WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
Gospel is one of those buzz words we hear thrown around a lot. Perhaps you've heard of gospel preachers, the gospel truth, or a gospel church. Many who have grown up in America have heard the word gospel and know it has something to do with Christianity, but what exactly is the gospel? Well, the word gospel basically means "good news," but it's not just any good news. It's the good news of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. But as usual, before we can give any good news we have to look at the bad news first.
THE BAD NEWS
God created everything (Genesis 1:1). He created the plants, trees, skies, and stars. He made bacteria and galaxies, sea otters and ozone, islands and friction. Then for the climax of His creation God made a human, a creature totally unlike everything else because men and women are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). This first man Adam and first woman Eve were put in a garden and given one rule: don't eat from a certain tree (Genesis 2:16-17). Sadly, our distant ancestors made the choice to live above God's rules instead of under them, and we have been paying the price ever since (Genesis 3).
The Bible teaches that as a result of Adam's sin, all people are under the judgment of God because all people sin (Romans 5:12). Sin is breaking God's laws (1 John 3:4) or failing to reflect God's perfection (Romans 3:23). The most famous list of God's commands is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which includes sins such as blaspheming God's name (using His name in a flippant manner or as a curse), lying, stealing, and coveting. In the New Testament, Christ tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all that we have and all that we are (Matthew 22:37-38). Sadly, all of us have sinned and fled from God instead of loving Him (Romans 3:10-11).
As a result of man's sin, all stand worthy of death (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). This death is both a physical but also and more importantly a spiritual death, also called the second death (Revelation 21:8). Spiritual death means an eternity of pain and torment, forever separated from God in a place we call hell (Luke 16:22-26). That's the bad news, and it's pretty bad. But the good news is even better!
The Bible teaches that as a result of Adam's sin, all people are under the judgment of God because all people sin (Romans 5:12). Sin is breaking God's laws (1 John 3:4) or failing to reflect God's perfection (Romans 3:23). The most famous list of God's commands is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), which includes sins such as blaspheming God's name (using His name in a flippant manner or as a curse), lying, stealing, and coveting. In the New Testament, Christ tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all that we have and all that we are (Matthew 22:37-38). Sadly, all of us have sinned and fled from God instead of loving Him (Romans 3:10-11).
As a result of man's sin, all stand worthy of death (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). This death is both a physical but also and more importantly a spiritual death, also called the second death (Revelation 21:8). Spiritual death means an eternity of pain and torment, forever separated from God in a place we call hell (Luke 16:22-26). That's the bad news, and it's pretty bad. But the good news is even better!
THE GOOD NEWS
Even though man rebelled against God, God still loved man because that's just Who God is (1 John 4:8). But God is unable to simply ignore man's sin because God is a God of justice (Deuteronomy 32:4) and can't simply acquit guilty people (Exodus 23:7; Proverbs 17:15). His holiness means He cannot tolerate sin (Habakkuk 1:13) or let it into His perfect heaven (Revelation 21:8). So how can God take care of the death penalty for our sins without sending us to hell forever?
The answer is Jesus Christ! God the Father sent Jesus Christ to be a human (Hebrews 2:14) and live a perfect life (1 Peter 2:22). Since Jesus never sinned, He never had to die. So why then did He go to the cross? He did it to take the punishment you and I deserve. The Bible says that God made Jesus Christ to be sin for us, even though He was sinless, so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Bible says Jesus Christ became the propitiation for our sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2), a term that means the appeasing of God's wrath. In other words, it pleased God to crush His own Son so that He could save many people (Isaiah 53:10-11). This way God can acquit sinners and yet still be righteous in doing so (Romans 3:26), because their sins are still being paid for, just not by us.
The answer is Jesus Christ! God the Father sent Jesus Christ to be a human (Hebrews 2:14) and live a perfect life (1 Peter 2:22). Since Jesus never sinned, He never had to die. So why then did He go to the cross? He did it to take the punishment you and I deserve. The Bible says that God made Jesus Christ to be sin for us, even though He was sinless, so that we could be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Bible says Jesus Christ became the propitiation for our sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2), a term that means the appeasing of God's wrath. In other words, it pleased God to crush His own Son so that He could save many people (Isaiah 53:10-11). This way God can acquit sinners and yet still be righteous in doing so (Romans 3:26), because their sins are still being paid for, just not by us.
THE DECISION
I hope that excites you! God sent Jesus Christ to do a death He didn't deserve so you could obtain a right standing before God you don't deserve! The next and final question, though, is who does this apply to? I wish I could end by saying this is true of everyone. I wish I could just say, "Don't worry, Christ died for your sins, you're OK!" But I can't because that's not what God's Word says.
The Bible is clear this salvation only applies to those who believe the gospel and put their faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10). In fact, some of the already mentioned verses describe the need for faith (Romans 3:25-26). God is clear that faith and faith alone saves (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot earn our salvation or forgiveness, we must simply repent of our sins and believe in Christ to be saved (Acts 16:30-31).
And so you are faced with a choice: to accept Christ or reject Him. But the truth is you have already made a choice. The Bible pictures us as already under condemnation if we haven't accepted Christ, because that is in itself a rejection (John 3:18). Many people picture the choice of accepting or rejecting Christ as a path that diverges in the future, and at some point they must decide. But a better picture might be someone walking the wrong way on a road who is told he must turn around. The Bible pleads with people, not to make up their minds, but to change them.
What about you? Do you recognize that you are a sinner before God? Do you acknowledge that the punishment for that sin is an eternity away from God forever in hell? Do you understand that Christ took your place on the cross and now offers you salvation as a free gift? Are you ready to take the next step and ask God to forgive you and believe in His Son Jesus Christ? If you are, you can do so right now. Simply tell God that you are sorry for your sins, that you believe in Christ to take the penalty for them, and ask Him to save you. The Bible says that if you call to God to save you, He will (Romans 10:13)!
If you have done this, or have further questions, we would love to hear from you! Go to the contact page and send us a message letting us know what God is doing in your life. We would love to rejoice with you if you have accepted Christ or answer any questions this might have brought up.
The Bible is clear this salvation only applies to those who believe the gospel and put their faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10). In fact, some of the already mentioned verses describe the need for faith (Romans 3:25-26). God is clear that faith and faith alone saves (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot earn our salvation or forgiveness, we must simply repent of our sins and believe in Christ to be saved (Acts 16:30-31).
And so you are faced with a choice: to accept Christ or reject Him. But the truth is you have already made a choice. The Bible pictures us as already under condemnation if we haven't accepted Christ, because that is in itself a rejection (John 3:18). Many people picture the choice of accepting or rejecting Christ as a path that diverges in the future, and at some point they must decide. But a better picture might be someone walking the wrong way on a road who is told he must turn around. The Bible pleads with people, not to make up their minds, but to change them.
What about you? Do you recognize that you are a sinner before God? Do you acknowledge that the punishment for that sin is an eternity away from God forever in hell? Do you understand that Christ took your place on the cross and now offers you salvation as a free gift? Are you ready to take the next step and ask God to forgive you and believe in His Son Jesus Christ? If you are, you can do so right now. Simply tell God that you are sorry for your sins, that you believe in Christ to take the penalty for them, and ask Him to save you. The Bible says that if you call to God to save you, He will (Romans 10:13)!
If you have done this, or have further questions, we would love to hear from you! Go to the contact page and send us a message letting us know what God is doing in your life. We would love to rejoice with you if you have accepted Christ or answer any questions this might have brought up.
