What are the essential elements of the gospel?
Hills to Die On
The following historic fundamentals represent a few of the more important theological underpinnings of the gospel, and therefore of evangelicalism. So if you find yourself or someone else denying one of these tenets, the Biblical gospel has been compromised and the bounds of evangelicalism have been overstepped.
The Virgin Birth (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:18-21; Luke 1:26-38). In order to become the Messiah, Christ had to become a man. But if He had had a human father, then he would have been tainted by sin and its guilt, and thereby disqualified from taking in Himself the substitute penalty for the guilt of humanity (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans] 1996, p336).
Deity of Christ (Micah 5:2; Matt 22:41-46; John 17:14-16; Phil 2:6; Col 1:15; 2:9). Sin is infinitely heinous and deserves infinite punishment because it is committed against an infinite God. People can bear the wrath of God in hell infinitely, but not redeemingly. Only that which is essentially infinite can offer an infinitely valuable sacrifice that appeases the wrath of an infinite God and redeems others from the penalty of sin (Berkhof, p318).
