Question & Answer

The most important question you will ever answer is “What is the Gospel, and what is my response to it?”

The word “Gospel” is a combination of two Greek words that mean “to announce good news.” When we say “Gospel” we mean the story of the Good News of Jesus Christ. His story is certainly good news. The starting point of the Gospel is God. God created everything. He created everything to glorify Himself. The entire Bible is an unfolding of the Gospel, but these verses summarize it in a clear way so that you can be saved.

Answering the question “What is the Gospel” begins by looking at who God is. Psalm 96 – tells us that “For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens… Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.”

God created everything, including you and me, and we are to worship, honor, and glorify Him. Whenever we place anything in front of Him, we deny this.

Ephesians 1:3-14 – In the Bible this is one long sentence and it tells us that everything God has done for us was done for His own glory. The phrase “to the praise of His glory” is repeated three times in one sentence.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Eating and drinking are the basic necessities of life. Starting with the basic necessities and spreading out to “whatever you do” it should all be done with honoring and glorifying God in mind.

Unfortunately, we could not have failed God more miserably than we have. Instead of honoring and glorifying God, we have been self-centered. We have rebelled and done our own thing instead of focusing on God. According to Psalm 51:5 we are all sinful from birth. We are sinful and will one day stand before Him as our judge. Acts 17:30-31 – “…now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness…”.

Have you ever told a lie? (Even a small one?) That makes you a liar. If you were to look at the 10 Commandments and be completely honest, you would have to admit that you have broken every one of them. Romans 3:10-12 says“as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” In Romans 3:23 & 6:23 say “For there is no distinction: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 6:23 – ”For the wages of sin is death…” Genesis 6:5 says that every intention of our hearts is evil. 

These verses tell us that we are not looking for God. We are all sinful and we all deserve punishment for our sins, which is spiritual and physical death. We will all one day face judgment for our lives and our sins.

The biggest problem with sin is that we cannot earn our way to heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we take an honest look at what the Bible teaches about our sinful condition, it is a bit discouraging. It tells us that not only are we sinful, but also that we cannot do anything about this condition on our own.

BUT: in the midst of our sinfulness, God did something about it. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is incredibly good news.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “…he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus took the punishment for my sins. God punished jesus for all the sins of everyone who would ever turn to and trust in Him. Now, He looks at me as if I had lived the perfect life of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:4 – This is the core truth of the Gospel: Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Thereby taking my place and enduring the punishment for my sin. He rose again to prove His power over death. 1 Peter 3:18 says,“Christ also suffered for sins… that he might bring us to God.” Jesus died so that we could know God and be saved. 

So how do I become a Christian?

Romans 10:9-10 says, “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.” Mark 1:15 says, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” We must repent and believe in Jesus to be saved. It’s more than just believing the facts about Jesus. It involves turning away from your sin and living a life of obedience. “Believe” means “to trust in, rely on, and cling to” Jesus alone as the solution to your sin problem. Only Jesus can save you. Will you repent and believe in Jesus as your Savior and Lord?

We must have an accurate view of who Jesus is. We must respond to Him. Only Jesus can give us freedom from sin and judgment. Only Jesus can transform you and restore to you the relationship with God you need.

The ultimate question is “will you repent and believe in the Gospel? Will you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord (Master) and your Savior?” If you will, then you are saved. A prayer of thanksgiving is definitely appropriate.

If you have repented of your sins and trusted in Christ, surrendering to His Lordship, we would love to talk to you more about this. Please get in touch with us so we can rejoice with you. If you still have some questions about Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity or what it means to be “saved,” get in touch with me. I'd love to talk with you more.