What tastes of sweet honey to us is bitter to the unbeliever. Paul describes the cross as “foolishness to the perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). That is why we must know the Gospel, live the Gospel, and, most importantly, share the Gospel.
For those of us who know Christ, two simple words hold the key to life everlasting: The Gospel.
This phrase is like sweet honey to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. To believe the Gospel means that we have peace with God, that we have a heavenly Father, and that we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. Believing the Gospel means that regardless of what happens in this lifetime, we can rest in the beautiful and perfect plan of a sovereign, infinite, all-powerful God.
However, what tastes of sweet honey to us is bitter to the unbeliever. Paul describes the cross as “foolishness to the perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). That is why we must know the Gospel, live the Gospel, and, most importantly, share the Gospel. For the Gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16-17). And although there are many ways to share the Gospel, there are ultimately four truths that must depart our mouths and enter the ears of the unbeliever if what we claim to preach truly is the Gospel. It is these four truths that I intend to unpack in this article. My hope and prayer are that you will commit these truths to memory so that you may “always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
So, what are the four pillars of the Gospel? Let’s break them down one at a time, starting with the first pillar of the Gospel: GOD.
God
People must understand that God is the creator of everything (Gen. 1:1). Not only did God create everything, but He created everything perfect and good (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31) because He is perfectly holy (1 John 1:5). Because God is righteous, and there is no evil in Him (Psalm 92:15), He requires perfect obedience to His law (James 2:10).
Instinctively you may look at God’s requirement for perfect obedience and begin to squirm in your chair, as we all should. This is because not only have we defiled the law of God, but it is, in fact, consistent with our very nature to do so. This brings us to the second pillar of the Gospel: MAN.
Man
There is a separation that exists between God and man. Not because God is holy, but because man is sinful. Ever since Eve doubted God’s word in the garden and dismissing it for the lie of Satan (Gen. 3:6), man has plunged into an ever-sinking pit of darkness. Man is separated from God because man has broken God’s law (Romans 3:10, 23). Because of this broken relationship, man must pay the eternal penalty for sin which is eternal separation from the God who made us in death (Romans 6:23). And, regardless of how much we try or how much effort we put forth, the infinite weight of our depravity is that man cannot save himself by good works (Titus 3:5).
