What is the gospel? The gospel is the good news of what God has done in Christ for lost mankind. It is the action of God. We often confuse the gospel with man’s necessary response to the gospel, which is faith. The gospel is good news for lost mankind. God has done something about our brokenness and sin – he has paid for it in Jesus Christ. Jesus obeyed the law in our place thus earning a perfect righteousness and he died in our place taking away our guilt and shame. There is no better news! We have included some brief video presentations of the gospel and we pray that you would respond to this glorious good news with joy-filled faith.
What is the Gospel?
Gospel means good news. It is a message from God to lost mankind. In brief it declares that though all men are lost in sin and in rebellion with God and justly deserve unending wrath from the hand of God, in the mercy of God there is a way of salvation, forgiveness and eternal life, provided for us in Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God has arrived and salvation from sin is proclaimed in all the earth on the basis of the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
Gospel comes from the Greek word “euangelion” meaning good message or glad tidings. (Acts 20:24; 1 Peter 4:17; etc) Evangel and evangelism come from this word.
Our problem
All have sinned therefore you have sinned. (Romans 3:23)
The penalty for sin is death; you have sinned and deserve death. (Rom 6:23)
God’s provision
Jesus Christ was a sinless may and yet died for sin, therefore Christ is the only Savior from sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 2:5)
Christ’s promise
All who repent from sin and believe in Christ as he is offered in the gospel are received, forgiven, accepted into the family of God and granted eternal life. (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; John 1:12; 6:40, 51, 54, 58; 20:31)
Six questions are answered for all men in the gospel.
1) What is sin?
Sin is rebellion against God and His just and loving rule. (Matthew 23:27)
Sin is living selfishly and not for the God who made me. (2 Tim 3:1-5)
Sin is breaking God’s perfect law or failing to do God’s perfect law. (James 2:10)
2) What is man?
Man is a dead sinner who cannot save himself. (Ephesians 2:1)
3) Who is God?
God is merciful and just therefore he must punish sin.
(Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 145:17-20)
4) Who is Jesus Christ?
He is fully God. (Matthew 26:63-64; 27:54)
He is fully man. (Luke 1:34-35, 43; 2:80)
As a sinless man he paid the penalty of death for sin and so became the only savior of sinners. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Acts 4:12)
5) What is grace?
Grace is the unmerited favor of God in salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Forgiveness, blessings and Heaven are offered as free gifts through faith in Christ.
6) What is faith?
Faith is receiving and resting in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation.
(Matthew 11:28-30)
All men are called and invited to believe and rest in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life. Do you understand the gospel? Do you believe what the gospel declares? You should pray for forgiveness and new life based on gospel promises in Jesus Christ.
Problems abound in our world and also in our lives. We often find something or someone to blame we should go to the root of the problem. The real problem is sin and mankind’s alienation from God. We refuse God’s way and suffer for it. We blame others when often the fault is ours. We are in active rebellion against God and ours troubles multiply.
Before the gospel will be good news to you, you must see and feel yourself as a sinner in painful rebellion against God. In this sense, the bad news of sin must come before the good news of salvation in Christ.
Please remember that the gospel is good news. Jesus saves! Salvation is free to all that will believe. The gates of heaven are open for all that will come. Why? Because salvation comes as a gift from God. Will you receive it? (Acts 4:12; Matthew 11:28-30).