It’s important to know what the Gospel message is and why it matters.
Today, it is easy to get confused about what Christianity is all about because people see it differently. Some merely see it as part of cultural history, particularly in the UK and America, while others view it as something that was part of their upbringing at home. But how do you see Christianity?
Is Christianity all about….
- going to church?
- trying to please God?
- trying to live a good life?
- A way to get into heaven?
What is a Christian?
The heart of the answer is much simpler than that. The Christian faith is made up of people who have heard the Gospel (which means ‘good news’), believed its message and the promise it offers. So, what is this Gospel message and what does it promise?
The most important message you will ever hear.
What follows is an overview of the gospel message and why everyone needs to hear it.
Nobody is perfect.
If you are honest with yourself, you will realise that you have made mistakes here and there. At some point, everyone encounters challenges regardless of background, financial status or education. No one has led a perfectly flawless life as the holy scriptures confirm:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
What is sin?
When reflecting on whether we have lived a good life, or evaluating the life of another, we often apply our own subjective standards. However, as noted in the Bible verse above, it is ultimately God who determines the standard, and this benchmark is significantly higher than those commonly used.
An example of the effects of sin
When we sin, we become spiritually corrupt. Think of spiritual corruption like a glass that once held pure clean water, but then has some black poison added to it. This poison represents sin. You cannot remove the poison; the water which symbolises your spiritual nature, is permanently contaminated.
People often presume that to get to heaven you just need to live as good a life as possible, hoping that maybe, just maybe, you’ll have done enough to get in, but as the scripture verse above (Romans 3:23) clearly demonstrates, the standard of entry is set by God, a standard that is impossible to achieve over a lifetime.
Is there any hope?
If you have been paying attention, if you joined the dots between the scripture verse above and the example of the effects of sin above, the result is pretty grim. Nobody is getting into heaven under these circumstances.
HOWEVER, there is hope. It is part of the Gospel message preached by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. If the gospel message can be summed up concisely and in one Bible verse, surely it would be this:
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
The Good News
God never desired sickness, death and poor quality of life for mankind, so God provided a way to restore mankind, but how?
As we have already seen, to get into heaven you need to have lived a perfect life and remained spiritually untainted. Jesus Christ the Son of God, came down from heaven and took on human form. With the express purpose of growing up and offering himself as a sacrifice. His sacrifice was offered to God as payment for the sins of the whole world.
What do you have to do?
As we read in the Bible verse above (John 3:16), all God requires us to do is believe in Jesus, that his sacrifice on the cross is sufficient payment for your sins. This is great news. To have your sins forgiven and to get into heaven is a matter of trusting that Jesus has paid the price for your sin, by sacrificing his own life. This means you don’t have to try to reach an impossible standard, you just need to believe in the Son of God.
How do you receive salvation?
You don’t need to do anything, and you don’t need to pay anything. Jesus did it all for you and he paid the price for your sin, so there is nothing for you to pay. You just need to believe and trust in him.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:15
Do you want to be saved and go to heaven?
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
Faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, which was payment enough for your sin and the sins of the whole world, is all that is required to be forgiven and to have eternal life. If you believe in your heart, then that is all you need.
Salvation is a gift.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God
Ephesians 2:8
Grace is something that is given and is not earned. Jesus gave his life, was crucified and was dead three days and three nights, after which God raised him from the dead and because he was raised from the dead, those who put their trust in him, God shall also raise from the dead, and so have everlasting life.
Rejoice!!