The Gospel
"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: 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." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
We can see the Gospel communicated to us in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day. In doing so he freed us from the debt of sin we owed to God by paying for it himself in full.
NoneRighteous
The bible tells us in Romans 3:10 that no one is righteous. No one is a “good” person. No amount of “good” deeds (prayer, giving to the poor, fasting, going to church, etc) will make us right in God’s eyes because we are sinners. In fact, the bible equates our good deeds as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Through Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the garden of Eden all of mankind has fallen and is now sinful. This sin is what separates us from God for all eternity.
"As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.’" (Romans 3:10)
All HaveSinned
Romans 3:23 tells us “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Psalms 51:5 reiterates this point, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me”. It’s due to this that there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves. All the sin we have ever committed and will ever commit is done against God (Psalm 51:4).
A Holy andJust God
Because God is just and holy, He must punish sin. Due to this, we all have been given a “death” penalty (Romans 6:23). But, because God is love, He wants no one to perish. In His love He has provided humanity a way to escape his wrath through Christ (John 3:16-18, John 14:6). God’s love for humanity and His righteous judgment against sin intersects at the cross where He poured out His wrath on Jesus in our stead so that through Christ's sacrifice His righteousness is transferred to those who believe (Romans 5:8).
"And he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’" (Acts 16:30-31)
SalvationThrough Christ
The only thing that can save us is to place our trust in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Although God offers humanity the gift of eternal life through the shed blood of His son, it’s our choice to either reject this gift and pay for the penalty of our sin ourselves or accept it by placing our trust in the one who’s already paid it all in full (Acts 16:30-31, Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9).
"For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)
If you have not placed your faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, I implore you to do so today (2 Corinthians 6:2)! The bible makes it clear that our life is like a vapor so tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone (James 4:13-14). However, if you have made your decision today to believe in Christ for your salvation then you have become a part of God’s family, welcome! Through Christ’s sacrifice we can be encouraged and rest in the assurance that if we were to even pass today, we will be with him for the rest of eternity. If you have further questions on what the gospel is or have made your decision for Christ today, feel free to email us at [email protected] or contact us on any of my social media platforms to learn how you can grow in your walk with the Lord.