The word “gospel” means good news. But what exactly is this good news? From creation to restoration, we explore the basic elements of the gospel story in this article.
1. Creation
In the beginning of time, God spoke the heavens, the earth, animals, plants, and everything we see today into existence. The Bible says everything that God created was good (Genesis 1:31). He created Adam and Eve in His own image and gave them commands to be fruitful and increase in number, to fill the earth and rule over it.
God created man and woman in His image (Gen. 1:26-27). This included a capacity and need for a relationship with God their Creator. Identity, meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life are based on that relationship (Jn. 10:9-10; Ps. 23). The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes makes that abundantly clear.
God placed Adam and Eve into the Garden of Eden and commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
2. The Fall
In Genesis 3, the first humans, Adam and Eve were deceived by the Serpent. They disobeyed God’s instruction and decided to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result, sin entered the world for the first time. Adam and Eve separated themselves from God because of their disobedience. This first sin now impacts everyone born in the world today. All mankind is born with a sin nature and then act out of that nature in thoughts, words and actions.
Romans 3:23 says ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. As humans, we have sinned against a holy God by disobeying his commands and decrees. Our sin and disobedience separated us from God because God is perfectly holy and righteous – and cannot tolerate sin.
As a result, we deserve to be punished. The Bible says “the wages of sin is death” and without redemption, we are spiritually dead in our sin (Rm. 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3)
3. Redemption
But God, being perfectly loving and gracious, sent His one and only son Jesus Christ to pay for the penalty of sin that we deserve on the cross. On the cross, Jesus bore the sins of humanity (you and I) and provided the way back to a true and eternal relationship with God. Three days later Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death once and for all. He now lives and reigns from the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rm. 1:16; 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21)
This salvation cannot be earned, but is a gift of God’s grace to all who believe in Christ as Savior. That faith involves repenting from sin and trusting in the promises and provisions of redemption in Christ (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 10:9-13; Eph. 2:7-10; Titus 3:5-6)
4. Restoration
One day, Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on earth and ultimately restore everything to its original design in the New Heaven and Earth. The effects of sin and the curse will be gone and all creation will reflect God’s original intent and glory (2 Peter. 2:3-14; Rev. 20-22)
Our Response
Every Time God speaks, it demands a response. The free gift of salvation is available to all people – regardless of race, ethnicity, background, job title, etc. Salvation is not earned but freely given to those who choose to put their faith in the Son of God.
You receive salvation through…
- Believing in the person and work of Jesus. (John 3:16; 6:47; Eph. 2:8-9)
- Confessing your need for Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross. (Rom. 10:9-13; Jn. 14:6; Acts 4:12)
- Repenting of your sins. (Mt. 3:1-10)
- Surrendering your life to the authority of Jesus. (Rom. 14:9-11; Phil. 2:9-11)
Next Steps
Maybe you’ve never stepped into a relationship with Jesus. Maybe you’ve made a previous commitment but have fallen away from the faith. Maybe you have further questions. We want to walk alongside you in your journey to encounter a Savior! Fill out a digital connect card, or visit our contact us page and someone from our team will reach out to you.
