Good News (The Gospel)

The Gospel (Good News)

Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
– Mark 1:14-15

That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
– Ephesians 2:12-13

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.
– Colossians 1:3-5

If we searched for a trillion years, we could not come up with anything that comes anywhere near the importance, power, love, blessings, and urgent reality of this one thing: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel = the good news

What, exactly, is this good news? Here is the gospel in six words:

How God and sinners are reconciled

However, because the gospel is of infinite value—and because countless souls are at stake—we will go in to much more depth in explaining “the truth of the gospel.” (Col 1:5)

First, the bad news: We have all sinned, and there is the ultimate penalty for all who sin: death. (Rom 3:23; 5:12-21)

This universal death sentence includes physical death, spiritual death (hell), and separation from God. Therefore, apart from God and without God, we are without hope—and we will spend all eternity apart from Him.

Now the good news: Despite our sin and our separation from Him through our sin, God still loves us. What is more, because He loves us so much, God deeply desires for us to be saved from the deadly consequences of sin—and to be fully reconciled to Him—and to live with Him forever. As a result, God demonstrated His incredible love and His amazing grace by sending His one and only Son to die for us on a cross (Jn 3:14-18; 15:13; Rom 5:6-21; Col 1:19-23; 1 Jn 3:16). In so doing, Jesus provided the perfect solution for our sin and for that worst-possible penalty that comes from sin, which is death, separation from Him, and eternal punishment in hell (Jn 3:16-18, 36; 1 Cor 15:1ff; Eph 1:7-14; 1 Jn 2:1ff; 3:16).

Therefore, those who truly believe in the true Jesus—and the truth about His death on the cross for our sins—are fully reconciled with God, are saved from this eternal consequence (e.g. hell; the “second death;” the “lake of fire”), are adopted children of God, are now co-heirs with Jesus, and have everlasting life with Him in heaven (Rev 21-22; Jn 3:16; Rom 8:15-17; 1 Cor 15:50-57; Gal 4:1-6).

Nothing can compare with the hope and blessings that come with knowing and believing the gospel, just as Jesus declared: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mk 8:36)

Tragically, those who reject Jesus Christ and His gospel, or fall for a false gospel, remain under this judgment and eternal condemnation (cp. Jn 3:14-18, 36; 2 Cor 5:14-21; 7:10; 11:3-4; 2 Thess 2:9-12; Rev 10:11-15).

Consequently, apart from Jesus—and without faith in Him and belief in His gospel of truth—we are without hope in eternity. Therefore, every important thing in life boils down to whether we are truly reconciled to God, or not. And all of this comes through His Son Jesus.

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
– 1 John 5:9-10

As a result of all this, we all have one colossal and superlative need: to rightly respond to the reality of our personal sin, and the eternal penalty of our sin—and to our supreme need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

How do we do this? By acknowledging the dire reality of our sin and its consequences, by turning to God and away from our sin, by asking God to forgive our sin, and by putting our faith in Jesus and the meaning of His life, death, and resurrection (e.g., 1 Cor 15:1ff; 1 Jn 1:1-2:4).

Repent, and believe in the gospel.
– Mark 1:15

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…
– Acts 3:19

I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
– Acts 20:21

“…to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”
– Acts 26:18

Therefore, what a person believes about all of the above, and what follows below, is literally the most important thing he or she believes. This is the difference between life and death—and, far more importantly, the difference between an eternity spent in hell or in heaven.

Because the gospel is infinite in value—and with the goal of deepening your understanding and equipping in God’s good news—we will go over it again in the following truths and verses:

