My friend Peter has been wanting to understand and explain the truth of the gospel more clearly and effectively. Today he gave me a handwritten letter and asked me my knowledge of the Word to make sure that he was on the right track, or in other words, that he was understanding and presenting the truth. Here's what he wrote: "The gospel is when an individual realizes they are a lost sinful individual deserving God's judgment in Hell. A person has to place 100% trust in Jesus Christ (God's Son sent to earth to save sinful man from eternal separation from God). That 100% trust in Jesus Christ (and 0% human effort) is 100% trust in the cross of Christ, having the sins of mankind nailed to Him. It is the cross alone that redeems an individual from Hell. The burial, resurrection, and appearances [of Christ] aren't paying for sin.
Why is it important to mention the burial, resurrection, and appearances in the gospel? The reason why is because just believing the cross for payment [without believing the rest of the gospel] isn't the key. There could have been another Jesus by the name of Jesus Martinez. So the case in point is that it has to be the Right Jesus (God's Son sent to earth to save sinful man from Hell by dying on the cross for mankind's sins, then being buried, raised and appearing). So when one says to preach the whole gospel, the death of Christ with the burial, resurrection and appearances [see 1 Cor. 15:3-5], what one is saying by including the burial, resurrection and appearances is another way of saying preach the Right and True Jesus Christ, God's Son, to save one from Hell when one trusts Him alone. So they don't think Jesus Martinez.
The burial, resurrection, and appearances, like I said, don't pay for sin but prove that the sins were completely paid with the death and validate the Right Jesus Christ (who is at God's right hand) who saves. It's important to mention the burial, resurrection, and appearances to an individual in case they have never heard of Jesus Christ before."