Many people think that the gospel is good advice. Let us never forget that the gospel is not good advice but good news.
The gospel does not tell us what we ought to do for God; it tells us what God has done for us. It does not only offer us lessons from the life of Christ; it offers us life by the death of Christ.
It is popular to attach the word "gospel" to all sorts of activity and work and rules of health and methods of efficiency and success, all of which depend upon our faithful doing of certain things. There is no gospel of salvation in what people do for Christ, but only in what He has done for us by His death and resurrection.
When we have believed this good news for ourselves and have passed from death unto life, then we can work as we never could before, in fellowship now with the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Worker, and empowered by Him in a way that would never have been possible by our own works.
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel... how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Cor. 15:1-41Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:1‑4).
Have you believed the gospel? Do you know your sins are forgiven through trusting in the death and resurrection of the Son of God? Today you can be saved and be a possessor of eternal life, by receiving Christ, for "as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12).