christians is to make the Gospel about them and their salvation. But the biblical Gospel is first and foremost about Christ and His kingdom. To illustrate this tendency, let’s consider the following verses:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Savior and believe in your heart that He died for your sins, you will be saved.
– Romans 10:8-9? NKJV
These are very familiar verses. But did you catch the fact that verse 9 is misquoted? Here is the correct quotation:
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
– Romans 10:8-9 NKJV
Can you spot the difference? In the first quotation is talks of Jesus as Savior who died for our sins. But the verse actually talks of Jesus as Lord and points to the fact that God raised Him from the dead. This might seem like a small difference, but actually it completely changes the focus of the message. The misquoted version puts the emphasis on us and our salvation, but the biblical quotation puts the emphasis on Christ and His kingship as the risen Lord. Though it is certainly true that Christ is our Savior Who died for our sins, this is secondary to the fact that He is the risen Lord over God’s kingdom.
If you take a few moments to read through the first public proclamation of the Gospel after the resurrection of Christ in Acts chapter 2 you will note something quite surprising; though Peter refers to the death of Jesus Christ, he never mentions that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. Instead, he mentions the death of Christ only in order to emphasize the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God. The conclusion of his Gospel presentation is found in the following verse:
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
– Acts 2:36 NKJV
Peter’s emphasis is not on Jesus dying on the cross for our sins; he doesn’t even mention that fact! His message is focused on the fact that God has raised Jesus from the dead to be Lord of all. This is the same emphasis we read about in Romans 10:8-9. The Gospel is first and foremost about the risen Lord. I encourage you to skim through the book of Acts and note that in every public proclamation of the Gospel the apostles and evangelists never mention that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. This is not to say that Jesus did not die for our sins on the cross, it is only worth noting so that we see that though HIs death on the cross for our sins is an important aspect of the Gospel message, it is not the primary emphasis of the biblical Gospel. The primary and central emphasis of the Gospel message is that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord!
What difference does this make? I mean, if both His death for sin and His position as Savior as well as His resurrection from the dead and His position as Lord, are part of the Gospel message, why emphasize the latter above the former? If for no other reason, we should do so because the biblical writers emphazize the latter in their public proclamation of the Gospel. But also because what we emphasize in our Gospel proclamation will affect how people respond to the Gospel and how they walk out that response.
If a sinner hears that the Gospel is that Jesus died for our sins so that we can be forgiven of our sins and go to heaven if we believe He is the Savior Who died for us, this will not necessarily lead to the repentance that leads to life. One could sincerely believe those facts and yet continue in rebellion to Christ without a second thought. On the other hand, if they hear from us that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by God the Father to be Lord of all, and they sincerely believe this message, they will immediately understand that they are required to submit their lives to His Lordship. We must present Jesus Christ as the risen Lord that has power to save because He died for our sins, and power to judge those who continue to live in rebellion to His lordship because He is Lord of all.
Though the Gospel certainly includes the fact that Jesus died for our sins so we could be forgiven of our sins and receive the gift of eternal life, this is not the primary emphasis of the Gospel, but a consequence of it. The primary emphasis of the Gospel is the lordship of the risen Christ. And from this risen King salvation flows to those who will submit to His lordship and trust in His gracious mercy. The Gospel is first and foremost about Christ and His kingdom; then, and only then, is it about us and our salvation.
A Brief Note:
Let me make a quick note for those who might be wondering why Acts does not emphasize the atoning death of Christ, but it seems to be mentioned everywhere in the epistles (i.e. the letters of the apostles). The difference is found in the audience. When preaching to the lost, the emphasis is on the lordship of the risen Christ. We point to Him so that people will submit to Him and find salvation in HIm. But when the apostles wrote to believers they answered the question as to why the risen Christ can save us, namely because He died for our sins and rose again to give us new life. Since the epistles were written to believers, the apostles explain in more depth how Christ saves us.
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