The gospel

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,  - 1 Corinthians 15.1-4

The gospel is a pretty broad topic. There are a lot of ways to define it, describe it, and explain it.

But here it is, in a nutshell. It is what we preach. It is the way we were saved. Without it we would have believed in vain. It is the truth on which we stand.

Jesus died for our sins according to the scripture.

He was buried.

He rose the third day according to the scriptures.

And that's it. Jesus died for our sins. That’s what the Bible says. I had sin. Something had to be done. I couldn't pay the price. The penalty was too great. So Jesus died for my sins.

He was buried. He proved He was dead by spending three days in the grave.

Then he rose victorious over death. He arose a victor from the dark domain and He lives forever with His saints to reign. Because He lives I can live. Death is crushed to death. I have nothing to fear

It is easy to get caught up in all the isms and ologies surrounding the gospel. But then there is the wonderful simplicity of the pure gospel.

Jesus died. He was buried. He rose again. That is indeed good news. Hallelujah.