Have you ever received good news? At some point in our lives, we have all been the recipients of good news. Maybe we received good news about our health, the birth of a child, or something else. But as wonderful as these things are, they cannot compare to the good news God has for us. In the Bible, God declares good news concerning man’s greatest need.

Do you know what the “gospel” is? The gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ and the salvation He has accomplished. The good news of the gospel is the greatest announcement ever given to mankind. In order to understand this good news, we must take a trip through the Bible to learn about God and ourselves.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16

In the beginning, God created the world and made man in His own image. Mankind was created to love God and each other. But the first man, Adam, sinned against God and broke His law. Adam’s one act of sin plunged the human race into sin, death, and ruin. Because of Adam’s sin, every person enters the world as a sinner. To be a “sinner” is to disobey God and break His law.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

If you are honest with yourself, you have broken God’s law many times and in many ways (lying, cheating, stealing, etc.). The penalty for sin is death – eternal separation from the goodness of God in Hell. Our sin puts us at odds with God and makes us His enemies.

"For the wages of sin is death…" Romans 6:23

But there is good news! God has made a way for sinful people like us to be forgiven and reconciled to Him. Because of His great love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to accomplish salvation.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Jesus lived a perfect life and then died a sacrificial death on the cross in order to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. He suffered the punishment due for man’s sin. But Jesus did not remain in the grave. Three days after being crucified, Jesus rose from the dead. This confirmed that Jesus was the Son of God and that He had accomplished salvation.

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…" 1 Peter 3:18

"and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead" Romans 1:4

This is the good news of the gospel. Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin and rose from the dead to offer forgiveness of sins to all those believe in Him. We must respond to what Jesus has done by repenting our sins and trusting in Him and His work of salvation. God calls on us now to confess our sins and turn from them and put our complete confidence in Jesus and His death on the cross.

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…" Acts 16:31

"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30

What about you? Are you ready to respond to this good news? If you have placed your trust in Christ and turned from your sins, the next step is to publicly profess your faith through baptism in water and become a part of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are ready to follow Christ, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us here at Faith Bible Church in Sanford, North Carolina via phone or email which can be located on our contact page.

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" Matthew 16:24