What is the Gospel?

The Gospel Message (The Good News)

The world that we inhabit was created by God (Genesis 1). From the smallest creature to the largest mountain and everything in between was created God, and therefore, belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1). And the crown point of God’s creation was man (human beings), a being made in the likeness and image of God (Genesis 1:26-31).

When God created the first human beings (Adam and Eve) and placed them in the Garden of Eden, God allowed them to eat from any tree of the garden (Gen. 2:16), but they were warned to not eat “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:17). However, Adam and Eve did not heed that warning and they disobeyed God (Genesis 3:1-24). As a result of their disobedience, sin had entered into the world (Romans 5:12). Both Adam and Eve were now corrupted by sin. Their hearts were filled with all manner of evil (Mark 7:20-23). 

However, this corruption did not just affect Adam and Eve. But the corruption was passed on to every single human being that came from them (Romans 5:12). Adam and Eve passed on their spiritual corruption and moral depravity on to every successive generation after them. Due to the Fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind is born with a heart that is continually evil (Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Jeremiah 17:9). This is abundantly evident from all of the various kinds of sins that human beings engage in such as murder, sexual immorality, stealing, cheating, extorting, worshipping false gods, lying, etc. Every human that has come from the loins of Adam and Eve have been corrupted with sin.

Even if a person tries his/her best to live a morally good life, because of the corruption of sin in the heart, “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6). In the eyes of the Lord, our good deeds amount to absolutely nothing because these good deeds are springing forth from a corrupt and evil heart that taints everything that we do.

Therefore, “[there] is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open tomb, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:10-18). No one is a righteous person. Every human being is a morally corrupted sinner.

The just penalty for sin is death (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23). Death is the just punishment for sin. It is because our sins have offended a perfectly holy God (1 John 1:5; Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 1:13) who demands perfect obedience to His Law (Matthew 5:48). Specifically, the penalty of sin is eternal death in Hell (Luke 12:5; 16:28). Hell is described as the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15) where people will be tormented with fire and sulfur (Revelation 14:10) which will go on for all of eternity (Mark 9:48; Revelation 14:11).

But the good news is that God did not leave man in such a hopeless condition. Rather, God, in His infinite mercy and grace, executed a plan to save sinners from the power and penalty of sin. The plan involved sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners from sin and hell (Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10). So “when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son” into the world (Galatians 4:4). The Second Member of the Trinity laid aside His divine prerogatives in order to be born into the world (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus Christ was born into the world through a virgin named Mary (Matthew 1:18-25). Jesus Christ, as the perfect God-man, lived a perfectly righteous life on earth (Hebrews 4:15). And then, at the end of His life, He died on the cross and absorbed the wrath of God (Mark 15:21-41). After His death on the cross, He was buried (Mark 15:42-47). And on the third day, He was resurrected from the grave (Mark 16:1-8). After spending a period of time with His disciples (Acts 1:3), the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven (Acts 1:6-11) and is now seated at the right hand of God (1 Peter 3:22).

And when a sinner genuinely puts his/her faith in Jesus Christ, then he/she will be rescued from the penalty of sin which is eternal torment in hell (John 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). When a sinner truly believes in Jesus, the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to the sinner and the sinner’s deserved punishment is taken on by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). As a result, God will give the redeemed sinner a place in His eternal and glorious Kingdom (Matthew 25:34; John 14:2-3) where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

The evidence of genuine faith in Christ is manifested in repentance. Repentance means to understand and agree with God that you are sinful (Luke 18:13), being broken and sorrowful over your sin (Matthew 5:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10), confessing your sins to God (1 John 1:9), making a conscious choice to turn away from your sin (1 Thessalonians 1:9), and then to pursue Christ in obedience (Matthew 11:28-30; John 8:31; 1 John 2:3). This is a message that is repeatedly given in Scripture (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Acts 2:38; 17:30).

Will you put your faith in Christ and repent of your sins for the salvation of your soul? Do not hold off on repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus Christ. “Seek Yahweh while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6). “Behold, now is the ‘acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” (2 Corinthians 6:2).