What is the GOSPEL?
The word gospel means “good news” and is explained by the following truths.
God created us to be with Him.
In the first two chapters of the Bible, God creates all of the universe and everything in it (Genesis 1:1), including the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. God created Adam and Eve with purpose. He called them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28) and fill the earth with their offspring. He gave them the mission of caring for the Earth and tending the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15).
God made them to be in complete fellowship with Him and with each other. They had no sin, therefore no shame and nothing to hide from God or each other. They regularly walked and talked with God in the garden, living in pure happiness and joy. They were living as God intended, in right relationship with each other, God and His creation. God’s only command to them was not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In the same way, God made us to be in fellowship with Him. His original plan was that you and I would be in a perfect relationship with Him and with each other in total unity. God created us to be in harmony with all of heaven and earth. But that plan was disrupted by one evil, rebellious act.
Our sins separate us from God.
The Serpent (Satan) tempted Adam and Eve and they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:6) and thereby sinned, they immediately became aware of their “error.” They felt shame and attempted to hide themselves from each other and God (Genesis 3:7,8).
The immediate consequences for them were banishment from the garden paradise(Genesis 3:23,24). Outside of the garden, they would face physical death (Genesis 2:17) but on the day they sinned, Spiritually Adam and Eve died. We their descendants are born spiritually dead, separated from God with a desire to disobey Him running down to our core (Romans 5:12-14).
When confronted by God the blame game began. Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the snake (Genesis 3:12-13). People have been playing the same game ever since. Paradise was lost with a single choice to disobey God and listen to Satan instead. Every war, famine, argument, sin and tragedy can be traced back to a choice to turn our backs on God.
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.
In Exodus (the second book of the Bible), God gave the Israelites the Law and the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), not to save them from their sin, but to show them that they couldn’t live up to his perfect standards (Galatians 3:23-24). Instead of looking to Him in faith many of the Jews looked to themselves and thought they could please God in their own strength. But God saw their “righteous” deeds like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Even the best of their good deeds fell a long way short.
The system of sacrifices we find in Leviticus showed them and us that If we are honest we can never make up for, make enough sacrifices, or do enough good deeds to pay for our sins. The sacrificial system pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice of the lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who would someday come to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
The rest of the Old Testament tells the story of the Jewish people, some of whom realised they were sinners and needed God to save them but most trusted in their own goodness instead of the mercy and grace of God (Isaiah 64:6).
Jesus paid the price for sin.
Jesus came to the Earth to fulfil the law (Matthew 5:17) and as the ultimate sacrifice (Luke 24:46). He lived the perfect life that we could not live and died in our place, for our sins. When he died upon the cross he screamed the words “It is finished” (John 19:30). What he meant by these three words was that the price for our sins was paid completely. He was fully God and entirely man. As a perfect human, he could die for other humans and as the true and living God his payment for sin was infinite.
Jesus rose from the dead three days after he was murdered on the cross (Mark 16:6). He was seen by over 500 witnesses (I Corinthians 15:6) on at least 12 separate occasions over forty days. Because Jesus died our sins are paid for entirely. Because he rose from the dead we know that Jesus was who he claimed to be, God in the flesh.
Everyone who trusts in Jesus will be saved.
The amazing thing about the salvation that Jesus offers us, is that it is free. Salvation through Jesus is a free gift, given to us by God, through faith alone in Christ and not earned by any amount of good deeds we could ever do(Ephesians 2:8,9). Jesus paid the price for our sins when he died on the cross and all we must do is receive the gift of forgiveness through faith. When we believe that Jesus died for our sins and trust in Him alone we receive eternal life with God (John 5:24).
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.
When we trust in Jesus we enter into a personal, permanent relationship with God called “eternal life.”
Part of the reality of eternal life is that it doesn’t start after you die but as soon as you believe and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour(John 10:10). This life is the joy of a real, exciting relationship with Jesus every single day through prayer, worship and living in the strength that God provides through his Holy Spirit.
The other part of the reality of eternal life is that all who have it will be with Jesus forever and ever. Once we receive it, it is ours forever and we are his forever!