The gospel is the central message of Christianity but what is it?
These presentations are divided into different categories. Not-yet Christians need to hear what God's good news is for them. New and growing Christians need to understand the gospel in a little more depth. Multiplying Christians need to know what message they are to share.
The Gospel of the Kingdom - Peter Cheyne
It is important that we can explain the gospel simply. If we are asked, we need to be ready to "give the reason for the hope you have" (1 Peter 3:15).
On the other hand, the gospel is a rich and powerful message with many aspects. It is the subject of entire books. It can be said that the entire Bible spells out the gospel.
In other words, we can have the 20,000 metre view - the overview - or the more complex close-up, detailed view.
It might help to distinguish the following:
the gospel itself
responses to the gospel - repentance, faith etc. The gospel requires a response but the response is not part of the gospel itself.
the effects of the gospel - forgiveness, reconciliation, salvation, adoption as God's children, freedom etc. etc. etc.. All of these - and there are many, many - are part of the good news of the gospel but not the gospel itself.
All of the following say essentially the same thing. What are the elements that they all emphasise? What differences do you see?
What Is The Gospel: A Look at 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 - David Nicholas (Christianity Today)
What Is The Gospel? - The Gospel Coalition (including a video of Don Carson)
What Is The Gospel? - an online course (The Gospel Coalition)
What Does "Gospel" Really Mean? - J. Warner Wallace (Cold-case Christianity)
What is The Gospel? - Greg Gilbert (Crossway)
What is The Gospel? - W. Robert Godfrey (Ligonier Ministries)
What Is The Christian Gospel? - John Piper (Desiring God)
What is The Gospel? - Nicholas Davis (Core Christianity)
What is The Gospel? - (9Marks)
What is The Gospel? 2 Parts Of The Gospel You Need To Understand - Denise Larson Cooper (Bible Study Tools)
What is The Gospel? - Matt Slick (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry)
The Content Of The Gospel - Lambert Dolphin
What Is The Gospel? - (I'll Be Honest)
What is The Gospel? - Shawn Kennedy (Gospel-Centred Discipleship)
The following take a slightly different approach. It could be that they give a fuller, or more nuanced, version suggesting that the explanations above are too simplistic. Or it could be that they are going beyond the biblical gospel. It is not a question of what we prefer but of what is most faithful to the Bible. What do you think?
What Is The Core Of The Gospel? - Greg Carey (Huffington Post)
The Power Of The Simple Gospel - Greg Stier