Daniel L. Sonnenberg

Good News

The gospel is good news. God has provided a solution to humanity’s most basic problem, the problem of sin. The Bible says, “Christ died for our sins, he was buried, he was raised on the third day.”[1] God offers salvation from sin as a gift to every person who sincerely responds in repentance and faith.

God

There are two important aspects to the character of God that must be understood. First, he is loving. He created us in his own image to know him, honor him and enjoy him above everything else. The Bible refers to him as “the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God.” He is slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. [2] He is like a father. He desires to supply every need for his children. He is there to help them up when they fall down. He patiently disciplines them when they disobey.

Not only is God loving, but he is also just. Although he is compassionate, to also be just, he must punish sin. He would be acting against his nature not to do so. God says, “For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son–both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.”[3] It is like a man who served as a judge. One day he found his own son standing in front of the bench in his courtroom for committing a crime. If the son is found guilty, the father must acknowledge justice even though he loves him. Justice demands a sentence that fits the crime.

The problem between God and humanity is sin.

Humanity

Adam and Eve committed the first human sin in the garden of Eden. God had said to Adam, “…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When you eat of it, you will surely die.”[4] Because of his sin, he was banished from the garden, cutting him off from eternal life. God created Adam as the representative of the human race. As a result, every human being has inherited the sin nature through natural generation. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[5] And though God is loving, his justice must be satisfied against that sin.

Imagine a person who works as an accountant in a large corporation. This person embezzles several hundred million dollars. Two of his partners in the firm who also participated in the crime confess and turn him in. And the state bureau of investigation traces the crime to the computer at his work station. Then suppose he appears before the judge. He willingly confesses his role in the crime. He asks for forgiveness. He shows genuine remorse for his actions. He promises never to do such a thing again. Do you think the judge would let him off? A just judge must uphold the law. If not, everyone would become an embezzler. Neither can God let us off lightly. The penalty of death for sin must be paid.

Many think that good works can earn God’s favor enough to pay for our sins. They believe that going to church or serving others or trying to keep the ten commandments will earn his favor. But we can’t overcome the problem of sin in our own strengths or merits. The Bible says, “Thus no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law.” Instead, “through the law we become conscious of sin.”[6] We are guilty and helpless in our sin. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. You used to live in these transgressions when you followed the ways of this world.[7] When we are spiritually dead, we can’t satisfy God’s justice on our own. Nothing we do or try to do is enough.

There are two particular problems with sin. The first is the penalty of sin that makes people guilty before God and deserving death. We inherited legal guilt because of Adam’s sin. The Bible says, “[T]he wages of sin is death.”[8] We deserve death as a result of sin. The second problem is the power of sin that makes people corrupt before God. We also inherited the sinful nature because of Adam’s sin. We are in a state of bondage to sin. This happens because “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.”[9] People can’t rescue themselves from the penalty or the power of sin.

Someone has drawn this analogy. Imagine a lemon tree in your yard producing sour lemons. But you decide you prefer sweet oranges. So you pull off the lemons and attach oranges to the ends of the branches. What would you have? It looks like an orange tree to the casual observer. But actually it is a lemon tree with dead oranges on it. You have not changed the nature of the tree. People can’t change their own nature any more than one can change the nature of that tree. Lemon trees produce lemons not oranges. We can try to exchange bad habits for better ones, but we can’t change our sinful nature. We need a new nature. The Bible says this: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come!”[10]

What people can’t do for themselves, God has done in Jesus Christ.

Christ

We take on that new nature only through Jesus Christ. Jesus is God the Son. Through him, the universe was created. He took on human form and came into the world as a baby. The Bible says of Jesus, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the One and Only. He came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”[11]

Jesus took on a human nature when he came into the world. He did this to live a sinless life as our representative. His goal was to merit eternal life. He obeyed for us where Adam disobeyed. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”[12] Jesus died in our place. He paid the penalty that was due to us. This act satisfied God’s just wrath against sin. “So he had to be made like his brothers in every way, to…become an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of the people.”[13]

There is a story of a small band of patriots in a lonely valley in Switzerland. They once marched against an invading force ten times their strength. They found themselves one day at the head of a narrow pass, confronted by a solid wall of spears. They made assault after assault, but the line remained unbroken. They finally gathered for one last try. As they charged, their leader suddenly advanced before them with outstretched arms. Every spear for three or four yards of the line was buried in his body. He fell dead. But he made a way for his followers. Through the opening, over his dead body, they rushed to victory and won the freedom of their country. Similarly, the Lord Jesus went before His people as the Captain of our salvation. He sheathed the weapons of death and judgment into himself. He prepared a place for us with His dead body.

