The Gospel Begins with God
Mankind is not allowed to define God however they choose. God has revealed Himself to us through the pages of His Holy Word, the Bible. Here are a few things that the Bible says about God:
God is . . .
Creator
Genesis 1:1
In Genesis 1:1, the Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This simply means that according to the Bible, God is the one who created the entire universe and everything in it.
Holy
Isaiah 6:3
The Bible also makes it very clear that God is holy. Holy means that God is entirely perfect, set apart, and completely unique. There is nothing like Him for He is entirely set apart from all of His creations. In Isaiah 6:3, the Bible says, “And one (the angels) called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Good & Just
Exodus 34:6-7
If God was simply holy that would be bad news, but God is also wonderfully good and just. Even though mankind is sinful, God is good. In Exodus 34:6-7 the Bible says, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, Keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who all by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” In other words, the God of the Bible is a gracious God who delights in forgiving sin and is overflowing in grace and mercy. However, the God of the Bible is also just, which means He cannot ignore sin or turn a blind eye to evil. As Exodus 34 clearly says, God will not “clear the guilty,” but He will judge those who continue in sin. The good news of the Gospel begins with believing that the God of the Bible is who He says He is.
The Gospel is Necessary because All People are Sinners
The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ coming into the world to save sinners. However, the good news of the Gospel assumes that there is also bad news. The bad news is that all men and women who have ever lived are sinners. According to the Bible, mankind is not basically good with a few mistakes here and there. No, according to the Bible all of humanity is born in sin. Listen to what God’s Word says about our sin:
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
ROMANS 3:23
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
JEREMIAH 17:9
"Everyone who makes a practice of sinning practives lawlessness; sin is lawlessness."
1 JOHN 3:4
"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it."
JAMES 2:10
What these verses say about the condition of all humanity is not pleasant, but it is true. Every one of us sins on a regular basis, whether that be in our thoughts, words, or actions, sin is a regular part of the human condition. However, just because sin is normal for all mankind, it does not make it acceptable before God. Not at all! Actually, in the Bible God assures us that He must punish sin because sin is ultimately against God. In Psalm 51:3-4, David wrote, “For I know my transgressions (sin), and my sin is ever before me. Against you, and you only, I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” Sin is evil and sin is against God, and so God must punish sin.
Not only is sin against God, but we learn in Genesis 2:17 that death exists because of sin. God said to Adam that if you eat of the forbidden tree, “you shall surely die.” This death is referring to physical death, spiritual death, and eternal death. Because of sin physical death is now a reality. However, because of sin, spiritual and eternal death are also realities. Now, all people who do not repent of their sin and turn to Jesus Christ to be their Savior will experience spiritual and eternal death, which ends in separation from God for all eternity.
In Hebrews 9:27, the Bible says that, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” This simply means that because of sin every person will be judged by God when they die. The judgment from God for sin is serious. In the Bible, Revelation 20:15 says, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” This lake of fire, what is commonly referred to as hell, is a real place. A place where people are punished for all eternity because they did not repent of their sins. The reality of sin and the necessity of punishment for sin is the “bad news” of the gospel. But it is very important to understand the “bad news,” because when we begin to understand the bad news we realize why Jesus had to die in our place and take the punishment that we deserved for sin.
Not only is sin against God, but we learn in Genesis 2:17 that death exists because of sin. God said to Adam that if you eat of the forbidden tree, “you shall surely die.” This death is referring to physical death, spiritual death, and eternal death. Because of sin physical death is now a reality. However, because of sin, spiritual and eternal death are also realities. Now, all people who do not repent of their sin and turn to Jesus Christ to be their Savior will experience spiritual and eternal death, which ends in separation from God for all eternity.
In Hebrews 9:27, the Bible says that, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” This simply means that because of sin every person will be judged by God when they die. The judgment from God for sin is serious. In the Bible, Revelation 20:15 says, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” This lake of fire, what is commonly referred to as hell, is a real place. A place where people are punished for all eternity because they did not repent of their sins. The reality of sin and the necessity of punishment for sin is the “bad news” of the gospel. But it is very important to understand the “bad news,” because when we begin to understand the bad news we realize why Jesus had to die in our place and take the punishment that we deserved for sin.
The Gospel Proclaims that Jesus died in your place
Because God is holy and just, He must punish sin. If God turned a blind eye to sin, then He would no longer be Holy or Just. But because God is good and abounding in loving kindness, He provides a way for sinful men and women to be reconciled to Himself. This is the amazing, good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
ROMANS 5:6-8
"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
COLOSSIANS 2:13-14
"For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God."
2 CORINTHIANS 5:21
Apart from Jesus Christ, mankind is described as "dead" or apart from God entirely. But Jesus makes it possible to be truly forgiven of the "record of debt" that stands against every person because of their sin! For all who call upon the name of Jesus will know the joy of being forgiven because Jesus suffered in their place and "canceled the record of debt that stood against us...by nailing it to the cross."
Not only did Jesus die for you and not only did He make forgiveness of sins possible for all who repent and believe, but Jesus also took our sin upon Himself and He gives all who call upon Him perfect righteousness!Jesus who never sinned, took upon Himself the sin of all those whom He would redeem and therefore He truly suffered under the wrath of God in our place. And as if that was not enough, in exchange He gives to all who call upon Him righteousness! So not only is the child of God forgiven, but they are made righteous by the work of Christ on the cross! Truly this is very good news!
Not only did Jesus die for you and not only did He make forgiveness of sins possible for all who repent and believe, but Jesus also took our sin upon Himself and He gives all who call upon Him perfect righteousness!Jesus who never sinned, took upon Himself the sin of all those whom He would redeem and therefore He truly suffered under the wrath of God in our place. And as if that was not enough, in exchange He gives to all who call upon Him righteousness! So not only is the child of God forgiven, but they are made righteous by the work of Christ on the cross! Truly this is very good news!
The Gospel Demands Repentance
God's Word is clear; the only way to be forgiven and reconciled with God is to repent of your sins and turn to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Because of who God is and because of how sinful mankind is, reconciliation with God necessitated the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. However, the question has yet to be answered, how can a person receive this gift of forgiveness and reconciliation with God?
- MATTHEW 4:17: "From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'."
- MARK 6:12, "So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent."
- ACTS 3:19: "Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out."
- ROMANS 2:4: "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"
So what does it mean to repent? It literally means "to turn away." So to repent of your sins means to recognize that your sins are a heinous offense against a holy God and that because of sin you deserve eternal punishment. To repent of your sins then is to both agree with God about your sin and to cry out to God in faith believing that Jesus is willing and able to forgive you of your sin. God has promised in His Word to save all who repent and believe! This brief walk through of the good news of Jesus Christ demands a question: have you repented? Have you recognized your sin for what it is and turned from it?
- ROMANS 10:13: "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
- JOHN 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
- ROMANS 10:9-10: "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 with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”