Three Gospel Roots by John Talley III

I was privileged to be under the preaching and teaching ministry of Dr. Scott Maxwell for a couple of years. He has a high view of the Scriptures and is an incredible Bible expositor. I learned a lot from him. One thing that will always stick out to me is what he called the “Three Gospel Roots.” I’ve used this to rehearse the reality of the Gospel to myself, to my wife, and to others. So what are the three Gospel roots?

First, Christ suffering.  Isaiah 53 shows us Jesus as the suffering servant. Verse 5 details this suffering. It says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Suffering and death were in the divine plan for the Son of God to bring sinful creatures to Himself. When proclaiming the Gospel, we have to get to the bloodshed and crucifixion of Jesus. If not, we do a disservice to our audience.

Second, the Resurrection. This is a reality that is foreign to our culture. The notion of a person rising from the grave is simply foolish to the natural man (1 Cor. 1:18). But this is an essential doctrine to the Christians faith. Denying this biblical truth is denying salvation and the inerrancy of Scripture. Throughout the New Testament, there are passages testifying to His resurrection. Consider the following Scriptures: Mark 8:31, Acts 3:15, and 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8. These present the resurrection in a unique way, and affirm that Christ indeed rose from the grave.

Third, Repentance. When preaching the Gospel, we have to get to repentance—which is defined by a radical change in the way a person thinks and lives. Peter called men to repent from their sin (Acts 3:19), John the Baptist also called men to repent (Matthew 3:2), and the promised Messiah called men to turn from their sin (Luke 5:32). There must be a proclamation of turning from sin and turning to God. Repentance is critical and brings together the three Gospel roots.

In conclusion, the three Gospel roots must be proclaimed in our neighborhoods, cities, schools, vocations, and to ourselves. The Gospel is the good news of Christ. The truth is that we are sinners in need of God’s grace. There is major separation between God and mankind because of sin. This encompasses the truth that Christ had to suffer as the perfect substitute, rise on the third day to prove death could not hold Him, and do what He said He would do. In addition, we need to see that the Father accepted His sacrifice, and that people must repent and trust in Christ alone.