What is the Gospel?
Creation: God Made Everything Very Good
The first chapter of the Bible begins with the words, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” and ends with the words, “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” All creation, including mankind, worked according to God’s design and for God’s glory. We were made to walk in joyful relationship with the Creator and serve as His representatives here on earth. But the world is not as it ought to be. (Genesis 1:1, 26-28, 31)
Fall: Mankind Rebelled Against God
By the third chapter of the Bible, we find our first parents, Adam and Eve, believing a lie and turning their backs on God and His plan. The Bible calls this rebellion “sin.” And once sin entered into God’s good work it spread to all of us, bringing with it death. It is sin that alienates us from God, works to destroy our earthly relationships, and holds us in bondage to all kinds of vices. Sin not only destroys our lives now, but also condemns us for all eternity. Sin, then, is the greatest problem facing mankind. (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 3:23, 5:12, 6:23, Hebrews 9:27)
Redemption: God Provides a Way for Sinners to Be Restored
God knew that we could never fix our sin problem. We couldn’t go back and undo the sins already committed, nor could we stop sinning from this point forward. If salvation was to come, it would need to come from outside of us. So, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to do for us what we could never do ourselves. He would live the perfect life we were incapable of living, and die the death that we deserved because of our sin. But the grave could not hold Him. On the third day, He rose again victorious over death. He offers His perfect life in exchange for our broken lives. He offers His complete forgiveness for all our sins. And He even offers us life beyond the grave. Jesus, then, is the only way of salvation. (Jeremiah 17:9; James 2:10; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 11:25-26; 14:6)
Response: You Must Receive God’s Gift of Salvation by Faith Alone
Jesus has done all the work to secure your salvation and bring you back into a right relationship with God. But His free gift of salvation must be received in order to be effective. You receive this free gift not by working hard to merit it. You receive this free gift by believing in Jesus and the work He has done for you. Jesus said it most clearly, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” Will you believe in Jesus today? He promises to make you into a new creation in order that your relationship with God might be very good. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 10:9-10)