The Gospel is Good News! The Gospel is the message that God saves sinners. The Gospel is the story of God sending His own son Jesus Christ to bear the penalty for our sin by dying in our place. But to understand why the Gospel is such good news, it is vital to understand the storyline of history found in the Bible.
Creation – God Made the World Good
In the beginning, God spoke the universe into existence. The crowning jewel of His creation was mankind. God made Adam and Eve to reflect His image. Human beings were created to love, worship, and enjoy a relationship with God forever. But something happened to change all of that…
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:1, 31
(Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-3; Revelation 1:8; Isaiah 42:5; 43:7; Hebrews 11:3)
Fall – Sin Made the World Groan
Adam and Eve lived in a perfect environment in perfect fellowship with God. Everything they needed, God faithfully provided. Everything was theirs to fully enjoy, except one thing: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tempter, Satan, lied to Adam and Eve and convinced them that God was not good and could not be trusted. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command. They each ate of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, deciding that they knew what was best.
Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command, sin entered the world. Death, famine, war, suffering, and pain all abound in the world today as a result of sin. All human beings are born into sin and follow in the same self-willed rebellious path as Adam and Eve. As a result, all humans are born separated from God because of sin. Is there any hope for us to be reconciled to God?
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… The wages of sin is death. Romans 3:23, 6:23
(Genesis 3; Romans 3:10, 19-20, 23; 5:12-14; 6:23; Ephesians 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:6)
Redemption – Jesus Broke the Power of Sin
Human Efforts
Throughout history, mankind has tried infinite ways to bridge the gap between us and God: good deeds, religious activity, human philosophy. But what our human efforts could never accomplish, God did.
God Provided A Savior
God sent His own son, Jesus to reconcile us to Himself. In the greatest act of love in all of history, this sinless, righteous Son of God went to a cross and died for the sins of the world. But Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from the grave three days later. His defeat of death revealed who He truly is and that His sacrifice is fully sufficient to reconcile humanity to God.
We Can Claim God’s Promise Through Faith
How do we respond to such a gift? Jesus Himself said simply: repent and believe. In repentance, we turn from trusting in ourselves to Jesus alone for salvation. By faith, we place our trust in the Person and finished work of Jesus alone.
God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Christ died for our sins, He was buried, He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:3
(Genesis 3:15; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Luke 19:10, John 3:16-17; 1 Peter 3:18; Galatians 1:4, Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:9)
New Creation – God is Making All Things New
When a person turns from sin and places faith in Jesus, they are changed and reconciled to God. Jesus takes up residence in our lives by His Holy Spirit. We become a new creation with new desires, new direction, and a new purpose. We also begin a moment by moment walk with God through His Word the Bible and belong to a new family: The Church.
God also promises a day when He will return and make all things new. A grand eternity waits for those who are reconciled to God through the redeeming power of Jesus. Those who are made alive in Christ will be with God experiencing complete joy for eternity.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
(2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Colossians 2:12, Romans 8:12-17, 31-39; 1 John 3:1, John 3:16, 36; 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Revelation 21:1,3-4)
God’s work in our lives always calls us to a response. Are you ready to talk to someone about Jesus and His redeeming work? The Response Team is here to help you, encourage you, and pray with you.