What is the Gospel?

​Second Sunday in Lent series A
March 5, 2023
Sermon Text: John 3:1-17
'What Is The Gospel?'
 
In his letter to the Romans, from which today's appointed Epistle Reading is taken, St. Paul writes these words in the very first chapter: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God." And further: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." And, then, at the end of Romans, he says again: "The grace was given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the Gospel of God."
The Gospel is the one word that sums up the apostolic ministry of St. Paul, which summarizes this penitential season of Lent and sets the Christian faith apart from every other religion in the world.  
But what exactly is the Gospel, the Good News? After all, in religious circles these days, the word 'Gospel' refers to just about anything and everything except 'the Gospel' that St. Paul is talking about. There is the 'prosperity Gospel' proclaimed by so-called evangelicals who teach that if you really truly give your heart to Jesus, that if you really work hard enough and pray long enough, God will bless you with material riches.
Or the 'social Gospel' taught and believed in many churches where the Good News has been reduced to nothing more than addressing such social issues like world hunger or global warming or what have you, or the God is "love" Gospel, so anything you do or say is okay – those Gospels St Paul writes it in Galatians, is "a different Gospel which is no Gospel at all, a distortion of the Gospel of Christ."
And so, what exactly is the Gospel, the Good News? Well, that is what we want to focus our thoughts on today. And this we shall do by taking a closer look at the various words and phrases of what is probably the most familiar passage in all of Holy Scripture – John 3:16, which is often called 'the Gospel in a nutshell.' So we begin: "For God..." And this is far more significant and important than we might first think; for the Gospel message, the Christian faith, begins not with us but with God. Right away, we are directed away from ourselves, away from the things and the events of this world, to the one, holy, almighty, eternal God who has revealed Himself in His Word. You see, God is not just some vague, higher power, but the all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing, all-seeing Creator and Ruler of the entire universe who has made us in His image. God – in whom and through whom we live and move and have our very being; that is where the Gospel, the Christian faith, begins.
"For God so loved ..." Now, what is so amazing is that this one, holy, almighty, eternal God is not only a God of awesome power, righteous wrath, and justice, but He is also a God of love. And yet, how often do we flippantly and carelessly speak of God's love that we rob it of its meaning? God is our lover.
"For God so loved the world ..." Now, who exactly does God love? Who does God have compassion and pity, care and concern for? Why, the world! But here, in these words, we come face to face with the fantastic and amazing truth that God loves the world. Yes, God loves His creation even though it has been corrupted and marred by sin. God loves all whom He has made even though, as the psalmist declares, "There is not a righteous person on earth who does good and sins not." God loves us. He is concerned about us and cares for us. What a Gospel! What Good News!
 
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son ..." What specifically has God given us? What are the concrete expressions of God's love for the world? Well, there are many, but the best gift of all is God's only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself our very flesh and blood in the womb of the virgin Mary and came into this world as one of us.
God gave His only Son as the supreme gift of all – as the atoning sacrifice for the entire world's sins, as the payment price for our many violations of His holy Law, as the One who would die in our very place on a cross. What a Gospel! What Good News for sinners like you and like me! 
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever ..." Now, notice again who the gift is for, 'whoever' To be sure, this is most difficult for us to really grasp and accept. After all, somehow, we cannot envision the Son of God hanging on Calvary's cross as the stream of humanity passes by without indicating, "For this one I die, because they meet the criteria I set out for them to obey. The others I did not die for because, well, they did not meet my standard. But no, God does not act that way. Instead, He dies for all – for 'whoever,' including you and me; thank you, Lord.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him ..." Whoever does what? "whoever believes in Him." It's as simple as that. No works are necessary, but only an empty heart that believes gratefully and accepts and receives the blessings of God's great love.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." Now, when all is said and done, what is the end result of the Son of God dying on the cross? What happens to those who do believe in Him? Just this: eternal life – a life where sin and death, sorrow and shame, wrath and punishment, pain and tears, are no more; a life with the one, holy God not only in eternity but even right here and now.
And is not this what you and I and all people really need? After all, financial security does absolutely nothing to secure your eternal future. Your good health is going to last only so long until you close your eyes in death. Peace among the nations, peace among family members, is not only fleeting at best, but will last for this life only. But here in the Gospel, we have a life, peace, health, security that lasts forever. What a Gospel! What Good News! 
And so, there you have it – the Gospel:  the Good News, the heart of Lent, the center of the entire Christian faith the one message that sets the Christian faith apart from every other religion in the world' the one message that alone is to be proclaimed here among us, the one message that so many others in this world also need to hear and believe the one and the only message in this world that is of eternal significance and importance, the one message that truly and really is Good News: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."
May God grant that, by the power of His Holy Spirit, such may indeed be so and continue to be so for every single one of us. Amen.