God’s Word is inspired. Which means it’s inerrant. Which means it’s in charge.
Because God’s Word was inspired (literally, “breathed out”) by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17), then every word of the original manuscripts is inerrant (without error), because according to Proverbs 30:5, “every word of God is flawless.” God’s Word is God’s words, and those words are all true.
Because God’s Word is all true, it should be completely in charge of our beliefs and behaviors. This is a crucial issue today. In a world where everyone does “what is right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25) and defines truth by what they can find on Google, it’s vital that we look to God’s Word as our plumb line for truth and that we submit to it.
Of course, we must do everything in love. But we must never compromise the Word of God when it comes to standing on the truth that God’s Word is inspired, inerrant, and in charge. To truly have a Gospel Advancing network that can change a city, a group of leaders must agree on those three points.
Theological Truth #5: The Gospel
The Gospel (“Good News of Jesus”) tells the whole story of creation, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. It’s a clear and simple message that profoundly and eternally impacts those who receive it by faith.
At Dare 2 Share, we use an acrostic of the word GOSPEL to not only train teenagers to evangelize but also to create alignment among our leaders.
God created us to be with Him. (Genesis 1–2)
Our sins separate us from God. (Genesis 3)
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds. (Genesis 4 – Malachi 4)
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)
Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. (John)
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever. (Acts – Revelation)
This acrostic is pretty self-explanatory, but allow me to add a little meat to the bones of it. God made humanity in His image (Genesis 1:27), to be in fellowship with Him (Psalm 100:3).
But when Adam and Eve sinned, their sins separated them and the rest of humanity from God (Romans 3:23). The consequence of sin ultimately leads to suffering God’s wrath in Hell forever (Revelation 14:10-11, Revelation 20:11-15).
Sins can’t be removed by our good deeds, contrition for sin, spiritual commitments, or religious acts (Ephesians 2:8-9). These simply mask the sin that’s in our hearts (Isaiah 64:6). That means humanity is separated from God—headed to Hell—and there’s nothing we can do about it.
So 2,000 years ago, Jesus—the Son of God—became the Son of man. He became one of us. Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live, and then, paying the price for sin, Jesus died in our place. He suffered God’s wrath in our stead on the cross. He died as a substitutionary atonement for our sin (Romans 3:21-31), nailing all of our sins to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14). After paying the price for our sins (past, present, and future) in full, Jesus rose from the dead three days later, proving He was God in the flesh (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Now, everyone who trusts in Jesus alone (John 6:47, 14:6) receives the free gift of eternal life (John 3:16). This salvation comes not as a result of turning, trying, or crying, but by simply trusting in Jesus and what He did in our place on the cross, for the salvation of our souls.
This gift of eternal life is a personal, permanent relationship with God (John 6:37-40) that brings life on three levels: life as a child of God (a new identity: Galatians 4:5), life with the people of God (a new family: Ephesians 5:1), and life for the mission of God (a new purpose: Matthew 28:19-20).
The G.O.S.P.E.L. is the fifth and final foundational truth of biblical networking. We must align fully on the message we’re mobilizing teenagers to share with their peers.
When I explain these five truths to youth leaders and pastors, I often hold my hand up and say, “If we’re in agreement with these five truths, then we can put our hands in the middle,” as I put my hand down as if it’s in the center of a huddle full of teammates. “And, if we agree on these five things,” I continue, “we refuse to get distracted by lesser things, for the sake of the ‘one thing’—the advancement of the Gospel to and through the next generation.”
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
