Introduction

Two years ago, on the first Sunday of the new year, I spoke on one particular doctrinal issue in order to set the course for the coming year and remind us all of what really is the most important matter we handle as a congregation. I want to revisit that issue this morning as we begin a new year and a millennium. The topic I have in mind is the gospel, the core teaching of all the teaching found in the Bible. When I use this term, I have in mind what God has revealed to us about our redemption. Therefore, I’m using the word “gospel” in a broad sense to include all that the Bible has to say about our restoration as a fallen race. The manner in which the gospel is understood and taught is the life-blood of any congregation. What is believed about this subject determines the spiritual character of a church; in fact, it determines whether we really are a church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As I indicated, if a church believes and teaches what the Bible proclaims on this issue, then that church is bound to have a good apprehension of everything found in God’s word. On the other hand, if a church does not understand, believe and teach what the Bible says about man’s salvation, then that congregation is bound to have defective doctrine across the board. Some so-called churches simply refuse to believe and teach what the Bible says about our redemption; these are, in reality, no churches of Christ. Others, of course, have an incomplete grasp of the gospel and, therefore, as I stated, suffer from weak theology throughout.

I want to accomplish several things in this sermon. I want to declare the essentials of the Biblical gospel. I also want to “go or record,” so to speak, regarding my own beliefs and the beliefs of this church, beliefs which I consider inviolable and beliefs that will, according to God’s grace, continue to influence everything you hear and experience at Westminster in the new year. And, in delivering these remarks, I hope to encourage you to consider anew the glorious work that God has done for us.

This sermon will be presented under three points. First, we will consider the necessity of the gospel. If the gospel, broadly defined, has to do with the restoration of man, we must know what it is about man that requires a restoration. Second, we will look at the provision of the gospel. Under this point, we will see what God has done in response to man’s need. The third point will be the exclusivity of the gospel. Here, I will concentrate on the unique nature of God’s provision for man’s need.

01. The Necessity of the Gospel

There is one event that occurred early in the history of our race which unalterably established our need of redemption. I’m referring, of course, to the fall of Adam and Eve. This is such a familiar portion of Scripture that I’m sure I could just mention it and proceed without much elaboration. Nevertheless, for the sake of completeness, I will review this story briefly.

As we know, the Biblical description of man’s origin is composed of two primary elements, his creation and his disobedience. The Scripture tells us that God created the first man and, like the rest of God’s creation, he was perfect. In addition, because this creature was made in the image of the Creator, he was morally upright. In the beginning, therefore, Adam, the first man and father of our race, existed in a state of innocence. He was what God intended him to be and was positioned to continue in fellowship and service to his Maker indefinitely.

All was harmonious in this setting. God was God and man was man. God was recognized and served as the almighty Creator; man recognized himself as one that came from the hand of this almighty Creator and as one, therefore, bound to relate to God as the thing made should relate to the sovereign Maker. In this state, Adam enjoyed communion with God; he knew a pristine blessedness in a perfect world. In this condition, Adam was at peace and able to pursue his calling.

In this original environment, God designed a circumstance in which Adam would be tested regarding his willingness to abide by the implications of the Creator-creature relationship. The Maker established an enduring and unmistakable reminder of Adam’s origin and his duty; God did this when He granted Adam access to all that the Garden of Eden had to offer with one exception. Adam was forbidden to eat the fruit that was found on one particular tree.

This was a simple arrangement, yet one with profound implications. This circumstance declared that God was in charge and that His word was law. It said that this was God’s world and, therefore, His will was supreme. It taught Adam that he had to submit to the Creator in all things, no matter what, and it taught him that continuance in this pure state required obedience to God. The point of this test was not the fruit of that particular tree, but Adam’s willingness to abide by the command of the Creator. The point was Adam’s willingness to abide under the terms of the Creator-creature relationship.

After receiving instructions, Adam also received Eve, a creature like him. Together, Adam and Eve were commissioned to multiply, subdue the earth and rule it under God. The relationship established between Adam and Eve is the most fundamental of all human relationships. Together, as man and wife, our first parents were to serve the Creator and thus enjoy His blessings. The way in which creatures are to relate to one another and to the Creator was illustrated in the Garden of Eden as Adam and Eve lived together and sought to do what God commanded.

As we know, however, things changed drastically:

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’” 4 And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely shall not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

How many times have you heard this story read? How many times has it been repeated over the centuries? These few verses record the most tragic event that could be imagined. Here is the ruination of our race! That which was perfect is perfect no longer. The relationship between the Creator and the creature is horribly disrupted and the narrative hardly reveals the devastation which resulted from this episode. It is this one incident which determines the nature of our existence from that point forward. This act forever changed all of creation.

