What Is It? Why Do We Care? (Colossians 1:3-8)
To begin our study of the gospel, we answer the fundamental questions, "What is the gospel, and why do we care?"
What Is It?
The most straightforward answer is probably on the tip of most of your tongues. The word gospel means "good news," so the gospel is the good news of Jesus dying for our sins. This is not hard to understand on the surface, but it's hard for everyone to accept. That's why additional information is necessary, and that is why we will spend all year dissecting this. To help us understand it and accept it, we will start easy. Let's study Colossians 1.
Colossians 1:3--8 (ESV) --- 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing---as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
This text tells us a lot about the gospel because Paul wants these Christians to understand what the gospel is and what it is doing to find joy in it and share it with others.
The Word of The Truth
The first explanation of the gospel is that it is synonymous with "the word of truth." The word gospel means good news, but it IS the word of truth that we have received from God. Many of us have been taken advantage of by people claiming to have good news. Typically we have trained ourselves to be skeptical of good news. People used our excitement and gullible nature against us. They took advantage of how naive we were, telling us a partial truth. They made us buy something that was junk, or they forced us to listen to information on their timeshare. We are taught that free stuff is never free. It always costs something.
Salesmen get a bad reputation for this because their product often doesn't match up to the hype. Preachers of the gospel are not salesmen, but sometimes they act like it. They offer things outside the gospel as though the gospel needs something else, or they leave out the cost of the gospel. Honestly, what the gospel offers is better than anything we can describe, and what it costs us is more than anything we have ever purchased before. But, this is the truth.
There is a lot of false information in the world. It's hard to know what to trust. So, what makes the Bible and the gospel the one thing we can count on as true? How would you respond if someone asks, "How do you know the gospel and the Bible are true?" There are many answers to that question, many reasons why we know that. We don't have time to go into depth on all the reasons. If you are interested, there is a book in my office called "Evidence That Demands a Verdict," full of apologetic reasons behind the Bible's authenticity.
But I think one answer we could give to, "What makes the gospel truth?" is that "It claims to be, and then it proves this claim." Most people don't believe the Bible is true because they don't trust it to testify about itself. When you think about it, we don't believe a testimony that someone gives about themselves. We think that people always say what is in their best interest. But that's not true. On some occasions, people choose to be vulnerable and reveal things that are not in their best interest. Why would people do that? They do that to build trust to reveal something more significant than them. That's usually when you know someone is telling the truth. Many historical books prove the Bible is true. It's okay to believe the Bible simply because the writers in the Bible are so vulnerable and honest about their faults. David lets his sin with Bathsheba be known. Moses tells us about his struggle with Israel. When we hear someone being vulnerable, it's essential to understand why. On every occasion, the Bible's writers reveal something they wouldn't want anyone to know because God's work is more important than them. His work is the gospel, and it's true.
The Grace of God
So the Bible is the true good news that God has given us, but let's go a little deeper.
Colossians 1:6 (ESV) --- 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing---as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,
Verse 6 also uses another synonymous phrase. It says that the gospel is "the grace of God in truth." The gospel is not only the truth. It is the truth about God's grace toward us. In the gospel, the mysteries of God are laid open for all to see. We learn that God is not wrathful or vengeful toward humanity. The suffering we experience is not because he doesn't care about us. He cares, and he has prepared a place for that suffering to be removed for all eternity. He is full of grace and mercy toward all who are willing to believe and submit to him.
He gives the grace of forgiveness of our sins through the sacrifice of his son. That's the big one we often think about when we think of God's grace. But the good news doesn't stop there. In the New Testament, God also gives us many other gracious gifts. He gives us the grace of discipline to bring us back from erring. He gives us the grace of ministry gifts to lead others to him. He is graciously willing to provide us with wisdom, peace, joy, and understanding if we ask him. The gospel reveals a loving Father who wants to do what is best for his children.
To answer the question, "What is the gospel?" we have to understand it as God revealing his truly compassionate nature to us. He opens up and shares who he is like never before. Everyone wants to know who God is, and they have no idea that he revealed himself. But he revealed himself in such a way that only the humble can understand. Not many proud, noble, rich, or powerful will understand the beauty of God's grace.
Our Source of Transformation
To go one more level of depth, we see that Paul uses an illustration. In verse 6, Paul says that the gospel has come to the Colossians as it is going throughout the whole world. Then, he says what the gospel is doing. It is bearing fruit and increasing. Here, Paul portrays the gospel as a seed planted everywhere and is sprouting up vegetation. Paul wants the Colossians to understand that the gospel is a seed that keeps producing more and more fruit.
