WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
The word GOSPEL means good news.
Not just ANY good news, but specifically the news that
Jesus came to saves sinners.
In order to understand the Good News of the Gospel, we first need to learn the bad news of our present condition. And that is, We ALL are sinners who stand guilty and condemned before the infinitely Holy God. However much we may try, we can never rid ourselves of our sin or guilt or shame. God is just and because he is a just God he cannot overlook our sin; it must be dealt with. But who can bear the curse and penalty for sin? Without a Savior, we are without hope.
For this reason Jesus came into the world, to bear the curse and punishment for our sin, which we ourselves could never bear, and to also obey God’s law completely, which we ourselves could never do. Christ died for our sins and he makes us clean. THIS is the gospel—the GOOD NEWS of salvation to all who repent and believe.
The GOSPEL is the message of the whole Bible. We encourage you to prayerfully read the Bible firsthand for yourself. A great place to start is the Gospel of John. The Bible is the very Word of God–ask Him to help you understand His Word as you read it.
If you would like to talk with someone more about the Gospel, we hope that you will reach out to us. Please find our contact information on our front homepage, or come visit us on Sunday mornings.
God is a spirit. He is eternal, that is, he has no beginning and no end. He is the Creator of the world and everything in it, including you and me. He is the Giver of life. As our Creator he gives order to all things. He is the Judge of the world. He is just and right to punish sinners. He is wise and good. He knows all things, even our unspoken desires, our darkest thoughts, and our secret acts. Nothing can be hidden from God.
He is ONE God who exists in three persons–God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three persons are distinct from one another yet they are of the same essence. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all three equal in power and majesty and are worthy of our worship. They are three distinct persons yet ONE God. This is a mystery too big for our limited minds to fully grasp, but we see this amazing truth in the Bible and receive it in faith.
We can learn about who God is in his Word–the Bible. Here are some of God’s attributes as described in the Bible:
CREATOR: (Genesis 1:1-2; John 1:1,14; Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 45:18; Jeremiah 32:17; Psalm 19:1; Psalm 24:1-2; Acts 17:24-25; Colossians 1:16;)
ETERNAL: (Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 22:13)
THREE PERSONS: (Matthew 1:23; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:1,14; John 1:18; John 10:30; John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:3; 1 John 5:20)
ONE GOD: (Deuteronomy 4:39; Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29)
A sinner is someone who rebels against God and his ways. Anyone who breaks God’s law or dishonors his name is a sinner. The Bible tells us that we are all sinners. Even if we have broken only a small part of God’s law, we are guilty of breaking all of it.
(Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:23; James 2:10)
SIN is any rebellion against God or his ways. Anything that we say, think, or do, which God forbids is sin. And anything that we don’t say, don’t think, or don’t do, which God requires is sin, too.
The problem of sin runs deep and wide. It effects every part of us–our thoughts, our deeds, our words, our attitudes, our desires, our relationships, etc. And it effects the entire human race–no matter what our age, polity, nationality, ethnicity, economic class, or religion. None of us are exempt.
(James 4:17; 1 John 3:4; James 2:10; Romans 3:23)
Because of our sin we are unfit to be with a holy and righteous God. The ultimate consequence of our sin is everlasting death. Our sin separates us from the living God and condemns us to eternal judgment, which is hell. As much as we may we try, we can’t get rid of our sin problem ourselves. Even if we go to church every Sunday and give to the poor and perform all kinds of good deeds, we cannot eliminate our sin. We still find that our hearts are not pure. The Bible tells us that we are effectively DEAD in our sins, unable to save ourselves anymore than a dead man can bring himself back to life. We need a Savior. Only Jesus can save us from our sin.
(Romans 6:23; James 1:14-15; Ephesians 2:1; Acts 4:12)
Jesus is God. Although he is God, he became a man like us and lived on earth in real history. But unlike us, he lived in complete obedience to the law of God, and although he was faced with all kinds of temptation he never sinned. We deserve eternal punishment for our sin. But Jesus, who is perfect and without any sin, became our substitute instead! He took that punishment for us. Jesus died a shameful, criminal’s death on the cross and suffered the full wrath of God for our sin. He died, was buried, and after three days he rose again to life. Jesus satisfied the punishment for our sin, but that’s not all. Jesus’ perfect obedience is credited to us! He took away all our sin and gave to us HIS perfect righteousness. Amazing.
(2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 2:9; Hebrews 2:18)
If we are looking to Jesus as our only Savior and Lord, then our sins are forgiven. This doesn’t mean that we are immediately perfect and never sin again. We still struggle with temptation, and sometimes we fail to do what is right. But God never fails. He is faithful even when we are not. We can be confident that our sins are forgiven. ALL our sins–even the sins that we aren’t conscious of and future sins that we haven’t committed yet. Jesus took them all on the cross.
(Psalm 103:12; Romans 7:21-25; Hebrews 2:18)
Trusting in Jesus means that you are resting in the promise that Jesus has completely washed away your sins at the cross and has given you his perfect righteousness and eternal riches in glory. This, however, is NOT a complacent rest, as though we can go on sinning carelessly without consequence. (If this is our attitude, then we are still dead in our sin and have more or less begun to rot, like a dead tree decaying on the forest floor.) On the contrary, it is a profitable rest, which brings refreshment, not decay. If we are trusting in Jesus, then we have been given a new heart. We will no longer want to live for ourselves but for Jesus. He gives us his Holy Spirit to help us grow in his ways. We love because HE first loved us and redeemed us as his own. Jesus is not only our Savior, but also our KING.
(John 14:15-17; 1 John 4:19-20; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 8:10; Hebrews 10:26-27)