I. The Gospel is Not “Good Do’s” (Moralisms) or “Good Views” (Doctrinal
Systems), but “Good News” (Evangel). Not History, Commands,
Exhortations or Prophecy, but an Announcement.
A. Isa. 43:10-13 – God declares, saves and proclaims.
B. 2 Tim. 1:9 – God foretold, saved and called us.
II. The Good News is the Announcement that God has Forgiven us and Made
Us His Friends, and That He Will Finally Restore All That Has Gone
Wrong in His Universe.
A. Eph. 1:13 – It is the “good news” of our salvation!
B. Eph. 1:10; Rom. 8 – God will sum up and redeem “all things.”
III. There are Many Ways of Talking About What God Has Done.
The Reality is Greater Than Any Attempt to Describe It.
A. Glimpses from Jesus’ human encounters.
1. Father of the wayward son (Lk. 15:11ff).
2. Woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11).
3. Zaccheus (Lk. 19:1-10).
4. “Come to me all who labor” (Matt. 11:28-30).
5. Thief on cross (Lk. 23:39-43).
B. Metaphors from business and commerce.
1. Prison: was guilty — now pardoned
2. Court: was accused — now acquitted
3. Baths: was dirty — now cleansed
4. Street: was forsaken — now adopted
5. Home: was estranged — now reconciled
6. Inn: was hungry/thirsty — now filled
7. Bank: was impoverished — now enriched
C. Analogy of the covenant with its stipulations, blessings
and curses (more later).
IV. God Did All This in Jesus of Nazareth.
A. Jesus says “Yes” to all God’s promises so we may say “Amen.”
1. 2 Cor. 1:20.
2. Acts 3:18ff.
B. The core of the good news is that Jesus personally took our
place and acted in our stead. He became our representative,
our substitute, our proxy before God in all he did and in all
that was done to him.
1. This is the meaning of his priesthood (Exod. 28; Lev. 16;
Heb. 8-10).
2. Jesus was thus “born of a woman” (man), “born under the
Law” (Israel), to rescue Israel and humankind and set them
right with God (Gal. 4:4).
a. He is the righteous remnant, true Israel.
(1) John 15:1 (contrast Isa. 5:1-7).
(2) Matt. 1-5 – retracing Israel’s footsteps.
b. He is the Second Adam, true humanity.
(1) Lk. 3 – baptism and genealogy.
(2) Phil. 2 – retracing Adam’s footsteps.
c. Adam and Israel had covenant with God (Lev. 26; Deut.
28). Jesus accomplished what neither Adam or Israel
did: he kept the covenant stipulations and earned the
covenant blessings, then took on himself the covenant
curses in place of his people (Isa. 53:4-5; Gal.
3:13-14; 2 Cor. 5:21).
d. This involved Jesus’ perfect doing (active obedience)
and in his perfect dying (passing obedience).
(1) His perfect “doing” (Heb. 10; Rom. 5).
(2) His perfect “dying” (Heb. 9; Isa. 53).
3. Jesus himself has become the “covenant” (basis of
relationship) between God and sinners, not external
stipulations, blessings and curses (Isa. 42:6; 49:8).
4. Jesus himself is our wisdom, righteousness, holiness and
redemption. We can glory only in him.
a. 1 Cor. 1:30-31.
b. Jer. 23:5-6 and 33:15-16.
c. Jer. 30:21-24.
d. Phil. 3:3-11.
V. The Work That Accomplished Salvation is Done.
A. The testimony of the scriptures.
1. 2 Cor. 5:19 – God was in Christ, reconciling the world
to himself.
2. Col. 1:19-22 – God has reconciled us to himself.
3. John 6:37-40 – Jesus came to do God’s will and save his
own.
4. John 17:4; 19:30 – Jesus did what he came to do.
5. Isa. 53:11 – God saw the result of Jesus’ work and was
satisfied.
6. Rom. 4:25 – He was put to death because of our
transgressions and was raised again because of our
justification.
B. We cannot alter it, improve on it, add to it, diminish from it
or make it more complete or sure than it already is.
C. This saving work was done outside of us, but for us — before
we ever heard about it. Nothing we think, do or feel is any
part of the work which accomplished our salvation.
D. Because this saving work of Christ occurred outside of us and
our experience, we must trust entirely in it and not in
ourselves. We either accept it, rely on it and respond to it
— or we disbelieve it and ignore it at our peril.