What Is the Gospel?
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The Gospel is good news.
It is not advice for becoming more impressive. It is not a promise that following Jesus will make life easy. It is the announcement of what God has done through Jesus Christ to save sinners and make all things new.
God made us
The Bible begins with God. He created all things and made human beings in His image. We belong to Him, and He is holy, good, just, and worthy of our worship.
Sin separates us from God
Every person has sinned. We have rejected God’s rule, loved other things more than Him, and failed to love Him and our neighbors as we should.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23, NIV
Sin is not merely a collection of mistakes. It places us under God’s just judgment. We cannot repair that separation through good behavior, religious effort, or sincerity.
Jesus came to save
God did not leave us without hope. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became truly human while remaining truly God. He lived without sin, died on the cross in the place of sinners, and bodily rose from the grave.
On the cross, Jesus bore sin and judgment. In His resurrection, He defeated death. Salvation rests on what Christ accomplished, not on what we can earn.
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day.”
1 Corinthians 15:3–4, NIV
How do we respond?
God calls us to repent and believe. Repentance means turning from sin and self-rule toward God. Faith means trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
We are saved by grace through faith, not by works. Good works follow salvation as its fruit. They never become its price.
Following Jesus includes learning His Word, prayer, baptism, life within a faithful local church, obedience, repentance, and love. These practices do not earn salvation. They belong to the new life Christ gives His people.
Come to Christ
You do not need to make yourself worthy before coming to Jesus. Come honestly. Confess your sin. Trust what He has done. Ask Him for mercy.
The strength of salvation is not the perfection of your prayer. It is the sufficiency of Christ.
If you are beginning to follow Jesus, tell a mature Christian and connect with a faithful local church that teaches the Bible and centers the Gospel.
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.