Week 1 - The Gospel and Inerrancy

Definition of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

God became man to fix the problem of us being eternally separated from Him. This separation was because we sin. God told His prophets that a Messiah would be born from the lineage of King David, of a virgin woman, as the Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, fulfilled all prophecies of the Messiah. As both King and Priest, Jesus lived, taught, served, healed, loved, and then willingly sacrificed His life as the price for our sin debt, crucified on the cross at Calvary. He was buried in a tomb where His body remained for three days and nights, just as prophecy foretold. After this, He rose alive from the grave, appeared to man in the flesh, and after 40 days ascended to heaven, leaving His Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us as our Advocate to God the Father.

The Gospel Story: The Gospel is a message best communicated if you could know the message is received. Writing a definition of the Gospel, cannot confirm the delivery of the message. But the Gospel message can be compellingly written. With too many details, you lose the reader; with too few, you lose the truth. Somewhere in the middle of this, the weight of the Gospel must be carried to the heart of the reader.

The greatest story ever told is not something made up, but a matter of history. It begins with the first man, the ruler of the earth.[1] He took care of a garden, where he served and safeguarded.[2] He named all the creatures in it,[3] and he cared for all living things. He walked and talked with God, and he was the ruler as God intended him to be.[4]Until he wasn’t. He disobeyed God, and he was no longer able to be with God, and he had to leave the garden.[5]

Ever since then, everyone born to mankind has continued to disobey God. And for thousands of years, there was no other perfect ruler.[6] Not one who would serve and safeguard as God had created the first ruler of the earth. But God told His prophets that He would one day send the perfect King and that He would be born from the lineage of King David of Israel.[7] This coming Messiah would come into the world and deliver people from sickness, suffering, and death.[8]

The King came in the person of Jesus, the Christ. Born of a virgin woman, sinless, in fulfillment of God’s prophecy.[9][10] He came to show the perfection of the image of God.[11] He would depart, leaving the world with His Spirit to remain as Advocate and Intercessor before the Heavenly Father.[12]Jesus lived only to serve, and in His death, He safeguarded all mankind from the penalty of separation from God[13] – the penalty that man had endured since the first ruler had been cast out of the garden.[14] Jesus the Perfect King was crucified, nailed to a wooden cross, willingly, as a sacrifice to pay the price of our redemption from sin.[15]

But Jesus is more than a man, He is the Son of God.[16] After He was buried, He remained in the tomb for three days, and then He arose from the grave.[17] After this, He appeared to and spoke with the apostles and many others. But soon after, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Jesus is now in Heaven with God the Father, having ascended there 40 days after His resurrection from the dead, just as He prophesied He would.[18]

At His Ascension, God delivered His Holy Spirit into the world. This was just as Jesus had foretold.[19] The Holy Spirit is the confirmation of Salvation to all who receive Him,[20] through the acceptance of Jesus as Lord and acknowledgment of His death, burial, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit is God's gift of Himself to the redeemed of the world who await Jesus' return.[21] Jesus will return again as the Everlasting Glorified King.[22] He will establish His Eternal Kingdom on earth when His Kingdom in Heaven descends to earth.[23] On that day, Sin, Death, Suffering, Sorrow, and Pain will forever be defeated, and Jesus will reign forever as the Perfect King.[24][25]

Inerrancy of God’s Word

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).

The Bible is a coherent story of 66 books, written by 40 authors, in three languages, over 1,500 years, that from beginning to end, claims to be the word of God and proves to be the word of God. It makes sense of the world we live in, where the world came from, and what it means to be human.

Three common words Christians use are inspired, inerrant, and infallible. But if you haven’t grown up around the church, these words can need context?

Inspired – God is the Author.

20 Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one’s own interpretation.

21 For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20–21).

Inerrant “My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do” (Isa. 55:11).

Infallible “so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.” (Heb 6:18).

If the Bible is God’s Word to us, and if He cannot lie, then His Word also must be incapable of error.

Romans 3:4May it never be! Rather, let God be true and every man a liar, as it is written,

“THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND OVERCOME WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”

Psalms 51:4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge.

[1]1 Corinthians 15:45; Genesis 2:7

[2]Genesis 2:15

[3]Genesis 2:19

[4]Genesis 3:8

[5]Genesis 3:23

[6]Genesis 49:10

[7]1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Psalm 89, 132; Isaiah 9:6-7

[8]Isaiah 53:3-12

[9]Isaiah 7:14

[10]Luke 1:27

[11]Colossians 1:15

[12]John 16:7

[13]1 John 2:2, 4:10

[14]Isaiah 59:2

[15]Philippians 2:8

[16]John 1:14; 1Timothy 2:5; Philippians 2:7; 1 John 4:2; Galatians 4:4; Colossians 1:19; Romans 8:3

[17]Matthew 12:40

[18]Acts 1:3

[19]John 16:7-10; Acts 2:1-31

[20]Ephesians 1:13

[21]Ephesians 1:14

[22]John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Acts 1:11

[23]1 Chronicles 28:7; Revelation 5:9-10

[24]Revelation 1:18, 12:11, 20:14, 21:8; Romans 6:4

[25]Revelation 1:6, 11:15; 1 Kings 2:45; Psalm 89:29; Ezekiel 37:25; 1 Chronicles 22:10;