Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

What is the Gospel of Christ?

The most important news in all the world is the Gospel (“good news”) of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This news starts with who God is. He is the Creator of all in the heavens and on the earth (Genesis 1:1) and He is holy (Isaiah 6:3), perfect (Matthew 5:48), just (Psalm 50:6), and also a God who is love and shows love (1 John 4:8). He has eternally existed as One God in three Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The problem, however, is we are by nature enemies of this God because of our sin nature inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve, and our personal sins of lying, stealing, lust, greed, gossip, hatred, as well as a host of others things in opposition to God (Romans 3:10,23). Our sin separates us from a right relationship with this holy God who cannot look upon sin with approval (Isaiah 59:2). Our sin provokes the wrath of Almighty God (Romans 1:18). No one will be able to escape His wrath; we cannot even earn the approval from God by our good works because our greatest works are like filthy rags to Him (Isaiah 64:6). No one is good enough to merit acceptance with God because if we have broken just one part of His law it is as if we have broken the whole thing (James 2:10).

So what is the only hope of being reconciled to this God we have sinned against?

The Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Because God loved His people so much and wanted to glorify Himself, He sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is truly God and truly man. He was born of the virgin Mary and conceived by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23) and He lived a perfectly sinless life while He was on earth (Hebrews 4:15). Then, in God’s appointed time, the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross to bear the sins of God’s people (2 Corinthians 5:21,1 Peter 2:24), to suffer the wrath of God (Romans 3:25), and die under the curse of God (Galatians 3:13) in their place.

Then on the third day God raised Him from the dead. This was like a divine “receipt” to show that the debt had been paid in full for all it was intended for (Luke 22:34; 1 Corinthians 15:4). After 40 days of being on the earth, after His resurrection, He ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father (Mark 16:19).

So now the question is, how is this news applied to you?  

How does the the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ become yours?

The answer is through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21).

Repentance is saving grace where you now look at sin with grief and hatred because it is against God. It is a desire to be free from the things that you formerly did in rebellion against God. And now you have a new desire towards sin; instead of loving it, you now hate it.

Faith is a saving grace where you no longer trust in yourself for your acceptance with God, in your ability to be a good person and please God. Instead you put all of your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ the One who died and rose again. It is Him who saves us, through His death and resurrection, not our failing attempts to be good.

Unless you repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, the wrath of God will fall on you and you will go to hell (John 3:36). But if you repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for your acceptance with God, God will forgive your sins, declare you to be righteous in His eyes, adopt you into His family, and grant to you everlasting life (John 3:16). But the greatest blessing of the gospel is restored fellowship with God in loving communion (1 Peter 3:18). This is a promise of God from His holy word.

So the only question which remains is: what will you do with this news?