WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
Simply put, the gospel is good news. It is the answer to the questions we have about the world and it is the solution to the problems of the world.
God created man to know and worship Him. Everything was perfect. God and man walked together and man wanted for nothing. But this didn’t last. Tricked by a serpent in the garden, man chose to make his own decisions, defining good and evil on his own terms. This disobedience was sin and led to a division between man and a Holy God. Due to man’s idolatry, he was no longer in fellowship with God and he faced death. This dark backdrop is the contrast to the solution of the Gospel: Jesus Christ. Jesus is the son of God who came to earth as a man and lived a sinless life – something that is impossible for us to do in our own strength.
After living a perfect life, performing miracles by the power of God, and teaching radical truths about who God is, Jesus willingly humbled himself to a criminal’s death – death on a cross. Jesus’ blood, through that death, was the atonement for our sins. But the story doesn’t end with His death, because after three days in the tomb, Christ conquered death and rose from the dead. He appeared to hundreds of people before ascending into Heaven at the right hand of God the Father.
Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we can receive redemption through the grace of God. God’s grace is the intersection of His holiness and His love. He showed us mercy when we were dead in our sins and unable to choose holiness. Because of His love, he did not send His Son with a sword and condemnation, but He sent Jesus as a message of grace. This grace was extended to the worst of sinners and the most righteous of men. As a result of this grace, man could be declared holy. The power of sin is broken and man begins the process of sanctification, learning about the truths and holiness of God and becoming more like Him. They strive to obey God not for their own sake, but for His sake. They obey to delight Him.
How does this happen? How do we receive this gift of grace? By repenting of our sinful lives and trusting in the atoning work of Jesus Christ. The scriptures tell us that if we confess with our mouth and believe with our hearts, then God will save us from death. As God reveals Himself to us, we respond by trusting in Him and striving to live for Him and one day, when we stand before Him, He will make us as He has declared us to be: coheirs with Christ, sharing in His glory and receiving the end result of our faith.
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