The Good News of Jesus Christ

The word "gospel" in the Bible means "good news". But what's so good about it? In order to understand why the good news is so good you first need to understand the bad news. Scroll down to learn more...

1. Who is God?

The Bible tells us what God is like. He is:

true
perfect
invisible (without a body)
unchanging
all powerful
all knowing
present everywhere
eternal
holy
sovereign
loving
merciful
just

God exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

2. God Created Man

The Bible also tells us that all things were made by God in the span of six days for His own glory. Human beings did not evolve from apes. We were created in God's image.

Gen. 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Gen. 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

From the first man, named Adam, God created the first woman named Eve. God placed Adam and Eve in a garden and gave them one command.

Gen. 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

3. Man Rebelled Against God

However, Adam and Eve quickly rebelled against God and disobeyed His command. Because of this, all of us are born into spiritual death.

Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
Eph. 2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
Gen. 3:24So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

4. We Are All Guilty Of Breaking God's Law

God has given all of us His 10 commandments (Ex. 20, Rom. 2:14-16). However, we wickedly disobey God every day.

Gen. 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Is. 64:6a But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags
Rom. 3:10-19 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one." "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Rom. 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

5. All Will Die and Appear Before God on the Judgment Day

All of us will die one day. Do you know where you are going when you die? The Bible tells us God has appointed a day on which he will judge the world. On that day, we will all appear before His judgment seat. The bad news is that we all deserve God's eternal punishment because we all break his commandments daily.

Matt. 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Rom. 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Rom. 2:5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Rom. 14:10b-12 For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Eph. 5:5-6 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Heb. 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment

6. God the Son Came To Save His People

Before the foundation of the world, God chose some to be saved from His wrath for the glory of His grace.

Eph. 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

God the Son came to Earth to save those who are appointed onto salvation. He did this by taking on a human nature, being born of a virgin, over 2000 years ago. He was then given the name Jesus.

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

The people of Jesus' day did not receive Him as God, but instead, had him crucified on a Roman cross. But, this was all done according to God's plan to have Jesus take the punishment of sin (God's wrath) upon Himself, therefore satisfying the perfect justice of God. In doing so, God saved those He had chosen for salvation.

Is. 53:11-12 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
John 10:14-15 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Rom. 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
1 Cor. 15:3-4 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures
2 Cor. 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Thes. 5:9-10 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

7. God Calls His People Through the Gift of Faith

God has fully accomplished salvation for His chosen people through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (His perfect Son). However, God then applies that salvation to His people in due time by bringing them to life spiritually and giving them the gift of faith. We must be born again before we can believe, since we are by nature an enemy of God.

John 1:12-13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 3:3-5 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."
John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
Eph. 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Col. 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

8. Man is Justified by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone

Once God's chosen people are brought to life spiritually, they believe or have faith in the good news of Jesus Christ and are justified (declared perfect) by God. God's chosen people are justified by grace alone through faith alone and not by keeping God's law (works).

Eph. 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Rom. 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom. 4:5-6 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
Rom. 11:5-6 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Gal. 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Gal. 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

9. God Preserves the Faith of His Chosen People

God preserves the faith of His elect until the end.

John 5:24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
John 10:27-30 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."
Rom. 8:30-34 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

10. Repent and Believe the Good News of Jesus Christ

God commands all men to repent of their sins and believe the gospel (good news).

Acts 16:31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Acts 17:30-31 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

When a person repents of their sin and believes in the gospel, they need to join a church to grow as a new believer in Christ.

Heb. 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.