The word “gospel” means “good news”. The gospel is God’s good news for us about His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a declaration of what God has accomplished through the death of Christ, so that we can be reconciled to God and receive the forgiveness of our sins. It is the message that provides broken, hurting sinners with mercy and acceptance in the arms of a loving God. It is the one way to have peace with God. It is an offer of eternal life. It is good news.
The Bible summarizes the good news in these words: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, he was buried, he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and he appeared” (1Corinthians 15:3-5).
When Jesus was nailed to the cross, God was not worriedly wringing his hands in Heaven wondering how to rework His plan - the cross death of Jesus was God’s plan. He had declared it through his prophets hundreds of years earlier (e.g. Isaiah 53:5). Before Jesus was born, he was given that name - which means “the Lord saves” - because he was sent to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The death of the Lord Jesus was God’s way to accomplish salvation for our world: “The Father has sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1John 4:14).
The Problem
Our world is broken. And the reason the world is broken is that people are broken. That brokenness is caused by what the Bible calls sin - it is part of our human nature. That sin within us produces all sorts of evil. Some of it we may consider minor and feel we can shake off. Other things we know to be awful crimes. Lies. Murders. Fraud. Racist taunts. Lust and abuse. Greed. But it is all sin. And it leads to shame, guilt, and sorrow. We may try to run from the consequences, but ultimately they catch up to us - “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We may think if we look deep down into our hearts we can overcome the evil. But the truth is, our hearts don’t contain the solution - they are the problem (cf. Matthew 15:19). God hasn’t caused the problem, but He has provided the solution. The gospel is the good news of redemption through God’s grace.
The Gospel is the Answer to Our Problem
In the gospel, God provides a way for broken sinners to receive righteousness as a free gift of God’s grace. When the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, he wasn’t suffering for his own sins - he didn’t have any. “He committed no sin… He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1Peter 2:22-24). “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1Peter 3:18). He was there to take our punishment for us, to die our death, to lay down His life as a sacrifice for our sins.
God’s perfect righteousness demanded that sin be punished. But instead of simply allowing us to feel the justly deserved consequences of our sin, he has come down to us, in the person of his Son, to rescue us from our sins. Jesus said, “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). Jesus Christ is “the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
When God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead on the third day after he was crucified, He was announcing that the world’s verdict on Jesus Christ was wrong. Jesus wasn’t a blasphemer, a troublemaker, a heretic, a madman, or a revolutionary. He was, and is, the righteous, sinless, Son of God. He is the way, the truth, and the life (cf. John 14:6). He had offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins, and God was satisfied with what His Son had done. The work that he came to do was finished.
How Do We Get In On the Good News?
Remember, the good news is a declaration of what God has accomplished for us. God’s gospel is not a religious code of ethics that we must keep to earn our salvation. That’s impossible - “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” (Ephesians 2:8-9). But while we cannot work to earn our acceptance with God, we do have a responsibility to respond to God’s message. We personally receive the gift of salvation through “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). To repent is to change our thinking. Instead of thinking we are fine the way we are or that we can save ourselves, we admit we are sinners - guilty and helpless before God. Faith is believing God’s report concerning His Son and putting our trust in Him - instead of trusting in ourselves. We cannot save ourselves (cf. Titus 3:4-5). But God is ready and able to save us the moment we turn to Christ by faith. We find acceptance with God through Christ and His work for us on the cross - “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:7). “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
The Gospel and the Future
Our world is broken, but not beyond repair. The gospel provides hope. The fact that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead is proof that He is not done with this world. He will return as King and govern the world in righteousness and peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6-7). Everyone who embraces God’s gospel, through allegiance to Jesus Christ, will enjoy that kingdom. And everyone who refuses to believe God will be shut out of that kingdom - they will be lost forever, suffering the just consequences of their sins. But God’s loving desire is for all people - including you - to reign with the Lord Jesus in His kingdom (cf. 1Timothy 2:3-6; 2Peter 3:9; Revelation 5:9-10). God will not be thwarted. The Lord Jesus will triumph - his resurrection is proof. And you can share in his victory. The gospel is good news.