The Gospel

(Updated 03/02/2026)

The first eleven chapters of Romans serve as a theological gateway to the rest of the inspired Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16). In this magnum opus among his thirteen epistles, written to the beloved saints in Rome (Romans 1:7), the apostle Paul provides one of the most concise summaries of the gospel in the New Testament, emphasizing the necessity of justification and its inseparable connection to the resurrection.

[Jesus] who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. —Romans 4:25, NKJV (emphasis added)

Paul writes that Jesus was “delivered up because of our offenses.” Although Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, handed Him over to be crucified (Mark 15:15), it was ultimately God the Father who delivered His willing Son to death for our sins—specifically, the sins of the elect (Romans 8:31–33)—thereby satisfying His righteous wrath (1 John 4:10). Jesus was then laid in a new tomb, but not for long.

Three days later, on the first day of the week when Christians gather (John 20:1), God raised Jesus from the dead. Paul emphasizes that Jesus was “raised because of our justification.” The resurrection—witnessed by many (1 Corinthians 15:5–8) and affirmed as a historical fact—vindicated the work of Christ and secured our justification, expressed in the noun dikaíōsis (“acquittal” or “justification”) and the verb dikaioō (“to declare righteous”).

This sovereign and gracious act is applied when the Holy Spirit imparts life to the elect (John 6:63). In response, they believe both why Jesus Christ died (because of their offenses) and why He rose from the dead (because of their justification). Upon believing, God forgives their sins and imputes His righteousness to their account, legally acquitting them of the penalty and guilt of sin and declaring them righteous in the courtroom of heaven.

Now that is truly good news!

P.S. For a more detailed description, read Christianity.