The Gospel

The Gospel is Good News. But Good News is in contrast with the bad news. So let's get the bad news over with and then we can get to the Good News.

The Bad News is that our lives are messed up. We have problems and addictions and loneliness, we are unfulfilled and aimless in life. There are many reasons for our messed up lives, and whatever we do to fix our messed up lives they stay messed up or even get worse- as if the good in life is dead. (The wages of sin is death Romans 6:23 I am sorry to bring it up but it is God's pronouncement, not mine).  Something inside us destroys the good we would have and be.

God loves you and he wants to deliver you from the life of defeat and failure. Jesus said, “I have come so they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10.  But that bad something inside us, sin, keeps us from getting it together and having that life God wants to give us.  So became our solution. "God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son so that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life."(John 3:16). Jesus took our sins upon himself. "For Christ died for sins once for all the just for the unjust so that he might bring us to God." You may wonder if you need to become a good person first before you are good enough for heaven, but God loves sinners for he said. "While we were still sinners Christ died for us."(Romans 5:8).

God took your sinfulness and put it on His lovely Son on the cross. This could only happen because Jesus lived a pure and beautiful life. He had no sin of his own to die for, therefore, he was the only one qualified to die for another; and as God, he was able to die for all mankind. The resurrection is the testimony and ratification of the sufficiency of Jesus' death.

But God is not going to force Himself on anybody so He leaves it up to you. "For as many as received him who believed in his name he gave the right to become the children of God."(John 1:12).

Salvation is free to us because Jesus paid the price. He only asks that we believe in him. Pray and tell God that you admit you are a sinner and need to be saved from the sins that have messed up your life. Tell God that you trust Him to save you.

Some feel uncomfortable praying so here is an example of what you might want to say to God. "God I know I am a sinner and deserve punishment. I know Jesus paid for my sins on the cross and he rose again to prove the judgment is paid. I need the salvation you offer. I turn away from my sins and receive your free gift of salvation. From this moment on I leave my old selfish life behind and will follow you as my Lord and I will live a life that says, "Thank You."

Do not get confused: Saying words in a prayer does not save you but believing in Jesus' death to pay for your sins does; the prayer is just an expression of that faith.