What is the Gospel?

The Gospel can be briefly summarized:

That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Why does it matter that Christ did these things? What's that supposed to mean to you? Simply, it means EVERYTHING!

The Gospel is further explained by looking at four things:

Creation

The Gospel begins with creation. The first man and woman were created by God and are answerable to him. The book of Romans says,

For what can be know about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:19-21)

As we can see, we have messed up. We have broken our accountability relationship with God.

Sin

Our relationship with God is broken, because we are lost in our sin and need a restored relationship to enjoy God forever once again. Look at a few verses:

You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law...None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 2:23; 3:10-11, 23)

Clearly, we cannot do enough good, help enough people, or be moral enough to satisfy the brokenness in our relationship with God. The fact is that we are sinful and there is nothing we can do about it; we are enemies of God. We need help!

Christ

Help has come! Continue reading:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26)

Jesus being fully God, came to earth and lived as a sinless man. The bible says he died on the cross as the payment for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Jesus mends the broken relationship we have with God and makes it whole. He declares us righteous and our relationship with God is healed. So what now?

Response

God created you, but because of your sin, there is currently a broken relationship between you and God. In his sovereignty, God is calling you to come to Christ, and it is he who gives you the faith to do so. The solution is placing your faith in Jesus Christ. Now that we know this, we must respond to this truth.

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Romans 4:5)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So what do you do now?

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

Read your Bible and discover the beauties of the Gospel message. As you come to understand these things, confess your sins to God, repent (change) from living for self and begin living for God, place your faith in Jesus, and embrace the Gospel truth.

If you recently embraced the redeeming work of Christ, or if you still have questions about the Gospel, we would love to speak with you and help answer those questions. Please contact us through the form located on the "Contact Us" page under "About."