The Gospel

What is the gospel? It is the best and most important thing you will ever hear. It is THE Good News. The apostle Paul tells us it is of first importance:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 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

While the gospel is good news, the law tells of your standing before a thrice-holy God – the one true God that stitched you in your mother’s womb and created the universe with His words. Your standing on your own before this holy God is one of condemnation.

“But why do I stand condemned?” you ask – it is because God’s standard is perfection and yet we have all sinned against Him. He is so infinitely perfect and holy that even one sin against Him is worthy of eternal damnation.

The Standard: Who God Is

The Bible tells us of who God is. He is:

pure	“Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, And Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor.” Habbakuk 1:13
just, faithful	“Thou art just in all … For Thou hast dealt faithfully,” Nehemiah 9:33
faithful, true, ruler of all	“And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war… And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ “ Revelation 19:11, 16
loving	“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
unique, holy, worthy of praise, worker of wonders	“Who is like Thee among the gods, O Lord? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11
creator	“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created by Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16
a consuming fire	“for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29
perfect	“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” Matthew 5:48

Your standing before a holy God: Who You Are

The Bible also tells us of who we are.

We are sinners	“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
We have no excuse for not worshipping God	“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

“But I’m not that bad! I’m pretty good overall!”. The Bible tells us that :

no one is good	“as it is written, “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 useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” Romans 3:10-12
even our best is like a filthy rag before God	“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthygarment;” Isaiah 64:6
Even one* sin makes us guilty of God’s perfect law*	“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” James 2:10
you will* die one day, and afterward face judgment*	“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” Hebrews 9:27

There is a solution to this problem: What Jesus Christ Did

“But I thought this was supposed to be good news!”. Based on our own actions – we deserve eternal damnation where God (who is perfect and holy and just) pours out His justified wrath on sinners. The good news is that there is one who was perfect and made Himself a substitute for those who would believe in him. This person is the God-man, Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us:

Jesus was born of a virgin, and came to save His people	“And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His peoplefrom their sins.” Matthew 1:21
Jesus is God, the son of the Father, the 2nd person of the triune godhead; He is eternal	“In the beginnging was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”…”And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:1-2, 14
Jesus died on a cross for sinners, though He had comitted no sin	Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Christ’s perfect life and death pays the price to reconcile those who would believe in Him to God	“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God,” 1 Peter 3:18
Christ’s purpose in coming into the world was to save sinners	“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” 1 Timothy 1:15
We did not earn what Christ did – it was done out of mercy and grace	“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ” Titus 3:4-7
Though He never sinned, He was treated as if He had sinned; though we are not righteous, God treats believers as if they were as righteous as Christ	“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
After He died and was buried, God raised Him from the dead on the 3rd day	“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 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

What God Commands You To Do in Response

The work of salvation was finished on the cross when Jesus died for sinners such as you. In light of what He did to perfectly obey even to the point of death on the cross – we should believe in Him, and turn from our sin. The Bible tells us:

We should repent – change our mind about our sin and turn from it and turn to Him	“I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3
you should believe in Christ	“I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.” John 8:24
God has been patient, but calls all people to repent	“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,” Acts 17:30
Only people who believe in Christ and rightly profess Him as Lord are those that are to be saved	“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;” Romans 10:9
The forgiveness of sins only comes from Christ’s work	“and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,” Luke 24:47
True belief in Christ comes from being born-again – where God changes the sinner into a new creation	“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'” John 3:3
Those who do not believe and obey Him still have God’s wrath on them	“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36
repentance and faith in Christ mark the true believer	“testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21

The good news of the gospel is that God through His one and only Son has made a way for sinner to be forgiven and reconciled unto Himself. No works are required because Christ finished the work. In light of what He has done, you should believe in Him and what He did, and repent from your sin.

Jesus is coming again, this time to judge sinners and take His people unto Him. This is why it is essential to make peace with the King NOW while it may be found (Revelation 19:11 – 16). So what in light of this information are you going to do?

If you have questions about this or want to know more – please contact us here.