The word “gospel” literally means, “good news.” So the question, “What is the gospel?” requires a bit of context in order to answer. Take a moment to consider the gospel in the context of the scriptures and in light of your eternity.
First, the bad news.
The Bible makes no qualms about the fact that here is in fact, a God in heaven who is our creator and to whom we are accountable. That is not the bad news. The bad news is that in our condition as sinners, we are under His condemnation and will one day suffer the full wrath of God for all eternity. To make it worse, our sinfulness consists not only of thee deeds we do or don’t do. Our sinfulness is intrinsic to our very nature. That is, just as you were born with a particular ethnicity, so you were born with a sinful nature. And just as you cannot change your ethnicity inherited at your birth, no more can you change your sinfulness inherited in the same way. Man’s religion or moral impulses might attempt to offer rituals or procedures to rid oneself of sin, but it is all to no avail. We were all born in sin, and therefore, we were all born under condemnation. [Note: Consider reading Genesis 3; Romans 3:1-18, 23; 6:23; Ephesains 2:1-10; John 3:1-8]
The only remedy for our sin and condemnation would be for someone outside of our selves, who was without sin and who would be willing to bear our sin before God’s throne and face His wrath on our behalf. That is, the remedy for our sin and condemnation would be for someone to come and settle the charge against us by paying the penalty in full.
THIS then, is the good news of God.
Jesus, the incarnate God, the one against whom we have sinned, left His throne in glory and took upon Himself the likeness of a man and entered into this world. He did so in order to live in perfect righteousness, thus offering a perfect sacrifice, His own life as a sacrifice for our sins. So the God and creator against whom we have sinned, entered into this world, taking on flesh in order to deliver us who sin against Him. [Consider reading Ephesians 2:1-10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; Romans 5:12-21]
How then, are we to respond to this good news… this gospel?
We respond by humility and faith. Humility, in that we stand in awe of what God has provided through Jesus Christ. Faith, in that we take God at His Word, that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is sufficient to render you to be forgiven of your sin and cleansed, being made righteous before God. By faith, you accept a right standing before God based upon the merits and worth of another, that being Jesus Christ.
There is no formula or ritual to follow in order to be saved. It is by the simple act of believing what God has said and resting in its truth. If the Lord is speaking to you now through His Word, simply turn to Him in faith and recieve what He has provided through Jesus Christ.
If you have just now been brought to faith in Christ, please allow us to rejoice with you and to further minister to you. Drop us a note or better yet, give us a call and tell us about it.