What is the Gospel?
Have you ever heard someone use the term “Gospel” and wondered what it means? The word “Gospel” means “Good News!” The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News of His coming to provide forgiveness of sins for all who will believe. The Gospel, or the Good News about Jesus, is the best and most life-changing news you will ever hear.
In order to experience the life-changing power of the Gospel, you must first realize and admit that you are a sinner.
Before we understand the Good News, we must understand the bad news. No matter how hard we might try to live a “good” life, we still fall short of being a “good” person. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The Bible says, “No one is righteous – not even one” (Romans 3:10). God created us to be in a right relationship with Him, and to spend eternity with Him, but our sin has separated us from Him. The bad news is that we are sinners that cannot restore our relationship with God, and as a result, we are each destined to spend all of eternity outside of His presence.
Understanding Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The Good News is that Jesus Christ came to this earth and died on a cross for our sins. The Bible tells us that, “God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). The Good News is that Jesus paid your debt on the cross once and for all. He paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. Three days after His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the grave which validated who He claimed to be – God in human flesh. Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ so important? It proves who Jesus is. It demonstrates that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It shows that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that the bodies of those who believe in Christ will not remain dead but will be resurrected unto eternal life.
Repent and believe the Gospel.
The Bible tells us to “repent and be converted” (Acts 3:19). The word repent means to change our mind; to turn and go in the opposite direction from where we were going. Instead of running from God, we turn toward Him and begin walking in His direction. To believe means to personally trust that what Jesus did through His death and resurrection, paid our debt in full (John 19:30, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 2:13-14).
This is the Good News, that while we were still rebelling against God, He made the way, through Jesus’ finished work on the cross for us to be saved. Becoming a believer in Jesus Christ is about so much more than just going to church on Sundays. It is becoming a new creation in Christ and growing as His follower. The fruit of this new relationship is a new life lived by faith in loving response to His love and grace (1 John 4:19; Galatians 2:20).
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News that God provided the way for man to be freed from the penalty of sin (John 14:6; Romans 6:23). Everyone dies physically, but those who believe in Jesus Christ are promised a physical resurrection unto eternal life (John 11:23-26). Those who reject Christ will not only die physically but will undergo a “second death,” which the Bible describes as an eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-14). Jesus is the only One in whom salvation can be found (Acts 4:12).
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the best news anyone will ever hear, and what a person does with this news will determine where he or she spends eternity. God is calling you to choose life and to call on the name of the Lord and be saved (Romans 10:13)!
Regardless of where your life has gone so far or what it has become, the grace of God is greater than all of our sin (Romans 5:20). If you are ready to enter into this life-giving relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, then respond to His invitation, and pray:
God, I know that I am a sinner, but I believe that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to pay for my sins on the cross, once and for all. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead to save me from the penalty of my sin. I receive You and thank You for Your grace and ask You to make me a new creation in Christ. Help me to leave my old life behind, and to follow You all the days of my life. Thank You for Your mercy and grace, and for loving me and saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you just prayed that prayer, welcome to the family of God! The Bible tells us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
We would like to encourage you to get in touch with us at Calvary Chapel Wilmington so that we can help you begin your walk with Jesus by giving you a Bible, and helping you connect to a Bible-teaching church near you. If you live near Wilmington, North Carolina, we would love to meet you at our Sunday morning service.
For a deeper explanation of the Gospel, check out Pastor David Guzik’s sermon on 1 Corinthians 15:1-19.