The word “gospel” means good news. Generally, if you ask a Christian what is the gospel, they will say that the gospel is that Christ died for our sins. This is true, it is good news that we have been redeemed; but, this good news is also associated with bad news; it is bad news that man rebelled against God; it is bad news that at one point in time God was sorry He made man; it is also bad news that Jesus had to suffer, be humiliated, and be killed for crimes He did not commit. There is much bad news associated with the crucifixion of Jesus. So, to understand the full gospel, that is the full good news, we must go back to Genesis to see what God’s original plan was before sin messed everything up.

Here is the full gospel also called the eternal gospel:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis chapter 1 presents God’s creation and purpose. He did not intend for there to be sin; He did not intend that Satan would betray Him, and to fall, taking man with him. It was God’s intention that we live with Him forever in a sin-free world. He did not intend that our bodies would have mutations and disease. It was not His intention that we die and be separated from our bodies, and from Him. He did not intend to lose His Son to the cross.

The Bible says that we should come to God as little children. I have found that little children have a very good sense of the “full gospel.” This is evident with the pictures they draw. Most children, given a piece of paper, will draw a house, a family, the sun, the sky, some trees, and maybe a dog or cat. This picture represents the full, eternal gospel: it represents the creation, it has the concept of family; it has the sense of belonging (the child is often holding someone’s hand); it has the sense of beauty (the sky and the tree); it has the sense of security (again the parents and the house); it has the element of protection (this includes the Savior and His protection from ourselves and sin, and the sense that we will be brought back if we stray).

When you preach Jesus crucified, you are preaching the love of God and also the failure of man. This is good and important, but if you preach it too much, you discourage people by concentrating on the bad news. Remember, gospel means “good news.” The death and resurrection of Jesus is the basis for Christianity, but it is not the full gospel. Let’s look a little further into what the Bible says is the full gospel, the eternal Gospel. Someday soon the eternal Gospel will be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. This preaching will not be done by us alone, but also by an angel of God. Please read:

Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

Revelation 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

We are to give Him glory that judgment is come; this judgment will restore everything back to the Genesis “very good” condition. And, then it says to worship Him who made all things. The world and Satan are doing everything in their power to convince us that judgment is not coming; and, that God did not create “heaven, and earth, and the sea and the fountains of waters.”

Pastors, preach Jesus crucified, preach the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but remember these are just a portion of the full gospel. The full and eternal gospel is that God created all things so that we may exist, belong, be loved, have a home, have a family, have security, and be with Him forever.