What is the Gospel?

God created us to know and love Him as our Father, follow His ways as the one true God, and live in a perfect relationship with Him, one another, and creation. But we all rebel against God. This is sin. It hurts us and others and leaves us with fear, guilt, and shame. Left on our own, sin separates us from God forever, an eternal separation the Bible calls Hell. (Genesis 1–3; Romans 3:23, 6:23)

Most people can sense that something in the world is broken. The Bible explains why. One God made us, and in the beginning people lived in a good, life-giving relationship with Him, with each other, and with the world He made. (Genesis 1:27–28)

Sin is rebelling against God. It’s deciding for ourselves what is right and wrong instead of trusting what God says. It damages our relationship with God and with one another. (Genesis 3; Romans 3:23)

The Bible is honest that sin leads to death. Left on our own, we can’t fix what’s broken or find our way back to God. But God doesn’t leave us there. (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 6:23)

Fully God and fully human, Jesus never sinned. He gave His perfect life to die in our place, rose from the grave, and now rules over everything. (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 1:20–21)

Jesus was with God in the beginning and is God. He became human and lived among us. (John 1:1, 14) The Bible was written so that we would believe Jesus is the Son of God and, by believing, have life in His name. (John 20:31)

Jesus lived the perfect life we can’t live and died the death we deserve. God made Jesus, who never sinned, carry our sin, so that we could be made right with God. (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 5:8)

Jesus defeated sin by dying on the cross and defeated death by rising from the grave as the rightful ruler over all creation, making all things new. (1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Ephesians 1:20–21)

Jesus did what we never could. We can’t earn God’s forgiveness by being good enough. It’s a free gift we receive by trusting in Jesus. (Ephesians 2:8–9) When the Holy Spirit convicts us of the truth about Jesus, we are able to turn from sin, empowered by the Spirit to place our faith in Jesus, and give our whole lives to follow Him as Lord.

Left to our own, we are without forgiveness, forever separated from God. Only God can make us right with Him. Responding to the Gospel isn’t about being good enough or saying the right words. It’s a gift of God’s grace received by faith. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

We don’t come to God on our own. The Holy Spirit convicts us, the way someone is convicted in court: He shows us what is true about ourselves and Jesus. Even the desire to respond is God at work in us. (John 16:8)

Believing isn’t trying to work up the right feeling about Jesus. It’s trusting Him. Something happens in our hearts that isn’t up to us, and we respond by turning from sin, turning to Jesus in faith, and trusting Him instead of ourselves.

Jesus called His people to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) Calling Jesus Lord means He isn’t only the One who saves us but the One who changes us into His own likeness. He’s the one we follow, obeying His commands that teach us to love God and others, turning from our sins that harm us and others (Matthew 22:37–40).

Tell God, in your own words, that you need the gift of His Son, Jesus, as your only hope for forgiveness and eternal life. God brings you home to Him as your Father, and makes you part of His forever family, growing together to be like Jesus. (Romans 10:9; 1 John 3:1–3)

No. Saying certain words doesn’t save anyone. Salvation is God changing our hearts and lives as we trust Jesus. Talking to God in your own words is simply how you tell Him what you believe and that you want to follow Jesus.

When we trust Jesus, God makes us right with Him. Because we are now one with Christ, Jesus’ perfect life is credited to us as if it were our own. This is the start of a new journey: belonging to Jesus and His people, we grow together to become like Him until the day God makes all things new. (1 John 3:1–3; Ephesians 2:19)

Following Jesus isn’t adding Him to our other beliefs or spiritual practices. It’s surrendering our whole lives to Him, becoming all He created us to be. The Bible puts it simply: whoever has the Son has life, whoever does not have the Son does not have life. (1 John 5:12)

Yes. You’re not alone, and it’s never too late to ask. Many people have told us they never really understood the gospel until one day it finally made sense. Our understanding of the Good News of Jesus will also continue to deepen throughout our lives.

 Wanting to respond to the Good News of Jesus is God already changing you. Change grows over a lifetime, and we grow together. God promises that the good work He began in you will continue throughout your life. (Philippians 1:6)

No. But responding to Jesus makes you part of a family, God’s design for flourishing, living the abundant life Jesus died to give to us. We’d love to meet you, pray with you, and help you take your next step.

If you’ve responded to the Gospel, you’ve joined a family. This is just the starting point, and we’d love to walk it with you.

Tell us! We’d love to meet you, pray with you, and give you a Bible, God’s Word.