But Jesus did not stay in the grave. God raised him from the dead. This act verified that justice had been served. It also demonstrated his power over sin and death. During the next forty days he appeared alive to more than 500 people. Then he ascended into heaven. There, he was declared Lord of heaven and earth. From there, he continually prays for the church. Ten days later he sent the Holy Spirit into the world to live within every believer. One day Jesus will come again bodily, in power and glory. He will raise believers from the dead to meet Christ in the air. And the believers who are still alive will join them. He will rule and reign in the new heavens and new earth.

Jesus’ work saves his people from the penalty and the power of sin. First, he offers a new standing before God. He promises to save from sin’s penalty those who believe in him. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. In him, we can become the righteousness of God. [14] Those who trust in Him are saved from suffering eternity in hell under the wrath of God against sin.

Second, he offers a new freedom from the power of sin. He promises to save his people from sin’s power. He gives the Holy Spirit, who enables them to live in a way that is pleasing to God. “[T]he fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”[15]

Christ offers himself to you as your living Savior as you respond in repentance and faith.

Repentance and Faith

The Bible says, “God…commands all men everywhere to repent.”[16] Repentance is turning away from a life of sin and rebellion against God and his will.  It is a radical change of mind and heart. It is a turning away from depending on your own good works, morality, or religious service for salvation. Instead, it involves faith in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ for salvation.  Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent.”[17]

Someone has said that faith is like one key on a ring with many others. Though the keys can look alike, only one will open the door to the house. Likewise, only one key will open the door to eternal life in heaven. That key is called faith, saving faith. You are saved by grace through faith. This is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. This salvation is not by works, so that no one can boast.[18] By faith you place your trust in the work of Christ rather than in your own works. Only his perfect life and substitutionary death on the cross satisfies God’s demand for obedience and justice.

There is a story of a minister who went into a barber shop for a shave. As he sat in the chair he courteously asked the barber about salvation. “I do my best,” snapped the barber, “and that’s enough for me.” The man was silent until the shave was over. When the next customer was seated, the minister asked, “Can I shave this man?” “No, I’m afraid not,” replied the barber, with a grin. “But I would do my best,” answered the minister. “So you can, but your best would not be good enough for this gentleman.” “No, replied the man quietly. “And neither is your best good enough for God.” Only faith in Christ, who lived a perfect life, is good enough for God.

Make no mistake, turning to God in repentance and faith will cost you everything.

Repentance and faith are not one-time events. Instead, they are lifelong commitments to obey God’s will. You are called to serve Him with your whole being. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself. He must take up his cross daily. Then he must follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”[19] Further, he said, “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison. This includes your father and mother. It also means your wife and children, brothers and sisters. You must hate even your own life. Otherwise, you can’t be my disciple.”[20] God’s claim on your life is total. He calls you to love him with all your heart. You must love him with all your soul. He wants you to love him with all your mind and with all your strength. He also calls you to love your neighbor as yourself.[21] This is called “the great commandment.” Not only that. He calls you to share your faith with others. He urges you to spread this good news to the ends of the earth.[22] This is called “the great commission.” But none of this can be accomplished in your own strength or willpower. It is accomplished by the strength and power that God supplies to every believer by the indwelling Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8)

A Personal Invitation to Respond to Christ

Jesus invites every person to respond in repentance and faith. He says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Accept my yoke and learn from me. I am gentle and humble in heart. You will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”[23] The apostle John speaks of the need for a personal response. He says of Jesus, “He came to his home, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God.”[24] The Holy Spirit and the Church also extend an invitation. They ask for a personal response to come to Christ. They say, “The Spirit and the Bride [the church universal] say, ‘Come.’ And let him who is thirsty, come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.”[25]

The Promise of Forgiveness and Eternal Life

The primary things that are promised in the gospel are forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. We are promised forgiveness of sins: “Repent and turn again, that your sins be wiped away.”[26] We are promised eternal life. The scripture says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” Whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.[27] Finally, we can be assured that Christ will accept all who come to him in sincere repentance. People coming in faith seeking salvation will be accepted by Christ: “Whoever comes to me I will not cast out.”[28]

Other Articles that Summarize the Gospel

https://www.monergism.com/what-gospel-greg-gilbert

https://bible.org/article/gods-plan-salvation

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/what-is-the-gospel/

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/summary-gospel/

Bible References 

[1] 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

[2] Exodus 34:6

[3] Ezekiel 18:4

[4] Genesis 2:17

[5] Romans 3:23

[6] Romans 3:20

[7] Ephesians 2:1-2

[8] Romans 6:23

[9] John 8:34

[10] 2 Corinthians 5:17

[11] John 1:14

[12] Romans 5:19

[13] Hebrews 2:17

[14] 2 Corinthians 5:21

[15] Galatians 5:22

[16] Acts 17:30

[17] John 6:29

[18] Ephesians 2:8-9

[19] Luke 9:23-24

[20] Luke 14:26

[21] Mark 12:30-31

[22] Matthew 28:19-20

[23] Matthew 11:30

[24] John 1:12

[25] Revelation 22:17

[26] Acts 3:19

[27] John 3:16

[28] John 6:37