The Logic of the Gospel

“The Christian faith does not call for us to put our minds on the shelf, to fly in the face of common sense and history, or to make a leap of faith into the dark. The rational person, fully apprised of the evidence, can confidently believe.” – Dr. William Lane Craig

What is the gospel? Is it logical? Simply put, the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel proclaims that the Son of God came to the earth and died for the sins of the world, so that anyone who turns from their sins and places their faith in Him as their Lord and Savior will be given the gift of eternal life (John 3:16). Within this concise explanation of the gospel, there are a few assumptions being made. The first, is that Jesus of Nazareth actually existed. Though most scholars affirm this, it is noteworthy to state this presupposition. Likewise, the gospel necessitates the existence of God. Are there any good reasons to believe that a supernatural deity exists? Of course. The fact that we each have a moral code, known as our conscience, speaks to the reality of an objective moral standard. Thus, the likely explanation for morality would be that the moral standard is rooted in the very nature and character of a moral Being – God. Likewise, consider the first cause of the universe. Modern science has revealed that space, matter, and time had a beginning. Therefore, the cause of the universe must be a spaceless, timeless, and immaterial Being that is extremely powerful and able to create and author life (i.e. God). So, it would seem logical to believe that Jesus and God both exist. However, the question remains, is the gospel logical? Yes!

1 Corinthians 1:18 states, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Though some may find the gospel message to be foolishness, the Bible declares that if we humble ourselves and seek God, we will find Him and be lifted up (Jeremiah 29:13, James 4:10). But what logical reason would God have to send His only Son to die? In a word, love. God loves you and that is why He sent His Son to save you.  Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Deep down, we all know that we have sinned. None of us have lived a life that is worthy of being in the presence of a Holy and perfect God. If we all were held accountable for our wrong choices by a just judge, the logical result would be a deserved punishment. Romans 6:23 states, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” And that is what the gospel proclaims. We all owe a moral debt that we cannot pay. But Jesus paid a debt He did not owe. If you trust in Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, your fine will be paid in full and you will be forgiven. Sin and death have been defeated by the power of the gospel. Jesus proved this when He resurrected on an early Sunday morning 2,000 years ago. The logic is sound and the message is true. Believe and rejoice in the logic of the gospel!