Christians believe the Gospel: the announcement that God has reconciled us to Himself by sending His Son Jesus to die as a substitute for our sins, and that all who repent and believe have eternal life in Him.(1) The word gospel means “good news.” Here are six key truths of the GOSPEL(2):
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible...all things have been created through Him and for Him.
God is the Author of Life and He created us to have a personal relationship with Him. "We belong to him, and we owe him gratitude for every breath, every moment, everything."(3)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is pure, good, and righteous . . . and we are not. We have sinned and fall short of God’s holy standard. We have rejected the Creator and Master of Life and deserve God’s wrath. We are permanently separated from God because of our sins.
Sins cannot be undone or covered up by living a good life.
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
“Jesus is God himself come to Earth. He first lived a perfect life and lived the life you owed—a perfect record. Then, Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins, taking the punishment and death each of us owed. When we believe in him: 1) our sins are paid for by his death, and 2) his perfect life record is transferred to our account. So God accepts and regards us as if we have done all Christ has done.”(4)
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.
When we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we confess that Jesus is Lord, that confession is not magic words. It’s the expression of our inward posture of trust and reliance on Jesus as our Lord. That is all it takes to claim the forgiveness that Jesus offers to every person.
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Through Jesus we are reconciled to God - we have peace and a restored relationship with Him. And now, as we follow Christ in this life and into eternity – there is no condemnation for our sins – past, present, and future. One day we will be with Him in Heaven for all eternity!
CREDITS:
1 GREEAR, J.D. GOSPEL: RECOVERING THE POWER THAT MADE CHRISTIANITY REVOLUTIONARY, 4.
2 DARE2SHARE MINISTRIES. HTTPS://WWW.DARE2SHARE.ORG/TRAINING/HOW-TO-SHARE-THE-GOSPEL/.
3 KELLER, TIM. REDEEMER CHURCH & MINISTRIES, HTTPS://WWW.REDEEMER.COM/SKEPTICS_WELCOME/HOW_CAN_I_KNOW_GOD.
4 IBID.
If you're ready to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, pray and let him know.
If you'd like, here's a prayer you can pray:
Dear God, I am more sinful than I ever dared believe, but I am even more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. I deserve the just punishment for my sin, but I believe that Jesus the Son of God died in my place on the cross. I turn from my old life of living for myself and surrender my life over to you, my loving King. Thank you, God, for saving me and loving me. I rest in Your unchanging grace.
In Jesus' name, Amen.