The word "gospel" is a word that means "good news." Specifically it means the Good News of Jesus Christ. To understand this good news, however, we must also understand the bad news.
The bad news is that every human being is a sinner, separated from God's love and mercy, but also under His wrath and judgement. Every person has broken God's law in some way, and even the smallest sin condemns us to an eternity in Hell. Scripture tells us that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23, ESV). It also tells us that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9, ESV). The Bible affirms the sinfulness of man saying ". . . that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5b). How do we escape God's punishment for our sin? How do we obtain forgiveness, grace, and mercy from God?
That's where the good news comes in. Man's sin is so great that only God can do something about it. In His infinite love and mercy, God sent His son Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, to save us from our sin. The good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is this:
That Jesus was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14)
lived a perfect life (1 Peter 2:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 John 3:5)
fully obeyed God's law (Matthew 5:17)
was crucified and died in our place on the cross. (Matthew 27:32-56)
was placed in a tomb and rose again from the dead on the third day. (Matthew 28:1-10)
1 Corinthians 15:3-6 says it like this: "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, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep." (ESV).
To obtain God's forgiveness for our sins, we simply trust in Jesus and place our faith in Him, and His work on the cross as a payment for our sin. We confess Jesus as our King, Lord, and Savior. In Acts 16, a jailer at Philippi, who asked "What must I do to be saved?" (v. 30b, ESV), was told by Paul and Silas, "believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31, ESV).
There is not a single person who has sinned too much for Jesus to save. The offer of salvation is open to all, as the Bible says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13, ESV). There is not a sin so dark that Jesus's blood can't blot it out. However, faith in Jesus is the only way to be saved; there is no other way. Scripture also says speaking of Jesus; "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, ESV) and as Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, ESV). Also, there is no one who doesn't need salvation- the Bible is also clear when it says that no one is good: "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." (Romans 3:11-12, ESV).
We have probably all heard of John 3:16, which says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (ESV), which is true, but verses 17 and 18 are just as important: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." (ESV). John says later that "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:36, ESV). The warning is clear; for those who do not believe, judgement and wrath awaits- but for those who believe, eternal life is given. You can't earn salvation, neither can you work for it- it is a gift from God- "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, ESV).
Ephesians chapter 2 perfectly describes what happens to a person when they are saved, it says:
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:1-10, ESV).
Have you trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If not, First Baptist Church of Bunker would like to invite you to do so today; right now! Because you never know when, or if, you will get another chance to.
If you have trusted Jesus today, or have more questions about the Bible, Jesus, or how to be saved, please feel free to contact us at bunkerfbc@gmail.com. You may call us at 1-573-689-2701. Please note, however, that we do not have full time office staff who can man phones 24/7- but feel free to leave a message with contact information and someone from our church would love to speak with you.