The Gospel
The Gospel: Good News for a Broken World
At its simplest, the word “gospel” means “good news.” Yet in a world peddling many “gospels”—from promises of wealth and health to messages of power and prosperity—only one addresses humanity’s deepest need: the problem of sin and spiritual deadness. The true Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It confronts our condition of condemnation before a holy and just God while offering complete reconciliation and life everlasting.
In the prophet Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne room, the seraphim continually proclaim,
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!" Overwhelmed by this vision, Isaiah cries, "Woe is me! For I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips." (Isaiah 6:3, 5) This encounter underscores our unworthiness in the presence of God’s perfect holiness.
Yet, the Gospel tells us that God, in His unmerited love and grace, has made a way to restore us through His Son. John 3:16–17 explains this beautifully: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Jesus—not only by living a sinless life but, more importantly, by dying on a Roman cross in our place—bore the penalty for our sin. As Isaiah 53:6 puts it, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Through His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, Christ satisfied both God’s justice and holiness, offering salvation to all who repent and believe.
Romans 10:9–13 declares the heart of our response: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved... for there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile."
What It Means to Be a Christian: A Life Transformed by the Gospel
Being a Christian is far more than adhering to a set of religious doctrines or affiliating with a denomination. It is an all-encompassing calling to embrace what the Bible teaches about God, mankind, and salvation.
Here are some core truths that define the Christian life:
1. God Is Sovereign Creator
The Bible teaches that we were not the product of chance or blind evolution but were created by a personal, sovereign God who designed us for relationship. Jesus Himself is revealed as the Creator in the opening of the Gospel of John: > "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:3) Similarly, Colossians 1:16 affirms, > "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible." And Psalm 103:19 reminds us that God not only creates but rules over all, calling us to absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.
2. God Is Holy
God’s holiness is the benchmark of all that is righteous. Isaiah’s vision with the seraphim (Isaiah 6:3) underscores that God is utterly pure—a standard to which we must aspire. Likewise, 1 Peter 1:16 commands, > "Be holy, because I am holy." This serves as both a comfort and a challenge—God desires us to reflect His purity in our own lives.
3. Mankind Is Universally Sinful
Scripture does not shy away from the truth that every human being has sinned. Whether it is stated in Romans 3:10–12: > "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." or acknowledged in 1 Kings 8:46, the reality remains: all of us fall short of God’s glorious standard. Although we may perform acts of kindness, our fallen nature means we are incapable on our own of understanding, loving, or pleasing God.
4. Sin Demands a Penalty
Because God is holy and just, sin has dire consequences. Romans 6:23 tells us clearly, "For the wages of sin is death." Our sin separates us from God. No amount of good works can bridge this chasm because the penalty for sin is not merely a broken relationship—it is spiritual death and eternal separation from God.
5. Jesus Is Lord and Savior
The heart of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the only solution to the problem of sin. By living a perfect, sinless life and willingly dying on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the full penalty for our sins. As 1 Peter 3:18 explains, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Through His sacrifice, God’s justice is satisfied, and we are declared righteous. The transformative power of this truth is summed up in Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
6. The Character of Saving Faith
Salvation is not a mere intellectual assent—it is a transformative, living faith that includes repentance. True saving faith means acknowledging our sinfulness, turning away from a life of self-centeredness, and wholeheartedly trusting in Christ. This faith finds its expression in obedience, as stated in 1 John 2:3: "Those who know him are kept by the law, and in fact, love him." Just as believers were “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), our lives are now to be lived as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), continually shaped by the Holy Spirit as we await the resurrection promised in 1 Corinthians 15:20 and the complete restoration of all things proclaimed in Revelation 21:4, 21:5.
Living Out the Gospel in Every Aspect of Life
In accepting the Gospel, believers are invited into a life of radical transformation. The good news isn’t static—it calls for a dynamic response:
At its simplest, the word “gospel” means “good news.” Yet in a world peddling many “gospels”—from promises of wealth and health to messages of power and prosperity—only one addresses humanity’s deepest need: the problem of sin and spiritual deadness. The true Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It confronts our condition of condemnation before a holy and just God while offering complete reconciliation and life everlasting.
