What is the Gospel?
The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from our sins by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.
Most people fail to see this as good news because they don’t understand the actual problem.
Our Problem
To realize the problem, we must first acknowledge that there is one true God (Isaiah 45:5, 46:9) who created all things, including us (Genesis 1:1). Since God is our Creator, He has absolute authority over our lives (Psalm 24:1). He is the one who determines how we ought to live, not us.
Further, God is perfectly holy and righteous, and He demands holiness from us (1 John 1:5, 1 Peter 1:16). Yet all of us have failed to live up to God’s holy standard. This failure to live as God designed is called sin, and we are all guilty of it (Romans 3:23, James 2:10). The consequence for it is death (Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23). The reason for this is simple: If God creates you to live a certain way, but you fail to live the way He intended, then you don’t deserve to live!
Because we have broken God’s holy Law, punishment is necessary because of God’s justice. Just as a good judge must punish a convicted criminal, so God must punish all sin (Romans 1:18). And because we are guilty, we are incapable of saving ourselves. No amount of good deeds can negate the punishment we deserve (Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9).
God’s Solution
Though we deserve punishment, because of God’s mercy and grace, He provided a way of salvation by taking on human flesh (1 Timothy 1:15, Philippians 2:5-8). He did this so that He can pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross (1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 2:1-2). As man, Jesus died a real death and functions as our substitute (Hebrews 2:17). As God, He alone can endure God’s wrath on our behalf (1 Peter 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, His work on the cross is fully sufficient to cover all of our sins (Hebrews 10:10-14).
Jesus did not stay dead though. He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) so that we can be born again (John 3:3), set free from slavery to sin (Romans 6:4-6), and made into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). This transformed life begins now and extends to eternity through our union with Him (John 3:16, John 11:25-26).
To obtain this life, you must repent of your sins (Luke 13:3, Proverbs 28:13, Acts 3:19) and believe in Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Acts 4:12, John 14:6). This means turning from your current way of life, acknowledging Jesus as Lord, and trusting in what He has done on your behalf (Romans 10:9). When you do this, your sins will be forgiven (1 John 1:9) and you will be reconciled into a right relationship with God that lasts forever (John 17:3).
Jesus extends this free gift to all who come to Him in faith (John 3:16, Matthew 11:29-30).
Now you know why it’s good news!