Going Deeper with the Message:

The Problem, The Solution, The Response
by: Ben Biles

Throughout our current series When God Walked Alone, Pastor Tim has been developing the clearest possible version of the gospel message. The reason for this is that the language surrounding the communication of the gospel can be confused and many of us have experienced this in our lives. However, just because it sounds spiritual, doesn’t make it correct. So, in order to build confidence in the truth that God has given us, we feel that it is necessary to present it in a format that is easily understood and without confusion. It includes three parts: the problem, the solution, and the response. 

First, the problem is sin. The horrifying truth is that all people are sinful. It all started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden deciding to disobey God and then spread to all of humanity. Every single person, except for Jesus the Son of God, has followed in Adam and Eve’s footsteps in sin. In Ephesians, Paul writes, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world” (Eph. 2:1–2). In Scripture, there are two kinds of death. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death is the separate of the individual from God. Our sin separated us from God. We were spiritually dead. We could neither know Him or even come to know Him through anything that we did. Left in our sins, we were doomed to an eternal separation from God. 

Thankfully, the solution is Jesus. The Father sent His Son into the world. He lived a perfect life completely free from sin. Yet, He was nailed to a cross, taking the sins of the world upon Himself, and was killed as a sacrifice for our sins. Why did Jesus have to die? Because the penalty for sin is death. Only the righteous Son of God could take our place and die the death we deserved. Through his death, Jesus paid the penalty for us all. 

Finally, the response that God is looking for is faith. There are no other conditions except for faith. You don’t have to make a commitment. You don’t have to surrender your life. You don’t have to be baptized. All of these involve an exchange in which we receive eternal life in exchange for something we give God. Instead, God gives us salvation freely and we receive it by faith. Again in Ephesians, Paul says, “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” (Eph 2:8–9). We couldn’t do anything to resolve our sin problem, but God could and He did. Now, He extends salvation from sin freely as a gift to be received simply by faith. In this, we rejoice knowing that our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life. 

The problem is sin. The solution is Jesus. And the response that God is looking for is faith. That is the gospel.