Often times, explaining the Gospel can be surprisingly difficult. When put on the spot for Christ, many of us become uncomfortable and cannot quite find the words to describe the faith that we have centered our lives around. Having personally encountered this unexpected reaction to the question “What is the Gospel?,” I asked several people of various points in their Christian walk for their own answers. Here are just a few of the answers that I received.
“The power of sin is broken by Jesus’ death and resurrection, making us pure in God the Father’s sight, and enabling us to live as he intended through the power of the Holy Spirit” Jessica Carter, Biola University, 21
“The gospel is the good news that a savior has come to save the world. In order to first understand the goodness of this message, it is important to understand why a savior is even needed in the first place. God created human beings to be in a relationship with him. When Adam and Eve, God’s first created human beings, disobeyed him, that relationship was ruined because God is holy and cannot be around sin. The punishment of that sin was death. But here is the good news. God, being the loving God he is, still wanted to be in relationship with his people. So he sent his son Jesus to die in our place and restore our relationship with God. Jesus was perfect, never sinned, and did not deserve to die. He died for us and on the third day after his death, he rose from the grave. It is through his death and resurrection that we can have eternal life and a restored relationship with God. All that one needs to do is have faith in Jesus as both their Lord and savior” Sarah D’Amico, Biola University
“The Gospel narrates the story of redemption as Christ fulfills the Laws and prophecies of the Old Testament. God’s chosen people (Israel – the Bride of Christ) were given the Levitical law and priesthood as a means of salvation. Literally, the blood of an innocent lamb was shed to cover the sins of the people. The Gospel brings the good news explaining that this is no longer required. The perfect, spotless lamb gave himself as the final sacrifice. His blood was shed, like every other lamb’s before him, but never had a lamb come back to life. The resurrection of Christ is the hope in the Gospel. Any man can die for another, but only a God-man can die and be resurrected, bringing eternal life to all who have faith in his name and power” Natasha Cheeley, Biola University
“Realizing that we aren’t perfect but knowing that we are still accepted through Christ’s sacrifice” Lori Sahakian, graduate student, 27
“The Gospel is a story of imperfect people being reconciled to a holy God. Because God is perfect and humans are not, we were separated from him by a chasm too great to ever bridge on our own. Jesus died on the cross as the ultimate meditator in order to allow sinful people to have direct access to a blameless God. He then rose from the dead, proving himself even more powerful than life itself. His death provided a way for shattered humanity to become whole again and for sinners to have what we need most: forgiveness and the chance to live with him eternally” Rebekah Bell
“The Bible is a non-fiction book of many stories written by multiple authors but inspired by God. It tells us how God intended us to live our lives, and gives us the tools to be transformed into a follower of Christ. It warns us of hardships, tells us to repent, and prepares us for the life we are called to live. The Gospel teaches us there is only One God and that he sent his son Jesus to die on a cross to wipe away our sins, and through his mercy we are saved. Anyone who accepts him is saved by his grace alone.” Lorig Kalfayan
“The Good News is that God loves us where we are at and that we have the hope of salvation through Jesus. Salvation is bridging the gap between us and God that has been created by sin and overcome by Jesus. We gain salvation by making the choice to follow Jesus” – Parris Wentz, Biola University
“The good news is when you realize that weakness is not just something you feel, but the state that we are all in. We are in pain and we are all broken; Christ has saved us from that, because we can never come to a place to save ourselves” Mary Aslanian, Publications Coordinator, 26
“God has a plan to redeem us sinful humans from our wickedness, by restoring us through Christ, gifting us eternal life through the undeserved grace we received through His perfect Son, Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to be born of a virgin, to live a sinless life and to receive an undeserved and sacrificial punishment on our behalf. It is only when we believe we can be saved from our sinfulness through Christ that we can have a relationship with God and live with him forever.” Searan Kiledjian, Children’s Ministries Director
While each person’s definition of Christ’s good news has unique elements, they all center on the fundamental truth of John 3:16-17, which reads “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 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.”
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