One of the things you will hear often when you come to Akigawa Baptist Church is the amazing, wonderful news of what God has done for us because of His great love for us. We call this news “the Gospel.” It’s a word that literally means “good news.” But what is it that makes this such good news? And why is it has it changed the lives of so many people who have heard and accepted this good news? Keep reading to find out!
First, what is the Gospel?
Simply put, the Gospel is the plan that God has revealed to us about what He did to save us from our sins, and the judgment we deserve. It is a story of his love for us revealed through the sinless life of His Son Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection. It’s a story of God’s gift of salvation that is given freely to everyone who, through repentance and faith, puts his trust in Jesus.
OK. Break it down for me. what does all of that mean?
The Gospel in Detail
In order to understand what the Gospel is clearly and thoroughly, let’s take some time to look at it in detail.
God
The Bible, and the message of the Gospel, begins with the fact that God created everything. (Genesis 1:1)
But God didn’t just create the universe. He also made man. As the Creator of all, including man, He is the Lord, or Ruler of all, including man. (Genesis 1:26-27)
God created Adam and Eve with a purpose: the same purpose that He created everyone here on earth for, which is to please and honor God by obeying Him and trusting Him. Man fully enjoyed the love and goodness of God that He fully gave them through their trust and obedience. (Genesis 2:15-17)
Man’s Rebellion
But man became dissatisfied with the righteous rule of God over them, and pridefully chose to reject it, wanting instead to exist apart from God’s rule, and to determine for themselves what was right and wrong. And in doing so, they rejected His goodness and love, and instead chose God’s judgment and wrath. (Genesis 3:1-7)
From that first sin, all of mankind all through history, including you and me, has chosen, by nature and by their own choice, to reject the rulership of God, and to live apart from Him, thereby facing His just judgment and wrath. (John 3:36; Romans 5:12, 3:23, 3:19)
There is literally nothing we can do to save ourselves from God’s judgment upon us. We owe too big a debt because of our sin, and God’s holiness is too great for us to be in His presence in our sinful condition. Now if the story ended there, it wouldn’t be very good news. Thankfully, it doesn’t end. There’s more…
Jesus’ Sacrifice
God, knowing our inability to save ourselves, would not let His Creation be destroyed by sin. He loves us too much. So much that He had already planned to send His Son Jesus to redeem us from our sins. Jesus, while fully God, did the unthinkable. He left the glory of Heaven, where no sin, no darkness, no wrong exists, and humbled Himself to come to where we were.But he didn’t come just to be with us, He came to become one of us. While fully God, Jesus also chose to become fully man. He lived a perfect life in complete obedience to His Father, and then, he paid the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus allowed Himself to die on the cross to fully and completely pay the debt for our sins. What’s more, He resurrected after three days to show us that His victory over death was real. Jesus offers the gift of forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God to anyone who believes.
Our Response
Jesus tells us that in order to receive this gift of salvation, that we should “repent, and believe the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15) Repentance is simply turning away from living for our own sinful desires and turning to live for Jesus. Belief is putting your complete faith and trust fully and completely in what Jesus did to save you and make you righteous before God. It is by GOD’s grace that He chooses to save you. It is NOT because you are worthy of it. It is simply HIS gift of love to you. But he gives it to you when you choose to your faith, or your trust in Him. If you haven’t put your faith in Jesus, will you choose to trust him today to save you? You can. and He WILL save you!
*If you have not put your faith in Jesus for salvation yet, please understand that this is the single most important thing you can do. If you would like to repent and believe in Jesus, simply ask Him to save you. Praying is simply a conversation that you have with God. He is present everywhere, so anywhere you are, He can, and will hear you. Ask him to give you forgiveness, and let him know that you are choosing to put your trust in Him to take you to Heaven to be with Him. If you want to know more, or you would like to talk to someone, please let us know! We would be overjoyed to talk with you about this important matter. Just say, “I want to know more about Jesus.” And we’ll be glad to help you.
