For God so loved the world...

The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ; it tells us who He is, what He did, and why He did it. The essential elements of the Gospel are given to us in the apostle Paul's definition in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. 

 

Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

 

  1. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Christ--that is His title as our Savior, Lord, and King. Jesus is the Son of God sent from heaven to save us (John 3:16). 
  2. What did He do? He died on the cross, was buried, and was raised on the third day. This is what He did to save humanity. 
  3. Why did He do it? He died for our sins. All humanity is sinful--we rebel against God in our hearts and willfully disobey His commands (Romans 3:23; 5:12; Psalm 14:2-3; 1 John 1:8). Sin separates us from a holy God and places us under His righteous judgment (Romans 6:23; 5:9). So, Jesus died on the cross to take our place so that we who trust in Him would be forgiven, reconciled to God, and have eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:18). Jesus shows His great love for us that while we were still sinners He died for us (Romans 5:8). 
  4. How can we know it's true? Paul describes the many eyewitnesses who saw Jesus dead, buried, and alive again. These witnesses were amazed and gave their lives to share the good news. Also, Paul reminds us that Jesus' death and resurrection was according to the Scriptures--meaning His death and resurrection fulfilled Old Testament Scriptures. 
  5. How should we respond to be saved? Salvation is a free gift recieved by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). In order to experience salvation, we must repent (confess our sinfulness and turn towards loving Christ) and believe (place our faith in Jesus) (Mark 1:15; 1 John 1:9; John 3:16; Romans 10:9). At Southland, this is what it means to KNOW HIM. To know Jesus is to trust in Him as Savior and follow Him as Lord.

The Gospel is the good news of who Jesus is, what He did, and why He did it. When we know Jesus through repentance and faith, we are forgiven, reconciled, and saved. We are then called to strive to LIVE LIKE HIM and MAKE HIM KNOWN. Praise God for His great love and amazing grace in Jesus Christ! 

If you'd like to know more about how to recieve the free gift offered by Jesus, please email us and we'd love to talk with you more.