"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you... that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." - 1 Cor 15:1-4
The English word “gospel” means: good news. The Gospel is, therefore, the good news of all that God is and has done for us in Christ.
The Gospel can best be understood in terms of our problem, God's provision, and our response.
Our Problem
We have a problem: we do not love God with our whole being, nor do we love our neighbor as ourselves. We are guilty. Indeed, the Bible teaches, and human experience confirms, that “there is no one who does not sin” (2 Chronicles 6:36), and that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Due to our sin, we do not measure up to God’s holy standard. We are estranged from right relationship with our Creator. Further, the wages – the payment we have earned – for our sin, is death (Romans 6:23).
God's Provision
It is at this point that we need some good news… and fortunately, God provides it:
At the precise moment in which we were the most helpless, God made a way! As Romans 5:8 explains, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” In the well-known and beloved words of John 3:16, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
What the Bible means by saying “Christ died for us” is that we are the beneficiaries of what is known as The Great Exchange: Christ took upon himself our guilt, along with its punishment, and in exchange we are credited with Christ’s perfect obedience and holiness. In the words of 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Our Response
God offers this redemption and renewed relationship with Himself to all who by faith (Eph 2:8) call on the name of Jesus, “Because, 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.” (Rom 10:9)
It is our hope and prayer for you, friend, that you would recognize both your need for forgiveness and God’s amazing provision! We hope that the Good News would be good news… to you!
If you have questions about the nature of our problem and how we can be reconciled to God, please contact Senior Pastor David Donovan.