We may have heard someone reference the gospel as the "good news", but have we really understood what it is and why its' good news? What is the gospel? And what does that mean for us as image-bearers of God?
The word gospel is translated to mean good news, and is the message of salvation through Jesus Christ found in the entirety of the Bible. So before we hear the good news, let's first understand the bad news..
In Romans 3:10, it says "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.” Because of the original fall of man, we as humans have inherited the sin nature of Adam. This sin nature infects everything we do and say and ultimately leads to death. "For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23) No matter how many good works we perform, we will never be righteous before a holy God and are therefore unable to enter into his presence now and for all eternity. In essence, we are separated from God and destined for judgment with no ability to save ourselves. But God had a plan...
In the Old Testament the Israelites were commanded under the Mosaic law to make continual animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. This was a temporary provision and shadow of what was to come. When God sent His only Son Jesus to the Earth, He lived a perfect life, and then died for the sins of all of humanity on the cross. Jesus was the spotless lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19), so that no more sacrifices were needed for sin. His death provided the way for salvation and for those who believe to be reconciled back to the Father. After He was crucified, Jesus was buried in the tomb and then resurrected on the third day. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
So the good news is that the penalty of sin was paid once and for all on the cross, so that those who put their trust in Christ can receive eternal life and forgiveness of sins. We as fallen creatures can never earn our salvation, but Christ made a way for us to be made righteous before God, and be adopted into His family. "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—" (John 1:12) This is good news indeed!
So what does this mean for us? As Christians we are called to share the good news with others so that they may also be saved. As for those who don't know Christ, the call is to repent and believe the gospel! Today is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17–18).
References
"What is the gospel?" GotQuestions.org. https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-gospel.html.
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