• We were created to be in a personal, loving relationship with God. (Gen 1-2)
• Sin has dreadful consequences. Yet Adam and Eve chose to sin against God by disobeying His Word. This not only severed their relationship with Him, it brought a death penalty on all mankind. (Gen 2:17; 3:1-6; Is 59:2; Rom 5:12, 17; Gal 6:7-8)
• All of us have sinned. (Rom 3:23; 5:12)
• We all, therefore, reap the consequences of sin, such as: destruction, deception, death, and separation from God. (Gen 2:17; Is 59:2; Matt 7:13-23; Rom 5:12; 6:23; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:1ff; 2 Thess 1:9; 2:12; Heb 3:12-13)
• More specifically, and most importantly, sin results in an eternal penalty for everyone: God’s judgment; hell; the “lake of fire.” (Rev 20:14-15; Jn 3:15-17, 36; 2 Thess 1:9)
• However, there is hope. It is because of our sin and the eternal penalty of sin (hell), that Jesus—out of His unlimited love for us—lived and died, and lives again. (1 Cor 15:1ff; 2 Cor 5:15-21; Heb 2:9; 9:22; Rev 1:5)
• Because He so loved us, Jesus went through unimaginable suffering while dying for us, and for our sin, on the cross. In this—and because God is both loving and just—Jesus took our place and our punishment on that cross in order to satisfy justice and our death penalty. (1 Pet 2:24; 3:18; 1 Jn 1:5-2:2; 3:16; Rom 3:20-26; 5:8)
• Better yet, God did this in order to provide the only possible solution to our superlative problem (i.e., sin, and the consequences of sin). (1 Cor 1:17ff; Eph 2:8-9; Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12; Heb 9:14)
• Because Jesus died for us and paid the full price for our sin, it is no longer sin that keeps us from being saved and reconciled with God. It is a refusal to truly repent and believe in Him, and to believe the good news about His finished work on the cross. (Mk 1:15; Lk 13:3-5; Jn 3:16-18, 36; 2 Cor 7:10-11; 2 Thess 2:9-13)
• His death, burial, and resurrection fully paid the price for our sin. Nothing can be or needs to be added to Jesus and what He did for us. If we try to add to this, then we are in danger of nullifying His all-sufficient grace, sacrifice, and gift of life. *Note: This is precisely what many false teachings try to do in their false gospels: they require some kind of good works from us to make up for what is, in actuality, God’s 100% sufficient sacrifice, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. (cp. Jn 11:25-26; Acts 15:1ff; Gal 3:1ff; 5:1ff; 2 Cor 11:3-4)
• Therefore, whosoever truly believes in God and the truth about Jesus Christ and His purpose on the cross—and because they realize the reality and grievous nature of their sin, their separation from God, the eternal penalty for their sin, and their supreme need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God—will be reconciled to Him and saved from everlasting torment. (cp. Acts 2:37ff; Jn 3:15-17; Lk 1:77-79; 24:45-47; 2 Cor 5:14-21)
• This salvation is through faith and grace alone—and apart from any good works on our part. And, best of all, those who genuinely believe in the Lord Jesus Christ will live with God in heaven forever! (Acts 16:30-32; Rom 1:16-17; 3:19-28; 4:5; 5:8; 6:23; 10:9; 1 Cor 1:17ff; 15:1ff; 2 Cor 7:8-11; Eph 2:8-9; 2 Thess 2:13)

If ever there is one thing that gives us infinite hope, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, this means that if we reject the gospel then we are utterly without hope, at least in eternity, whether we realize it or not. What, then, could be more important than knowing and believing God’s good news?

So, if you have not already believed, please take ample time to consider with all of your heart—and pray about—the reality of all that is packed into the supremely good news of Jesus and God’s love for us.

If you do believe and, therefore, are reconciled with God, it is always good to frequently remember and rejoice in how much Jesus loves us, particularly by what He did for us on the cross.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
– Colossians 2:6-7

In addition, let that be at least part of your motivation to share this good news with as many people as you can. Not only are you offering them incredible and infinite hope—which might lead to everlasting life with God and His love—you will be blessed. And to this we are called …

And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
– Mark 13:10

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
– Mark 16:15

Questions To Ponder

• What do you believe about all of the above?
• More specifically, what do you believe about Jesus—about the reality of your sin—and about His death on the cross for your sins?
• How would you describe your relationship with God? [For example: severed; broken; estranged; confused; thriving; unclear; reconciled; stunted; loving; certain sin is keeping you a part; there is disconnect due to faulty beliefs about God; you believe, but also struggle with trusting God; you are angry at God and/or His self-proclaiming followers, and this is keeping you away from Him; etc.]
• Do you see your supreme need to be forgiven of all of your sins and to be reconciled to God? Why or why not?
• Have you—through faith, grace, and Jesus’ power—received God and His gracious pardon of your eternal penalty? If not, what do you want to do about that now?

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
– John 1:12

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
– John 3:16

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
– John 3:36