Notice how he describes the gospel's effect on the Colossians. Of course, this refers to creating disciples, but it also refers to something more. Notice that the fruit it is bearing among the Colossians is not just additional believers.
Colossians 1:3--5 (ESV) --- 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
The fruit or outcome of the gospel is faith, hope, and love. It provides faith in Christ, love for all the saints, and a hope laid up in heaven. If we don't have faith, hope, or love, it's probably also true that we aren't well acquainted with the gospel because that's what it is supposed to produce in you. He describes what the gospel is by describing what it is doing inside of them.
Faith
First, the good news gives us someone to put our faith in. If you have ever trusted in someone and been let down, you feel a resistance to let someone in again. In our study of Matthew, we have been seeing that Jesus is faithful and good in every way. He is not ruled by selfishness, sin, or Satan. Not only that, but he has shown that he loves all who are weak and lowly. He weeps with those who weep. He helps those who ask. Everything he does is for them to find the promises of God. This is the one who is over us. He is worthy of us putting our faith in him.
Love
Second, the good news is that all people can develop the capacity to love. When we are made a part of the covenant family, we are supposed to feel the embrace of our brethren and become a person who embraces others. The love of our Savior, despite our sins, softens our hearts and makes us want to be different than we have always been.
Hope
Finally, the good news gives us hope in heaven. The good news is the best news imaginable. God exists, he loves you so much that he would give his son for you, and he promises that if you live for him now, you will enjoy every blessing he can offer for all eternity. That's a hope worth living for, and the gospel provides us with that. What is said in Isaiah is true.
Isaiah 55:10--11 (ESV) --- 10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
We live in a world that the gospel has improved. It's not perfected, but it is improved. The gospel bears fruit, and it just keeps on increasing because God has given it for that purpose.
Why Do We Care?
Why do we care about the gospel? It's fantastic to know the truth about how God has always been gracious and loving toward mankind. But what impact is that information having on our hearts? The third point about transformation is critical. We care because the gospel can change us like it has changed the Colossians and other Christians throughout the world. We care because knowing and believing in the gospel bears fruit in the form of faith, hope, and, above all, love. Because of the gospel, we are supposed to be living different lives.
Do a life of faith, hope, and love sound good to you? If we have faith and hope in this gospel, we shouldn't have anxiety or discouragement. Our eyes are fixated on something that time cannot take from us instead of fixed on temporary things. If we have love, we shouldn't have anger or resentment. Instead, we should have joy that overflows toward those who have mistreated us. The gospel becomes enough to give us joy in every situation. That's how Paul can say, "Rejoice in the Lord, always!"
Application
If we believe the gospel is true and understand the grace of God toward us, has the gospel changed us? If it hasn't changed us, what prevents it from changing us? Could it be that the world around us is full of fake news? Satan wants us to think, "I have Jesus, but I also need my house, my wife, my kids, my job, my money, my football, etc." We think, "I have Jesus, but I also need people to like me, to be special, or to be successful."
If we have a lot of money, we might say, "But I love having a lot of money!" Is the good news of having your money on the same level as the gospel? If we think this way, we will never let go of anger. As soon as someone comes along and takes our money, or something happens to our money, we will lose the joy, peace, and patience the gospel is supposed to provide. We have to understand that money is nice to have and fine for our enjoyment and pleasure, but it can't be anywhere near the level of importance of Jesus. A better life transfers the money into an eternal treasure.
If we have a great family, we can't let that good news trump the gospel. Then, anything that compromises the goodness of the family will result in anxiety or discouragement. Excellent and healthy family life is lovely, and I pray everyone enjoys that family time. But the better life devotes hours building up the family to serve the Lord and opens the doors of hospitality to people who don't have a good family life. That's what God does for us, and that's what we should be willing to do for others. That's love.
Conclusion
The gospel is our most beautiful blessing. It has been transforming the world's landscape, and it will change us. When we say change, it's essential to understand that change happens from the inside out. We become captivated by the love of our God and our Lord. We don't submit out of obligation. We submit out of love with joyful and willing hearts. We know it will be challenging, but it will be worth it. We have faith in Jesus, and we hope in his promises. In the gospel, we say, "I have Jesus. He is what I need." We rejoice and find all the motivation we need from the gospel. That's what I hope we can grow in this year. If you are ready to begin this journey, let us know.