What is the Gospel?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes….” - Romans 1:16
At VBCC, our mission is to know Christ and to make him known. We believe that this happens only through what the Bible calls The Gospel.
Gospel is simply an old word that means “good news.” The Good News we believe is the story of the whole Bible, at the center of which is the story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. That is the gospel! It is a story that touches the lives of every single person on the planet including you.
Sometimes when a story is really big, you need multiple perspectives in order to understand it. We talk about the Gospel from two perspectives: The Gospel in the Air and The Gospel on the Ground. One big story through two lenses.
The Gospel in the Air is the bird's-eye view of the epic, cosmic drama, the sweep of history from Genesis to Revelation, from eternity past to eternity future. That story can be summarized with four simple plot points: (1) Creation, (2) Fall, (3) Redemption, and (4) Consummation.
This tells the story of God’s great vision for global blessing which takes place over the course of history, beginning with Genesis all the way through the Bible, and coming to the present day. Ephesians 2:12-13 says, “Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” The Gospel in the Air brings into focus God’s mission for my life.
The Gospel on the Ground is the same story but zoomed in to the personal perspective. This is the story of individual hearts and lives that are changed as we encounter the grace and the glory of God. The four aspects of the Gospel on the Ground are: (1) God, (2) Man, (3) Christ, and (4) Response.
This is what it looks like for someone who is in it, who experiences Jesus for himself. We see this in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The Gospel on the Ground brings into focus my relationship with God.
God
God is good. He’s loving & holy. He is the Creator and King of the cosmos.
Consummation
One day, Jesus will come and finish what he started. He will return to set all things right once and for all.
Redemption
God is working to redeem what is broken through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Man
Man is created in God’s image, meant to be in relationship with him, but is alienated from him because of sin.
Fall
Humanity fell, sinned against God, and broke the cosmos.
Christ
Christ has come to bring us back into a right relationship with him. This happens by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, and not by my good works.
Response
God’s Spirit empowers a response of faith & repentance to Christ’s finished work, breathing new life into our dead hearts.
Creation
God created the world and it was good!
Wherever you are, whatever situation you’re in, whatever you’ve done, whatever your history might be, whatever your current status might be, however hopeless your situation might seem, Jesus SEES you. He LOVES you. And he’s AFTER you.
Will you trust him? Will you surrender to him today?
If you want to establish a personal relationship with Jesus, or if you have more questions about what the gospel means, we want to hear from you! Please contact us at connections@vbcc.church or come find us at the Connect Table on Sunday morning!
P.S., if you’d like to learn more about the gospel in the air and on the ground, we recommend reading through The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler and Jared C. Wilson. Let us know if you’d like a copy!