What is the Gospel?
What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the Good News that the kingdom of God has come near.
The beginning
As humans, we were created in the image of God and were made to have perfect relationship with Him. However, as we have a desire to determine our own set of values, and our own standard of right and wrong, we often find ourselves at odds with our Creator.
This desire to determine our own standard of right and wrong began in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve disobeyed God, causing them to receive the greatest punishment – spiritual death (being eternally separated from God). And this disobedience towards God continued throughout history.
Despite humanity’s continued wrongdoing, God still chooses to make his presence known among His people. In the Old Testament, this was seen through the creation of the tabernacle. The tabernacle, like a temple, was where priests would work and people would come to make sacrifices. Within the tabernacle, there was holy place, referred to as the holy of holies, where God would meet with His people, but only through the blood sacrifice of a lamb. The sacrifice was to atone for the sins of mankind, and was done so humans could meet with God. But this atonement was always a temporary solution, and as God’s chosen people continued to choose wrong, humanity couldn’t permanently be reunited with God.
The person of Jesus Christ
In the New Testament, God’s desire to make His presence among His people was seen in Jesus’ coming to earth. Jesus was not only God’s only Son, but He was also God Himself. Jesus was able to show how human beings could live life trusting in God’s definition of good & evil. He showed us what it looks like to be the perfect human; to live a life of sacrificial love & to live a selfless life.
Similar to the sacrifice of the lamb in the Old Testament, in the New Testament, Jesus died on the cross for humanity. But unlike the lamb, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice so that all of humanity’s sins could be forgiven – past, present and future sins – so that we could reconcile our relationship with God. As it says in John 3:16, “For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
An invitation, not a threat
A lot of people misunderstand Christianity, because they consider the religion an elitist club and the Gospel as a threat. Some believe they are forced to believe in Jesus at the risk of going to ‘hell’. However, the Gospel is not a threat. It certainly would be if we were perfect people and didn’t need God, but that’s not the reality of our lives. We are all broken and separated from God due to our sinful nature. So, instead we know that the Gospel is an undeserved invitation to receive what Christ has done on our behalf.
As it says in Mark 1:14-15, when we receive the Gospel, we can respond in repentance and belief. Repentance because when we understand the Gospel, we realize how evil we’ve been and how good God has been, that it should cause a change in our behavior. Belief in that we are able to trust God and commit to a life to Jesus.
Ask yourself this, “do I want to continue living according to my own definition of good and evil?” It’s not too late to repent and believe in this Gospel message.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for loving us & sending your perfect Son to live a life we couldn’t live, and died the death we should have died. Please give us the humility to accept the grace you have bought for us, and to repent and believe.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen