A landscape with rolling green hills in the foreground and rugged mountain peaks in the background, bathed in soft sunlight with a clear sky above.

This is the best news you’ll ever hear!

Scenic landscape with a turquoise lake, green hills, and tall mountains with cloudy sky in the background.
A modern wooden house with large glass sliding doors, situated in a mountainous landscape during sunset, with stone steps and a stone wall leading up to the house, surrounded by grasses and shrubs.

The Gospel Message

The word Gospel means “good message” or “good news,” and the good news begins with God. He created the world and everything in it, including us, to live in relationship with Him. He is holy, loving, and just, and without God, there is no goodness.

But unfortunately, humanity turned away from God through sin, choosing our way instead of His. Every time we do something that breaks God’s laws, such as lying or dishonoring our parents, we sin. Sin separates us from God, brings brokenness into the world, and leads to spiritual death (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.") Because of our sin, we have to face eternal punishment in hell, where we would have eternal separation from God.

Because of His great love, God made a way to restore what was broken. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to live a sinless life and then die on the cross in our place. Jesus took the punishment for our sin so that we could be forgiven (Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.") Three days later, He rose from the dead, defeating sin and death once and for all (1 Corinthians 15:3–4 "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,").

Now, anyone who repents (turns from sin) and believes in Jesus—trusting Him as Savior and following Him as Lord—receives forgiveness, eternal life, and a restored relationship with God (Romans 10:9–10 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”) Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can live with Him forever in heaven when we die. We don’t have to be depressed or anxious about what life will bring to us, because if we repent of our sin and turn to our Savior, Jesus Christ, we have peace and hope. 1 John 4:8 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” When we give our hearts to Christ, we are perfected through His love. That doesn’t mean that we will never sin again, because our sinful nature makes it impossible for us not to sin. However, it does mean that when God looks at us, He doesn’t see our sin; instead, He sees the blood of His Son, Jesus, that washed our sin away.

This gift is not earned by good works but given by God’s grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”