A Gospel Summary

One more look at the essentials of the gospel. Jeffrey Nesbitt in an article in Reformed Perspective magazine shares what he believes is "the bare minimum that should be included in the whole Gospel." He has five main points:

1. God the Eternal, Sovereign Ruler and Creator
2. God’s Holiness, and Man’s Sin and Depravity
3. God’s Provision of Redemption in Christ
4. God’s Requirements
5. The Consummation and Judgment

The last point is not something you see very often. Nesbitt says:

We know that not all those who we talk to about these deep and wonderful things will be positive in their response to God or us. Many may openly reject our words as being foolish and offensive....

Therefore it is incumbent upon us to tell the “rest of the story”! We must be open and honest with our hearers to tell them of the coming judgment. There is a price to pay for rejecting God’s Christ, the only way to Him. The fact is we are under condemnation even now, if we are outside of Christ (John 1:19; 5:24; Rom. 5:18). God’s patience and long-suffering towards all of us is meant to lead us to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). But if we refuse to heed the call, the end will be a dark and fiery day.