The Gospel Invitation

THE GOSPEL (GOOD NEWS) OF JESUS CHRIST

We cannot understand the good news unless we first understand the bad news.

Bad news: Like every human being, you are a sinner subject to God’s judgment.

Good news: God loves you and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear the judgment due you. If you will trust in Christ’s payment for your sins, God will deliver (save) you from His wrath. Salvation is God’s gracious gift of a pardon to sinners, a gift that must be accepted by faith and not by human effort or merit.

This good news is further explained below.

WHAT IS SIN AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Sin is anything that violates the will or character of God. There are many aspects to God’s character. For example, God is sovereign, meaning He is the absolute authority over everyone and everything. God is holy and righteous, meaning He is the absolute standard for that which is moral, just, good, and right.  Thinking, speaking, or acting as if we are the Sovereign is sinful.  Failing to meet God’s perfect standard of holiness and righteousness is sinful. We must remember that sin is sin regardless of whether we recognize it as such. Sin separates us from God and puts us under His judgment. The penalty that God imposes for sin is death. Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 135:6; Daniel 4:34-35; Psalm 145:17; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1; 1 John 3:4.

WHO ARE THE SINNERS?
You are a sinner, along with every other human being. There are three reasons for this. First, we are all born sinners because Adam’s original sin is imparted to us at conception. King David observed this reality when he described himself as a sinner “from the moment my mother conceived me.” Adam, as the first man, was created by God sinless but, when he sinned, we are all deemed to have sinned with him because he was our representative. Second, we inherited the sin nature from Adam, which is transmitted from parent to child. Third, we choose to commit our own personal sins, either in thought, word, or deed. Any one of these three realities of sin puts us under God’s judgment. As discussed below, Jesus is the only exception to the fallen, sinful condition of humanity. Genesis 3:1-7; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23, 5:12, 5:18-19; Ephesians 2:1-3.

WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT GOD’S JUDGMENT?
Unless you have accepted Jesus’ offer of a pardon, you are subject to God’s eternal judgment. This means that you are isolated from God, having no relationship with the One who is the author and sustainer of life. Since we are all born sinners, we are born under God’s condemnation. Those who refuse God’s free gift of salvation during their lifetime on earth will remain under His just condemnation forever, in a place of eternal separation and suffering.  Jesus described this place as the “outer darkness” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  It is hell, itself, also known as the “lake of fire.”  Please understand that God is very serious about judging sin.  Matthew 25:30, 46; John 3:18, 36; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15.

WHO IS THE PERSON CALLED “JESUS CHRIST”?
The name “Jesus” means “God saves.” The title “Christ” means “Chosen One.” So, Jesus is the Chosen One of God who saves. Jesus is the second member of the triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God the Son in the flesh. He is fully God and fully human.  In His deity, He has all of the attributes of God: sovereignty, holiness, righteousness, omnipotence, eternality, and all other divine attributes.  In His humanity, He was born untainted by sin, via a virgin birth, and He lived a sinless life. He was (and is) the only qualified substitute to bear the penalty for our sins through His death on the cross at Calvary. God validated Jesus’ work of salvation by raising Him from the dead on the third day. Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest of God’s miracles and it evidences that Jesus is, in fact, the only way of salvation.  Matthew 1:20-25; Mark 10:45; John 20:28; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 2:2

WHY DID GOD SEND JESUS TO DIE FOR ME?
God sent Jesus Christ to die for you because God loves you, plain and simple. You are helpless to redeem yourself from the slave market of sin in that your works and merit are inadequate to please a holy, righteous God. So in His boundless love, God the Father sent God the Son to humble Himself and become a man in order to die for your sins. Jesus came to pay a debt He did not owe because you owed a debt you could not pay—the righteous dying for the unrighteous. You are of immeasurable value to God, as evidenced by Him not sparing His only begotten Son so that you might be saved. Isaiah 64:6; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26, 8:32.

WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT SALVATION?
There is nothing more important in your life than becoming saved. Salvation means that God transforms you from being His enemy to being His beloved child.  Salvation means that God imparts to you His life (eternal life) and removes the eternal death you are now under.  Salvation means that you will live forever in God’s eternal kingdom instead of in the lake of fire. Make no mistake: there is a reckoning coming.  By the end of human history, God will raise everyone from the dead—His children to everlasting life with eternal joy, and His enemies to everlasting judgment with eternal suffering. Psalm 16:11; Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:3; John 3:36, 10:27-28; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:11-15.

The choice is yours.  If you will trust in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the receiving of eternal life, you will be saved (pardoned) from eternal judgment and will spend eternity in the “Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7.