Consider the manner in which this story is given to us. The writer records the facts in a simple, straight-forward manner. I have already rehearsed the background for this story. We know that this was a perfect environment; we know that God and man existed in harmony; we know that all of God’s creation was what He intended it to be; and we know that Adam had been given a command that epitomized his relation to God. But into this picture came the deceiver, the enemy of righteousness and hater of all that is good and Godly. Without giving any detail about his origin, the writer relates the appearance of the serpent whose goal was to disrupt what God had created. His plan was to get God’s creatures to do what God had forbidden and thus destroy the peace of the Garden.

As the text says, this serpent was “crafty” (the word means “shrewd” or “sly”). Notice that the serpent does not attempt to engage God,; nor does the serpent attempt to engage the one to whom the prohibition had been given, namely, Adam. The serpent does not come to God, the Giver of the command, or to Adam, the one charged with keeping the command; he comes to the woman.

The woman was questioned by the serpent: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (v. 1) And the woman captured the essence of the command when she repeated God’s prohibition (v. 2) Clearly she knew that the Creator had forbidden her to eat from that particular tree; she was not ignorant of the law that governed her relationship with God. Nevertheless, instead of ceasing contact with the serpent immediately, she continued and heard these words: “You surely shall not die!” (v. 4) And, as we know, Eve considered the words of the deceiver and “when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” (v. 6)

If we ask, “What happened in the Garden of Eden?”, the uncomplicated answer is that the command of God was broken—and this is the fundamental definition of all sin. Perhaps this is why this important event is recorded in such a simple fashion. Perhaps it is so that any child can read this account and understand what happened. God gave a command and it was not obeyed. Anyone can listen to these words and know that Eve and then Adam disobeyed the Creator. They did what He commanded them not to do; they disregarded His will in this one instance, but this one instance is all that it took to ruin their relationship.

This brings me to a second question: What is the meaning of this event? We know what happened, but now we must identify the implications of what happened. We get a symbolic answer to this second question in our passage: “7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” Consider how strange this action was; consider how awful it was for the creatures made in God’s image to sense the need to hide themselves from Him! Clearly, something horrible occurred; something happened that struck at the very center of their being. When they broke God’s commandment, they immediately sensed that what they had done was unnatural; they immediately realized that the peace of the Garden had been disturbed.

Simply put: it is not right for the word of the Creator to be disobeyed. This is not an existence in which that can happen without consequences. Because this is God’s universe, His word is law and those who transgress His law are bound to face certain repercussions. For Adam and Eve, the repercussions began with their instant realization that they were transgressors and could no longer appear in God’s presence without shame and guilt. These were new sensations for the first man and first woman, but they reacted just like every human being since reacts when overcome with an awareness of culpability—they sought to hide from God. Adam and Eve attempted to avoid confrontation with God because confrontation with God would require them to own up to their disobedience. They did what they could in those circumstances to evade the Lawgiver.

There is much to be said about this incident, but let me summarize by stating the main truths to be gleaned. Adam and Eve did what they were forbidden to do and, as a result, their relationship with God was ruined. This is the story of the beginning of our race. From this time forward, Scripture teaches, every descendant of Adam and Eve is conceived in the state of alienation; every descendant is born in that state of estrangement from God. And this is a state that has painful, frightening and eternal implications. What I mean is that the creature cannot exist in a state of alienation from the Creator without incurring the displeasure of God. God does not allow rebellion to go unchecked. At its core, the action of Adam and Eve was rebellion. They both substituted their will for God’s will; they both ranked their wisdom above the wisdom of God.

This is not a matter of “maybe they can get away with it” or “perhaps God will allow them their transgression without retaliation.” This is a matter of disputing, challenging and forsaking the only law that matters, the only law that is enforceable, which is the law of God Himself. In the Garden of Eden, God’s will was pitted against the will of the creature; the serpent succeeded in getting Eve to believe, at least for the moment, that her will, her wants and her wisdom were as significant as the word of the Creator. But, given her actions following the transgression, she realized immediately that this was not the case.

This story is, as I remarked, so simple and straight-forward. However, we know from later revelation that the transgression of Adam and Eve had a most extreme impact upon their natures. Soon, we are told about the banishment of our first parents from this place of fellowship with God. We must not miss the significance of this action. Life in the Garden meant fellowship with God; it meant that all was right and that all relationships were what they should be. Banishment from the Garden meant just the opposite; it meant that fellowship with God had been broken and that things were not right and all relationships had been adversely affected.

