Is The Gospel A Set Of Rules Or Laws?

Sunday I attended a small group Bible Study. Someone questioned whether our focus should be on commandment keeping. The thesis is that the Bible does talk a lot about keeping the commandments. That got me thinking and I asked myself, “Does my relationship with God boil down to a set of rules? Does the gospel have anything to do with rules or laws?


I believe I need to understand what the gospel is to answer these questions. Gospel means good news. What exactly is the good news? Isn't it the good news of Jesus Christ? The King of the Kingdom. If we try to understand the gospel without going down the narrow path, Jesus Christ, we won't have any understanding of the gospel.

If we try to understand the gospel without the Light of the World, then we won't have any understanding of the gospel. How can we understand the scriptures unless the Light of God shines on them? Isn't this exactly what Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day? (John 5:39).

Paul said he was crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20). Crucified means dead.

Christ lives in Christians and it is Christ who lays down his life for all human beings. His very nature is love and we read that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). The law never covered a multitude of sins. The law pointed out sin and our need for a Savior. If righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (Gal. 2:21).

The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ saves us by faith in Him not by anything that we do. The gospel is all about Christ and what He has done. The focus is not on us but on Him. The gospel is centered on Jesus not on us, lest we boast (Eph. 2:8-9). The inheritance of all of God's children is a gift. We can't earn our inheritance. We can't earn a gift. Jesus lives in Christians and He lives by the nature of God, not by human nature. So if He lives in us, His nature will be apparent-the nature of love.