What is the Gospel?

Quite simply, the word "gospel" means good news. And the good news is that God, the Creator of the world, designed a plan to save sinful human beings from eternal separation from himself and to grant them new life. To understand fully how good this good news is, we must first know what the "bad news" is.

The Bible presents a very clear, plain and firm message that all people have sinned. There is no exception. Romans chapter 3 verse 23 says, «for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God».

What is sin?

Sin means that we human beings have missed the mark (the perfect standard) that God set for us. We have fallen short because, on account of sin, corruption and the fall rule over us.

This sin began as a result of the disobedience of the first generation — Adam and Eve — in the Garden of Eden. As a result of Adam’s fall in Eden, sin was injected into the human race like a deadly poison and contaminated it. Every part of our being — we who are descendants of Adam — has been dragged into corruption because of sin: our thoughts, our emotions and our bodies. We do not seek God. We do not pursue his pleasure; rather our whole aim is to satisfy and please ourselves by any means.

What is the result of sin?

The penalty of sin is death. Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says, «For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord». But what does "wages" mean in this verse? It is the money paid or received for work or service. In other words, death is what we deserve. What comes to us is death and destruction. We deserve death, and are condemned to a life separated from God for ever.

Is there a remedy for sin?

Since there is no way to make peace with God and escape eternal death, the Bible says that God himself took action and came to us. This is the good news — the gospel. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to carry out the plan of salvation. According to this plan, Christ died on the cross for us and in our place. Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says, «but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us».

The Bible says that although we deserve death because of our sin, Jesus was punished. That is, our sin was placed on the Son of God, and his righteousness was given to us. Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21 says, «For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God». Three days after this momentous event, Jesus rose from the dead and showed that sin had been defeated.

How can salvation be received?

We have done nothing to deserve this salvation. But we have the freedom to choose to believe in God’s great work, or to reject it. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9 say, «For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast». We must believe in Christ and his work on the cross so that God may forgive us and grant us eternal life, not eternal death. Acts chapter 2 verse 38 says, «Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit».

If you too have decided today to be a follower of Christ and to receive salvation from him, repeat the prayer below aloud.

"Lord, I confess that I am a sinner. I confess that by my own strength or my good works I cannot be saved or find redemption. I believe that you were put to death on the cross for my sins, were laid in the tomb, and after three days rose from the dead. I believe that you are alive and have authority to forgive my sins and to count me righteous before God. I repent and turn from all my sins, and I surrender my whole heart and life to you. I promise to follow you to the end of my life and to live according to your will. I ask you to accept me and, according to your promise, to give me a new life. Thank you for hearing my prayer. Amen."