There is much said in Scripture about the state of man’s soul following Adam’s rebellion. I will refer to one passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans which seems to be his summary of our condition as fallen creatures:

“3:10 There is none righteous, not even one; 11 there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; 12 all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. 13 their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; 14 whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; 15 their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 and the path of peace have they not known. 18 there is no fear of God before their eyes.”

What a tragic description of those made in the image of God! How painful it is to contemplate what was and what now is. From a blessed existence to a cursed existence; from peace to disorder; from fellowship to antagonism. This is man, the one made in the image of the holy God! This is man who was formed from the dust of the ground by the Creator and brought into existence in a world made and ruled by God. Now he is at odds with God, now he is God’s enemy, now he struggles under the weight of guilt for having disobeyed. Man comes into existence now with a rebellious heart and throughout his miserable life, he gives continual expression to the corruption of his soul. This is the doctrine of man’s total depravity. Every facet of his existence, every faculty of his soul, is marred by sin. Depraved man will not and cannot restore what has been lost; he knows only the way of defiance because his soul carries in it the seed of corruption. This is fallen man, this is ruined man; this is man in his state of alienation; this is man in need of restoration; this is man before the gospel.

Returning to the Genesis record, we know that something else was said between God’s cursing of the parties involved and the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden. When God came to Adam and Eve, who were hiding themselves, they, along with the serpent learned what must be and that is that the will of the Creator is supreme. Each party was cursed and bound to live with certain temporal consequences of this incident. And, as we have just seen, the consequences went well beyond temporal considerations; the very nature of man was affected. However, following His denunciation of the serpent, the woman and the man, God gave that wonderful promise of a coming restoration: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” (v. 15) Here is the first indication that God, the One offended, would undertake the rescue of His special creatures.

This is the promise that unfolds throughout the rest of the Bible and throughout the rest of history. This is the first announcement of the gospel and it comes here in Genesis, in the midst of man’s ruin. The gospel that we love and cherish cannot be rightly understood, believed or taught apart from an understanding of its origin. The gospel promise made by God came in response to man’s fall, it came in response to man’s alienation from the Creator. Unless we have these facts in mind, we will not fully understand or appreciate the gospel by which we are being saved. A plan of restoration was necessitated by the events that transpired in the Garden of Eden. God’s mercy, God’s love for mankind, God’s grace became evident when He announced His intention to save us. This brings me to the second point of this sermon.

02. The Provision of the Gospel

If, once again, we are thinking of the gospel in broad terms, if we are saying that the gospel is what God has revealed to us about our redemption, then the next issue that must be examined is God’s provision in this gospel. We have seen what necessitated a plan of redemption; now we can see what God meant by His promise to send a Deliverer. What must be kept in mind is fallen man’s need. Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden, that spot that symbolized fellowship with God and harmony in relationships. After disobeying God, they lacked the quality of moral uprightness, which is defined by God’s character alone.

When God’s will was transgressed, Adam and Eve showed themselves unwilling to abide by the implications of God’s character and thus their previous moral dignity was compromised. An offense occurred; our parents sinned against God and that offense required satisfaction. And, as I have stated, this injury went to man’s soul. After his sin, Adam couldn’t just say, “I’m sorry, let’s start over.” His nature was affected so that he bore the guilt of his first transgression and, in his damaged condition, was prone to further acts of rebellion. What was true of Adam is true of all men since. So this is man’s problem: he has an original quilt inherited from Adam and, as his life progresses, he has an increasing debt consisting of offenses that he, himself, commits against a holy God.

Man’s need, then, is great; it is almost beyond comprehension. However, God’s provision is also great. The provision of God in the gospel centers upon one concept: substitution. For fallen man to be reconciled to God, two things had to happen: one, fallen man had to render unto God a perfect life and thus do what Adam failed to do; two, fallen man had to provide a payment for his sins. The problem, of course, is that fallen man is incapable of providing what is absolutely necessary for his redemption. Remember, Paul described fallen man as a creature lacking righteousness, as a creature who has no understanding, as a creature who will not seek God, as a creature who knows not the way of goodness and as a creature who is consumed with manifestations of his corruption. On top of all this, the same writer adds in another place that we are “dead in [our] trespasses and sins...” (Eph. 2:1)

