What is the Gospel and Why Does It Matter?

What is the gospel? How, as a Christian, is the gospel changing your life?

There might not be any more important questions than these two questions. Too often, we speak about “the gospel” in generalities or make assumptions about its meaning but fail to clearly explain its meaning and power. And sometimes Christians talk about the gospel as if it was something they once believed but then they left it on the shelf and moved on. But this isn’t the way the New Testament talks about the gospel.

God’s grace isn’t just the gateway into the Christian life but it’s also the pathway of the Christian life. The gospel is not just for salvation, but it also empowers Christians to live in obedience and be conformed to the holy character of God (Eph. 3:17-19). Our life is centered on the gospel because our life is centered on Jesus. This is why one of Stones Crossing’s theological distinctives is “we passionately hold to gospel centrality.”

In his book Gospel Deeps, Jared Wilson writes: “If the gospel is not the ABC’s of the Christian life but the A to Z, we can expect that the gospel is for all of life, not just the moment of conversion. The gospel’s saving work is deep work. It is deep tissue massage, spiritual reparative therapy, and radical reconstructive surgery.”

In our upcoming Stones Institute class, Gospel Foundations, we’ll spend four weeks in August explaining what the gospel message is but also how it changes everything about our life. Here’s a summary of some of what we’ll cover each week.

• The gospel is God’s good news of salvation through Christ for the whole world and for individuals (week 1).
• The gospel gives us a new standing, a new relationship with God, and a new heart and power for living (week 2).
• The gospel propels transformation because it gives us a new identity in Christ and power by the Spirit so we can then grow, mature, and change (week 3).
• The gospel ultimately is how we can better enjoy and walk with God, so as we practice spiritual disciplines it’s done as an overflow of the gospel (week 4).

If you want to grow in your faith, find joy in Jesus and his work for you, be equipped to share the gospel, and meet other Christians at Stones Crossing seeking the same things, join us during the 9:00 a.m. service the four Sundays in August.

You can learn more or register here, or contact Pastor Dustin Crowe with any questions.