Introduction
The Good News or the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone for our salvation. The life and work of Jesus makes up what is considered the Good News. There are many parts of the Gospel, so we are going to breakdown each for the sake of applying them to our everyday lives. The Gospel can be used as motivation to live out our faith. It can be viewed as a symbol of God’s gracious love. It can also be used as a reminder of the eternal prize we will receive in heaven for trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Not only does the Good News save us, but the Gospel should also motivate us to live in a way that is pleasing to God. The Bible says that we should offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and will. This is the true worship that we should offer. (Romans 12:1)
"We can never really know enough about the “Good News” that has freed us from eternal death and given us eternal life!" - Billy Graham
In the Beginning
To truly understand the Gospel we should first understand what God originally intended for us during creation. The bible says, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) Following the creation of the universe, He also created mankind in His image. So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27) Soon after this, Adam & Eve brought sin into the world by disobeying God. This resulted in spiritual death, and the lost of an intimate relationship with God. The bible says, when Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned (Romans 5:12). This death that entered into the world separates our eternal soul from God. There is no way around this for everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23) So, if we all fall short, that means we are all in need of saving.
- Write down why it is important to know that we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Jesus’ Death
It was not God’s will for us to remain separated from Him, so that made it necessary for Jesus to intervene. The bible says, God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8) In the Old Testament, one way to be made right after sinning was to sacrifice an animal that held value. Because the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22) How much blood would need to be shed to cleanse every man of their sin? You would think it is a lot, but thank God this was not the case. Jesus Christ was sent to us so we could be made right with God. Jesus lived a sinless life on Earth, so He could pay the final price for our sin. As the bibles says, and you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him (1 John 3:5). By taking the place of all of those sacrifices, He reconciled our relationship with God.
- Write down why it was important for Jesus to die.
Jesus’ Resurrection
We now have an understanding that Jesus died in order to save us from eternal death, but there is more to the story that we get to look forward to. Three days after dying a physical death and being buried, he was raised to life! The bible says, the Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. (Luke 24:7) This rising from death to life is the same death to life we get to experience when we confess our sins to Him. For He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9) Christ was raised from the dead to be reunited with God the Father in Heaven. When we are saved from sin through Jesus, our souls are also raised from spiritual death. Then we too will get to be reunited with God the Father in Heaven once Jesus returns. Jesus promises, Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. (Revelation 22:12) Write down how the resurrection changes your perspective about death. Jesus Saves The final point of the Good News is that everything that Jesus went through was not in vain, but for a purpose. The purpose was to give us a new life through His work on earth and the cross. The bible promises, If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom.10:9) This is the simple message of salvation that God extends to us through grace. Upon receiving salvation, we are also given the Holy Spirit as a helper and then completely Made New. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- You get a do-over at life, and a promise of an eternal future with Christ! Keeping in mind everything you have learned, write down how that changes how you respond to everyday situations? Remember, you have been made new in Jesus’ name!
Your Perspective
Now that you have a better understanding of the Good News or the Gospel, your perspective on life should change. Living without an understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, can at some point make you feel hopeless. Once you recognize the Gospel for what it is and who it is for, (everyone) it should make you hopeful for what is to come! The bible says, but thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57) You have been saved from death by the work of Jesus, and you were also freed from the sin that has been keeping you in bondage. Now let’s truly believe it! So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. (Galatians 5:1)
Application
- Write down Romans 10:9 and commit it to memory this week. Read it daily to saturate your mind with this promise from the Gospel.
- Share the Good News with at least one person this week. Whether they are a believer or non-believer, share your experience and journal it!
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You simply for Your love and Your saving grace that we get to freely receive through the work that Your Son Jesus has done on the cross. We thank You that You gave us a way for salvation even though we have sinned time and time again and we truly deserve death. Lord help me understand the Gospel so clearly that I can speak about it clearly to those around me. I know that I am a sinner, but I also know and believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and for that I know that I can be reunited with You in heaven once your Son comes back for me. Thank you again and in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.