inability to do anything about his condition. Man was not just wounded, spiritually speaking, in the Garden of Eden, he was killed. A sinner is a walking dead man when it comes to spiritual matters. He can do nothing about his circumstance and does not care to do anything about his circumstance. What, then, is the solution? It is what I mentioned earlier. The solution, the only solution, is substitution. Either the sinner pays the debt of offending God himself or he has a Substitute pay for him; the sinner either lives a perfect life—a perfect life—or he finds One to live it for him. To be restored to a right relationship with God, fallen man would have to have One who would act for him and pay his debt for him. Given his depravity, this is fallen man’s only hope.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes: “2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Here is the substitutionary payment for our sins; here is the satisfaction of our debt before God. Notice that Paul reminds us that we were “dead” in our fallen state; however, God made us alive in and with Christ. Jesus Christ is the provision for our salvation. He is what God had in mind when that glorious promise was made in the midst of the ruin of the Garden of Eden. According to these verses, God was willing to let Jesus Christ take our sin-debt to Himself and bearing it, be nailed to a cross where He gave His blessed life in our place. So great was the quality of that life, Paul teaches, that the debt we owed to God is “taken out of the way.” It is not forgotten nor is it ignored for a time—our sin is paid for by Christ’s sacrifice of Himself in our place.

This is, as you know, the beginning of the doctrine of justification. Fallen man’s need is justification; his need is a state of acceptance before God. When Christ paid for our sins, that was one component in our restoration. The second component is something I mentioned already, namely, a righteousness of our own. Having our sins paid for does not, at the same time, make us righteous in the eyes of God. Therefore, a second component in man’s restoration—or the sinner’s justification—is the provision of a righteousness. Once again, let us hear from Paul:

Phil. 3:8… I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith...

The context of these verses is Paul’s recollection of his accomplishments and zeal as a Jew prior to coming to a knowledge of Christ. Paul understood now that the primary issue for the sinner is his justification before God. How is this to be achieved? The apostle had done as much as any man could do to earn the right to be restored to God’s favor, but he now realized that all of his efforts were worthless. After his conversion, Paul understood that the needed righteousness cannot be earned, but must be imputed. The sinner’s hope is not only that Christ will pay his sin-debt, but also that Christ will credit to the sinner the perfect life He lived while on this earth.

Therefore, Paul rejects the notion of self-justification or any idea that the sinner can restore himself. Instead, Paul embraces and teaches the idea that the righteousness that the sinner must have is not his own and cannot come from himself; the needed righteousness must come from One able to provide it and that One is Jesus Christ. Not only does Christ become our Substitute in His death, He also becomes our Substitute in His life. All that is required of the sinner is supplied by the sinner’s Substitute. Payment for sin is made and righteousness is given and both things are grounded in the Savior.

By faith, by believing, Paul emphasizes, the work of Christ becomes the work of the sinner and the death of Christ becomes the death of the sinner. And so, as Paul says in 2 Cor. 5:21, Christ becomes sin on our behalf and we become the righteousness of God in Him. This faith or belief is directed toward Christ; it is accepting, receiving and resting upon Christ alone for salvation. And even this is given to us by God: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God...” (Eph. 2:8)

The gospel is what God has revealed to us about our redemption. Adam’s rebellion resulted in our condemnation and it was from that state of condemnation that we had to be delivered. Jesus Christ came into this world to do just that; He came to be the Head of a restored human race. The need of man was such that no alternative existed. Without Christ, without this provision, mankind would have remained in rebellion against God only to experience His judgment.

This brings me to the third point of this sermon, which has to do with an aspect of the gospel that needs to be stressed frequently. I just said that there was no alternative to man’s restoration. Either we would have a Substitute to pay for our sins and earn our needed righteousness or we were doomed. God’s character would not allow disobedience to go unpunished. If this is true, then the aspect of the gospel that I have in mind should be clear to all. Man’s need necessitated a particular provision, which God supplied in Christ. This means that the manner in which fallen man is restored to God’s favor is singular, narrow and restricted.

