What is the Problem?

In the beginning God sovereignly made this world and humans for His glory and in His goodness. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. They were created to love and obey God, but chose rather to disobey and listen to voice of the devil. When they disobeyed and partook of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their relationship to God was severed. They were now condemned to die both physically and spiritually. The consequence to that first sin was that every person born afterwards would be guilty of Adam’s sin, inherit a sin nature and be spiritually dead. Romans 5:18: Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation. From the point of conception onward everyone stands under the wrath of Almighty God and separated from Him eternally.

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel includes two important elements: the substitutionary death of Christ on behalf of sinners and the bodily Resurrection of Christ. You cannot add or take away from this Gospel. The death of Christ was necessary for the penalty of sin to be paid. God in His abundant love, grace and mercy sent His One and only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Romans 5:8: God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God the Father sent Jesus His Son to save the world. Jesus’ death on the cross paid the full penalty for every person who would ever believe in Him. Through His death and the shedding of His blood we receive forgiveness of sins as Ephesians 1:14 tells us: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. It is only though Jesus death and shed blood that salvation can happen. Jesus could pay for sin because He was the perfect sacrifice to satisfy the wrath of God against sin. His death was necessary in order to open up heaven’s doors! Because Jesus lived a perfect life never having sinned once, His life becomes ours so that we can stand before God covered in the perfect righteousness of Him. God punished Jesus for sins in order for His perfect life to be imputed to those who believe! 2 Corinthians 5:21 brings this out clearly: For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The second element of the Gospel is the bodily Resurrection of Christ. This is absolutely essential to believe if a person is to receive eternal life. Romans 10:9: That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. The New Testament marshals its forces to give testimony to this event. There are well over three hundred verses that concern the subject of Jesus’ Resurrection in the New Testament. Romans 4:25 tells us that Christ was delivered up for our offenses and was raised because of our justification. Ultimately, the death of Christ would be senseless brutality without the Resurrection of Christ. If the death of Christ underscores the love God has for us in forgiving our sins, the Resurrection of Christ underscores the absolute proof of this love.

How Can you Apply the Gospel?

By God’s grace, you must genuinely repent of your sin. Luke 13:5: Unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Also, by loving and trusting in the person and work of Jesus Christ as your only hope of salvation. John 5:24: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. By God’s grace, believe that Jesus was fully and truly God and fully and truly man in one person and cast yourself on the mercy of God to save you based on the merits of the cross and resurrection. Repentance from sin and faith in Christ is how you appropriate the Gospel to be saved. Religion, rituals, or good works will do nothing to earn you a spot in heaven. Titus 3:5 states that It is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His mercy he saved us. Romans 4:5: To him that who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Will You Respond?

Will you respond to God’s grace in repentance and belief in Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? By the power of the Holy Spirit, will you commit your heart to follow Jesus the rest of your days on this earth? Trust in Christ’s life, death and resurrection and He will redeem your life from sin and give you eternal life today!