02/08/2025
"What is the Gospel?" by Greg Gilbert
This book resents a clear, biblical explanation of the Christian gospel. According to Gilbert, the gospel is the good news of what God has done through Jesus Christ to reconcile sinners to Himself. His framework breaks the gospel into four main points:
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1. God
God is the holy, righteous, and just Creator of all things.
He made humans in His image to glorify and enjoy Him forever.
As the Creator, God has rightful authority over all creation and sets the moral standard.
📖 Reference: Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1; Romans 1:18–20
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2. Man (Humanity)
All humans have sinned and rebelled against God’s authority.
Sin separates us from God and makes us deserving of His just wrath and punishment.
No amount of good works can fix our sinful state.
📖 Reference: Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1–3
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3. Christ
Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, lived a perfect life and died on the cross as a substitute for sinners.
On the cross, He bore the punishment sinners deserve.
He rose from the dead, proving His victory over sin and death.
📖 Reference: 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Romans 5:6–8; 2 Corinthians 5:21
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4. Response
The proper response to the gospel is to repent of sin and believe in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
This is not just intellectual belief but trusting and surrendering to Jesus as Lord and Savior.
📖 Reference: Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9
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Summary (Greg Gilbert's Gospel in One Sentence):
> "The gospel is the good news that God, who is perfectly holy, made us in His image to know Him, but we sinned and separated ourselves from Him. In His great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross to bear God's wrath in our place. He rose again, offering forgiveness and eternal life to all who repent and believe in Him."
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Gilbert's Goal:
Greg Gilbert wants to protect the gospel from being reduced to moralism, social justice, or generic spirituality. He insists that the gospel is about substitutionary atonement, not just being a better person or fixing society.