03. The Exclusivity of the Gospel

By this heading, I mean that there are not many avenues to restoration; there is only one and that is the one designated by the offended Party, namely, the God of this creation. The fact that the way of reconciliation for sinful man might be singular should come as no surprise. Therefore, I will not spend a great deal of time on this third point. Let me refer to a definitive statement made by Paul in 1 Tim. 2: “5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time.” In the context of these verses, the apostle is urging believers to pray for all who are in authority, regardless of rank. His reasoning is that God would have all classes of men, the rulers and well as the ones ruled, to come to the knowledge of salvation (cf. v. 4). Then Paul makes a restrictive, intolerant declaration: “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Two parties are envisioned here, God and fallen man. Standing between the two, as it were, is a Mediator, One who is able to bring the two together. To be more precise given all the Biblical data, this Mediator is bringing the one party, man, to the other, God. It is man who needs reconciliation and this reconciliation is achieved by One and only One Mediator, Jesus Christ. He is the One, Paul notes, “who gave Himself as a ransom” for all men. The need of men, all men, was determined in the Garden. The singular provision of a Substitute for those in need was determined by God. That provision was His Son and that provision is exclusive in the sense that it is the only provision given and accepted by God. As Paul implies here, if a man is to have fellowship with God, it must be by way of the Mediator, Jesus Christ. The sinner cannot go to God on his own, nor can he devise some way that might gain him access to God’s blessed presence.

What Paul teaches here is repeated throughout Scripture. God promised a Deliverer at the time of Adam’s fall. That promised Deliverer was the focus of all prophecy and expectation. No other means of restoration for fallen man is ever mentioned in God’s word because no other means of restoration exists. God accepts sinners in His Son and only in His Son. Since all men are in a state of condemnation, this means that all men either have Christ as their Mediator, and therefore enjoy God’s saving favor, or they remain in their fallen condition and await the day of God’s wrath. To all sinners, Christ declares: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6) This is not a debatable issue! There are sinners and there are saved sinners in this world and the only thing that separates one category from the other is the Substitutionary mediation of Jesus Christ. There are not many gospels, there is only one gospel and this one gospel is from God and makes known to us our need, God’s provision and the exclusive nature of that provision.

Application

In the Introduction, I mentioned that this sermon was intended to achieve several purposes. I would like to return to those purposes now and offer a few words in closing. I stated that one purpose I had in mind was to declare the essentials of the Biblical gospel. While much more could have been said about the gospel, I do believe that an outline of the gospel has been presented and in this outline, I have touched upon the primary elements. Explaining the gospel consists of two chief facts: man’s need and God’s provision.

If the Biblical record is to be believed, then man’s need is great; it is so great that only God could help fallen man. The needed help came in the Person and work of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ. He became our Substitute in every sense of the term. Apart from Christ, there is no salvation. Therefore, as we begin this new year, let us sweep away all the mental clutter that may have accumulated in our minds where this subject is concerned. The gospel is a simple message; it is one easily understood by all who hear it. We were in need and God provided what we needed. In a day when the churches of Christ are dabbling in so many things unrelated to the true ministry of the gospel, we would do well to meditate upon the gospel as it is found in the Bible.

Another purpose for this sermon was my desire to “go on record” regarding my own beliefs and the beliefs of this church where the issue of salvation is concerned. What I have related to you this morning is what I believe Scripture teaches. I believe that man is conceived in a state of alienation from God and that his only hope is the substitutionary life and death of Jesus Christ. Further, I believe that fallen man is incapable of doing or desiring any good whatsoever as far as his restoration is concerned. He is a creature absolutely dependent upon the grace of God. This is what I believe and this is what this church believes, by which I mean that this is the doctrine that we hold and teach. I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding about our view of man or our view of man’s redemption.

As I noted, these convictions about the nature of man and the nature of salvation will influence everything you will hear taught from this pulpit in the coming year. You will hear statements indicating our utter dependence upon God in all things; you will hear statements ascribing all glory to God and statements urging complete devotion to God and His holy will. All these things and more are grounded in what the Bible teaches about our need as fallen creatures and God’s response to our need in Christ. Whether we are talking about salvation or our ethical obligations or our vocations, all that we are to know and do is traced back to man’s fall in the Garden and God’s merciful restoration of man in Christ.

And a final purpose for this sermon was my desire to encourage you to consider anew the glorious work that God has done for us. Let us begin the new year with a fresh perspective on what God has accomplished for us. In connection with this purpose, I want to emphasize to our children their responsibility to consider the gospel of our salvation. You are privileged to be growing up in families in which parents are attempting to serve God and communicate to you the knowledge of the Bible. Understand, however, that the gospel that I have described is just as relevant for you as it is for your parents. When the Bible describes the miserable state of fallen man, it is describing your state apart from Christ. When it speaks of the condemnation of all who are descendants of Adam, it is speaking of you. Give thanks to God that He has placed you in the covenant community by birth—this is no small privilege—but also know that you are a sinner and you must own Christ as your Substitute if you are to escape the inevitable end of God’s enemies. Listen to your parents and pray that God will allow you to embrace the faith of your parents so that you will know the joy of salvation.