Good News!
What is the Gospel?
The word gospel means “good news”!
When the earth was first created, mankind walked in harmony with God. He had only one simple task – to avoid the Tree of Good and Evil. But he did not, and thus God, because He was perfect and righteous, had to judge Adam and give him the consequences God had warned him would happen if he disobeyed – death: a spiritual death, and eventually a physical death. Therefore, by the disobedience of one man, Adam, death entered into the world, and that rebellious nature has been passed on to all mankind ever since.
So, therefore, we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s Glory. God’s holy justice demands payment for sin – which we pay all the time in death and suffering, yet that cost is never assuaged. The good news is that God loved His creation so dearly that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, perfect and sinless, to die for us on the cross, to pay the penalty we could not so that we could receive forgiveness and once again be in fellowship with the Creator. Those who are redeemed by the death of Christ get to live eternally with Him. But those who reject His offering of love must take the full punishment of their sin and spend forever in Hell.
If you have never asked Christ to forgive you for your sins, and asked Him into your life as your personal Savior – why not do so today? No one has a guarantee of tomorrow, and eternity is too serious to miss. Please accept Christ as your Lord and Savior today! We’ll be glad to pray with you!
Mankind deserves death
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12).
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23).
“As it is written, There is none righteous no, not one:” (Romans 3:10).
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
But God was not willing that we should die
“But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (1 Peter 3:18).
So His love caused Him to act on our behalf . . .
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remained unto this present, but some are fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6; bold added).
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did not esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).
How could Jesus raise Himself from the dead? Jesus as God knew no sin. Therefore, death had no hold on Him. Because He was sinless, He was able to take our sin on Himself and pay the penalty for us!
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
So how exactly does this redemption of Jesus’ dying and shedding of blood work? And why can’t I find my own way to a blissful hereafter?
Consider this conversation Jesus had with a man named Nicodemus:
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye received not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came own from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world, the he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come unto the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
– John 3:3-21
Jesus also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Only through Jesus and the criteria that God the Creator set can we escape eternal judgment
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
How then do I become saved?
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. . . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-10, 13).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
– Romans 10:13
Pray this prayer – and mean it by believing on the LORD with all your heart:
“Dear Heavenly Father; I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory and standards. I know that I deserve eternal punishment. I now confess my sins, and repent of them, and ask You to forgive me. Have mercy on me for I am a sinner and deserve eternal death. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and so confess it right now. I ask Christ to now become my Lord and Savior, for I believe that His death on the Cross, and His blood shed for me, is the only sufficient payment for my sins. I call on Jesus now to save me. I believe that, just as You raised Jesus Christ from the grave to life again, You will also give me new life in Christ. I accept Christ as my Lord and Savior, and give thanks! In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Let it be understood that merely repeating the words above do not save you. Believing that Jesus is God and that He died and rose from the dead, confessing He is Lord, and repenting of your sins to God does. The words above are a guide only as a way to verablize belief, confession, and repentance.
If you prayed this prayer or one like it and want to seriously follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we at EBC encourage you to find a Bible-believing church in your area and to begin studying the Bible, God’s love letter to mankind, and learn all about our Savior! We welcome you into our spiritual family and look forward to fellowshipping with you in eternity!
If you live close to Elkmont Baptist Church consider joining us in worship and discipleship as we also follow after Jesus Christ – the Messiah King!
If you would like to more fully understand the fall of man into sin which created a need for a Savior and how God came to our rescue, consider reading the following Scripture passages:
- Genesis 1-3: Creation and man’s fall
- Exodus 20:1-17: Part of God’s law that is the basis for defining sin
- Luke 2: Christ leaving Heaven to come save His creation
- Isaiah 53: Christ’s suffering which He bore for us
- John 3: The only way to live with God forever
- Matthew 26-28; Mark 11-16; Luke 22-24; John 18-21: the story of Christ’s death and resurrection
If you have any questions, please contact us!
Some definitions that may help explain things:
Sin: An offense against God’s holiness and righteous law.
Confess: To agree with God that you have committed sins, that they are egregious, and that He is right and holy to demand that they be judged, and payment made for them.
Repentance: To literally turn around and go in the opposite direction (Strong’s G3340). Man cannot do that alone. We can never truly live a sinless life and need divine help to do so. To repent is simply allowing God’s strength to assist us in changing our lives so that sin has no more control over us, and removing the desire to sin as we move forward in our lives.
Redemption: To be “redeemed” means that God, having forgiven your sins by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, has reached down and restored you to a position of eternal fellowship with Himself. He now considers you to be one of His children and your adoption into His family is eternal!
Fall of Man: Adam, the first man, was destined to rule the earth in righteousness with the rest of mankind. But being warned ahead of time, his rebellious act of sinful disobedience caused man to fall from fellowship with God and caused a separation between himself and God. We understand that to mean that man fell from the grace of God and without repentance and redemption through Christ, we will eternally remain “Fallen from Grace.”
Grace: God’s favor or His unmerited mercy by His Son towards us that gives us the ability to walk with Him.
References
Strong, J. Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1890)