In the prophet Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne room, the seraphim continually proclaim,
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!" Overwhelmed by this vision, Isaiah cries, "Woe is me! For I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips." (Isaiah 6:3, 5) This encounter underscores our unworthiness in the presence of God’s perfect holiness.
Yet, the Gospel tells us that God, in His unmerited love and grace, has made a way to restore us through His Son. John 3:16–17 explains this beautifully: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Jesus—not only by living a sinless life but, more importantly, by dying on a Roman cross in our place—bore the penalty for our sin. As Isaiah 53:6 puts it, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Through His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, Christ satisfied both God’s justice and holiness, offering salvation to all who repent and believe.
Romans 10:9–13 declares the heart of our response: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved... for there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile."
What It Means to Be a Christian: A Life Transformed by the Gospel
Being a Christian is far more than adhering to a set of religious doctrines or affiliating with a denomination. It is an all-encompassing calling to embrace what the Bible teaches about God, mankind, and salvation.
Here are some core truths that define the Christian life:
1. God Is Sovereign Creator
The Bible teaches that we were not the product of chance or blind evolution but were created by a personal, sovereign God who designed us for relationship. Jesus Himself is revealed as the Creator in the opening of the Gospel of John: > "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." (John 1:3) Similarly, Colossians 1:16 affirms, > "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible." And Psalm 103:19 reminds us that God not only creates but rules over all, calling us to absolute allegiance, obedience, and worship.
2. God Is Holy
God’s holiness is the benchmark of all that is righteous. Isaiah’s vision with the seraphim (Isaiah 6:3) underscores that God is utterly pure—a standard to which we must aspire. Likewise, 1 Peter 1:16 commands, > "Be holy, because I am holy." This serves as both a comfort and a challenge—God desires us to reflect His purity in our own lives.
3. Mankind Is Universally Sinful
Scripture does not shy away from the truth that every human being has sinned. Whether it is stated in Romans 3:10–12: > "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." or acknowledged in 1 Kings 8:46, the reality remains: all of us fall short of God’s glorious standard. Although we may perform acts of kindness, our fallen nature means we are incapable on our own of understanding, loving, or pleasing God.
4. Sin Demands a Penalty
Because God is holy and just, sin has dire consequences. Romans 6:23 tells us clearly, "For the wages of sin is death." Our sin separates us from God. No amount of good works can bridge this chasm because the penalty for sin is not merely a broken relationship—it is spiritual death and eternal separation from God.
5. Jesus Is Lord and Savior
The heart of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the only solution to the problem of sin. By living a perfect, sinless life and willingly dying on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the full penalty for our sins. As 1 Peter 3:18 explains, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Through His sacrifice, God’s justice is satisfied, and we are declared righteous. The transformative power of this truth is summed up in Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
6. The Character of Saving Faith
Salvation is not a mere intellectual assent—it is a transformative, living faith that includes repentance. True saving faith means acknowledging our sinfulness, turning away from a life of self-centeredness, and wholeheartedly trusting in Christ. This faith finds its expression in obedience, as stated in 1 John 2:3: "Those who know him are kept by the law, and in fact, love him." Just as believers were “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), our lives are now to be lived as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), continually shaped by the Holy Spirit as we await the resurrection promised in 1 Corinthians 15:20 and the complete restoration of all things proclaimed in Revelation 21:4, 21:5.
Living Out the Gospel in Every Aspect of Life
In accepting the Gospel, believers are invited into a life of radical transformation. The good news isn’t static—it calls for a dynamic response:
- Embrace Our Identity: Recognize that we are created by, sustained by, and ultimately answerable to a sovereign God. Our identity is firmly rooted in His creative power and loving authority.
- Pursue Holiness: As God is holy, we are called to mirror that holiness by rejecting sin and striving for purity in thought, word, and deed.
- Acknowledge Our Need: By accepting that we are universally sinful, we see our desperate need for the redeeming grace that only Jesus can provide.
- Receive Salvation: Trust in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection as the complete payment for our sins, allowing us to stand before God blessed and justified.
- Live in Obedience: True faith produces a transformed life—a life marked by ongoing repentance, heartfelt worship, and a commitment to serve others as a testament to God’s redeeming love.