What is the Gospel?
A clear understanding of the gospel is important to those interested in Christianity, and those who want to understand how to share it with others.
The Gospel is the good news of Jesus: Today we have the blessing of being able to know and understand these saving truths as they are given to us through God’s Word. The Word tells us that God is the creator of all and, we were created for the Lord.
(Revelation 4:11, Genesis 1:27, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16)
Sin and Death Enter: Once God made all that there is, and it was God-honouring, sin crept in as both Satan and humankind pridefully wanted to be like God. God gave Adam and Eve the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they did. In doing so, they broke the relationship and communion that they had with God and were sent out from the Garden of Eden. Not only that but death enters the world. The disconnect between God and man, as well as death, has been passed down to all humans as descendants of Adam.
(Isaiah 14:12-15, Genesis 3)
The Second Adam and the Penalty: After Adam sinned plunging mankind into total depravity, sin had to be paid for via the slaughtering of animals; sacrifices on behalf of the sinner to atone for their sins against the Lord. Yet, this did not atone for the peoples’ sins as they had to keep doing it to satisfy God’s wrath against sin. So God sent his Son, Jesus, to come to take on humanity, do what Adam did not by living a perfectly righteous life, dying when he did not deserve to, and raising back to life thus proving death had no power over Him. He lived His life and paid the penalty of sin as both truly man, and truly God, so that people could repent, believe in Him, and have eternal life and a restored relationship with God again through Christ.
(Romans 5:8, Hebrews 9:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 2:14, Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9, John 19:18, Acts 5:30, Luke 24:6-7, Philippians 2:5-11)
How does this affect me?
Being a human, you too are a descendant of Adam and have inherited his sinful nature and hell-bound trajectory. We read that all people are sinners and that the punishment for sin is death. You too are destined for hell and eternal punishment because we do not live up to the holy standard that the Lord requires of us.
(Romans 3:10-12, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Romans 6:8, Romans 6:23)
How should I respond?
The greatest news of the gospel is that the Lord does not just leave us alone on this hell-bound trajectory, but He offers us a way to correct it; repent and believe! Christ dying on the cross was a payment once and for all, for the sins of all those who place their faith in Him. Eternal life is available to those who embrace Christ as their Lord and Saviour, recognizing the payment He made for them on the cross to satisfy God’s wrath. Romans 10 plainly says if you confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Salvation in Christ means recognizing this truth, and recognizing we can be forgiven for all our wrongs, and saved from eternal punishment.
(Romans 5:19, 1 Corinthians 15:22, Romans 10:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Luke 13:3)