It may be the most important word in Scripture.
At its core, gospel means good news. In the ancient world, it marked a turning point—“Something has happened…and because it happened, everything is now different.”
And this is the announcement at the heart of Christianity:
God rescues people through Jesus, the Messiah—through His death, resurrection, enthronement as King, and the power of His kingdom.
Through Jesus the King, God will restore all things to the goodness of creation as it was in the beginning. Scripture tells us God made the world good—very good. But humanity turned away, and now God must bring us back to the paradise we lost.
At the end of time, God will restore all things. That’s the good news—the gospel. And to truly grasp it, we can think of it in four parts:
- The Bad News
- The Gospel as Good News
- The Gospel’s Promises
- The Gospel Response
1. The Bad News
The Bible—especially Genesis 3 and Romans 3—lead us to hard truth: God made the world good, but humans have turned away.
- We suppress the innate awareness of God we’re born with.
- Our thinking grows distorted.
- We trade worship of the Creator for idols—money, fame, pleasure.
- We innately know our actions are wrong, but we justify ourselves and defy God.
- Because of sin, we stand guilty, and we will face God’s eternal judgment.
Until we feel the weight of this bad news, we can’t grasp the beauty of the good news.
“Until we feel the weight of this bad news, we can’t grasp the beauty of the good news.”
2. The Gospel as Good News
Into our darkness, light breaks through—Jesus, the promised King, came to rescue us.
Here is a short, punch-line summary of the Gospel from 1 Corinthians 15:3–4:
“Christ died for our sins…he was buried…he was raised on the third day…and he appeared to many.”
The gospel is the fuller story of Jesus told through:
- His Eternal Origin and Mission – Jesus eternally existed as part of the Trinity as God the Son, and was sent by the Father to redeem the world.
- His Incarnation and Life – He took on human flesh, fulfilling God’s Old Testament promises to King David, and lived as our perfect example and teacher.
- His Death and Resurrection – Jesus died for our sins, was buried, rose on the third day, and appeared to many witnesses.
- His Reign and Presence – Exalted to God’s right hand, Jesus rules as King and has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His people.
- His Return and Renewal – He will come again to judge the living and the dead and fully establish His eternal kingdom, when he restores all things, in the New Heaven and New Earth.
This is the heart of the good news: Jesus has come, He is reigning, and He will return to make all things new.
“This is the heart of the good news: Jesus has come, He is reigning, and He will return to make all things new.”
3. The Gospel’s Promises
Because of the Gospel, we can realize these promises:
- Satan, sin, and death are defeated.
- Forgiveness restores our relationship with God.
- The Holy Spirit lives within us, shaping us into Christ’s image.
- We can enter God’s kingdom now and live with Him forever.
- We receive a new identity, purpose, and eternal meaning.
These are not abstract ideas—these promises are personal and transformational. But they call for a response.
4. The Gospel Response
When we understand our need and God’s love, we must respond with faith—trusting Jesus and reorienting our lives around Him. Faith is not just simply trust and believing the facts.
Faith is trust, loyalty, and faithfulness.
God provides Jesus and the gospel as an expression of Grace. It is a free gift that we accept by faith. Faith shows up in four initial steps:
- Confess – We state, as an expression of allegiance, that we are making Jesus our Savior, Lord, and King.
- Repent – We make the decision to turn away from what Scripture teaches are sinful lifestyles as we turn to Jesus as Savior and King.
- Be Baptized – As Acts 2:38 says, we express our repentant faith in Jesus as a personal commitment through water baptism, so that we will receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
- Commitment to discipleship in Jesus – In our baptism, we are also making the decision to follow Jesus, to be changed by Jesus, and to join the mission of Jesus.
This is the best decision you will ever make.
“When we understand our need and God’s love, we must respond with faith—trusting Jesus and reorienting our lives around Him.”
You will enter God’s kingdom here and now—and then, when King Jesus returns and brings history to its conclusion, you will experience the renewal of all things in the new heaven and new earth.
This is why the gospel is not just good advice.
It is the best news a human being will ever hear.
3 Key Questions at Baptism
Here are 3 key questions we regularly ask people at their baptism:
- Do you trust Jesus, the gospel, and Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for the complete forgiveness of all your sins?
- Do you commit to follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and join the mission of Jesus, according to Scripture, with God and other disciples as your helpers?
- Can you confess your new allegiance (Jesus as Savior, Lord, and King)?
The baptizer will typically say, as you are baptized, “buried with Christ in baptism, raised to walk in newness of life!” It’s the beginning of new life, a new beginning, as we commit to follow Jesus, be changed by him, and join his mission of telling more and more people the best possible news!
