What Is The Gospel?
The Gospel of Jesus
Gospel means "Good News". In the Greek language used by the New Testament authors the word was εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion) and was used when Jesus and the disciples spoke of the good news that Christ had come to reconcile us with God.
Why do we need to be reconciled with God?
Our sins, whether an active rebellion or a passive disregard for God's will, are an offense to a perfectly righteous God. No amount of our own good works can offset a single offense. So, we are left condemned for our sins with our only hope to be in God himself to provide a solution for our sin.
Jesus Saves Us for Eternal Joy
Justice requires that payment be made for our offenses against a holy God. Jesus lived a perfect sin-free life and then took our punishment upon himself as he was condemned to death and then suffered on a Roman cross so that the wrath of God which is due to us for our own sins was transferred to Jesus. Three days after his death Jesus was resurrected as a living man proving his unity with God and the trustworthiness of his message. Hundreds of people were witnesses to him in his resurrected condition and though many doubted at first they were able to speak with and touch him so that there was no question that this man who was killed by professional executioners and buried in a stone grave now lives! It is through belief in Jesus that we are free from God's wrath and are adopted into his family where we can truly enjoy life now and forever.
The Gospel Grows Us
The gospel is not just an escape plan, it changes everything about who we are. As we who believe in Jesus are now the adopted children of God we have received a new identity and through the work of the Holy Spirit we are able to turn away from our selfish sinful desires and embrace the commandments and values of our perfect God. The work of Jesus on the cross not only saves us but sanctifies us as we learn to apply the work of Jesus so that it changes our hearts, our desires, our attitudes, and our activities. We are no longer slaves to our own selfish desires but are free to embrace the life that God desires for us, a glorious joyful life of communion with Him.
What Must One Do To Be Saved?
It is through faith in Jesus that we are saved. Believing in who Christ is and what he has done for us is central to our salvation and our growth. Belief in Jesus is not just a prayer we say, "inviting Jesus into our hearts", going to a church service, or using a "Christian" label... it means we are acknowledging our sin, turning away from it, and trusting in Jesus as the only one who can make up for our brokenness. Jesus repeated call to people was "Follow Me". It means allowing him to be first in our lives, trusting in his message, and his ability to change our hearts so that we can obey God's will. Our ongoing growth in this life depends upon us continuing to confess our selfish desires and sins and trusting in the power of God to change us from the inside out so that our actions are not motivated by some hope of being "good enough" to impress God, but instead are the worshipful response to a loving God who has done the unimaginable to save us.
