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The Gospel, that is, the "good message"

The Bible establishes six key facts in presenting to us God’s salvation. We all need to be saved and God has designed a plan and made provision in order for us to prepare for eternity.

1: We are all sinners.

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

This key fact is something that may not be pleasant to hear or easy to accept. It can sometimes cause people to turn away and reject what the Bible says simply because they were not expecting the Bible, and hence God, to make such a statement about them. However, to accept that we are all sinners and that we have a problem is the first step toward dealing with it, much as in the same way we must first accept we have a problem with our physical health before we can go to a doctor and seek help for that. Most people see themselves as “good” and yet the Bible describes us all as sinners. How can this be? Surely this is because of the difference between what we see as sinful and what God sees as sinful. We tend to view only the worst of behaviour or crime as “bad” and those who commit them as “sinners” worthy of punishment. However, God views anything which falls short of His perfect standards as sin, which includes what we might dismiss as negligible; the occasion when we tell a small lie or think a hateful thought about someone. Essentially, God views us all the same; with no rank or scale; we are all sinners.

2: Sin is the cause of death and of separation from God.

"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).
"And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

Sin is the root of every problem in our world; greed on the part of one person or group causes a lack on the part of others, mankind’s hatred causes countless wars and deaths, lies and deceit are used for fraud and theft. But sin is also the root of the issues between mankind and God. It brought about death, as the verse above states. If you read the early chapters of Genesis, before the first sin was committed at the fall, there was never any death. In addition to all this, and more importantly, sin was the reason for the separation between mankind and God which originated at the fall and continues to this day. Unless we can have our sin dealt with and forgiven, that separation will continue into eternity and we can never experience heaven. God is righteous and must judge all sin.

3: God is loving and wants to save sinners.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17).
“The Lord…is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Both verses quoted here tell us that although we are all sinners, and although our sin offends God and is contrary to His absolute holiness, He does not want to punish sinners for eternity. He is a God of love and His desire is that we will “repent”, that is, acknowledge our guilt before God and turn to Him for His forgiveness on the basis of the death of Christ. If we do so, He will give us a new nature and power to change our ways. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants us to turn from our own ways, trusting in His Son instead.

4: God is able to forgive sin only on the basis of the death of Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
“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” (Romans 10:9).

The good news of the gospel is that our sin can be forgiven by God. The first verse above tells us that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this world. He lived for 33 years, performing many miracles, and giving wonderful teaching and lessons, but ultimately He died a sacrificial death and shed His blood at Calvary on a Roman cross. He suffered cruel treatment at the hands of hateful men, but it was what happened during the three hours of darkness that made salvation, the forgiveness of sins, possible for all mankind. God veiled the world in a darkness when the sun should have been at its brightest, and poured out His righteous judgement for sin upon His own Son as our substitute. In other words, Christ bore the punishment for your sin and mine; He took the place and paid the price of all those who believe through faith. He gave himself a ransom for all: He was innocent, but took our sin, so that we, the guilty ones, could go free. All we must do is recognise our need to be saved and rely on Christ as our Saviour, depending on His work for our salvation.

5: We cannot be saved by our own efforts.

“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).
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:22-23).
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5).

The book of Ephesians tells us that being saved from the judgment of God upon our sin is the result of God’s grace, that is, His undeserved favour which comes through faith. It is not through our own efforts or “works”, no matter how great or well-intentioned they may be. This would include charitable works, living a good life, helping others and even church attendance or involvement. The apostle Paul warns us that it is “not of works” but through a real faith in Christ.

6: The time to get right with God is now.

“...now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
“Boast not thyself of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

Many people say they will think about eternity when they are about to die. Yet the wisdom of the Proverb quoted reminds us that we don’t know what may lie ahead of us, even tomorrow. We may not get the opportunity to consider these things and prepare to meet God, as all too often we are reminded that our life can be taken too soon and without warning. This is why the apostle Paul wrote that now is the time to be saved by trusting Christ for salvation.

Death, however, is only one circumstance which will end the time of opportunity to be “saved”. The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ will return from heaven to the skies to take those who trusted in Him and who belong to Him to heaven. The Bible never guarantees any opportunity to be saved after this great event, but it guarantees the opportunity now.

Don’t drift through life hoping for the best or trying to earn salvation. The Bible calls it a “gift”, not a reward. As with any gift, you simply need to accept it. If you rely on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, who died for your sins and rose from the dead, He will justify you forever and make you eternally secure.

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).

The "good message" is that God Offers Sinful People Eternal Life