The Gospel
Who is Jesus?
Everything was created by Him, through Him, and for Him. It's all about Jesus.
Near the end of his Gospel, John tells us exactly why he wrote it. In John 20:30-31, he explains that he handpicked these stories, out of everything he witnessed, so that we would believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and find life in His name.
That's who Jesus is. Not a wise teacher to admire from a distance, but God's promised King and eternal Son, who stepped into history to show us the Father and save His people.
The good news of Jesus is that we are so lost and broken that we cannot find God or fix ourselves, so God has come to find and save us.
What is the Gospel?
The Gospel is beautifully expressed in the passage of Romans 5:8, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The holy and just God over all creation looked upon the sin and rebellion of His people, which separated us from Him, with grace, mercy, & love. So much so, that He sent His Son Jesus to deal with our sin and rebellion while we were still entrenched in it. Jesus breaks into our world declaring God's kingdom, living a perfect sinless life, and then dying under the fullness of God the Father's wrath that was kindled because of our sin.
After his death he was buried in a tomb bearing our sins in His body and three days later He was raised back to life declaring His mighty victory over death, sin, and the grave. It is only through the work of Jesus that we can find forgiveness for our sins, be reconciled back to God, and await the day when the world will be made new again.
The Gospel speaks to us all and deals with all of our sins. In every area of our lives where we see sin, Jesus offers us His perfect sinless exchange. Our sin for His righteousness. No matter what we struggle with or what idols we face in our hearts, Jesus offers us a beautiful exchange of His victory for our failure.
How We Communicate the Gospel
The gospel has a context that we call the gospel story - the true story of God’s redemptive acts in the world. We summarize the gospel story at Sacred Mission using four words: Creation, Separation, Redemption, and Glorification. This can be a very helpful and simple way to remind ourselves of the gospel, apply it to different areas of life, and teach it to others. Here’s a brief summary of these four words:
Creation
In the beginning, God made everything, and it was good. He formed the universe out of nothing, filled it with beauty and order, and crowned it all by making us in His image. We were made to know Him, to walk with Him, and to reflect His glory in everything we do. Life wasn't meant to be a struggle against emptiness. It was meant to be lived in the presence of God.
Separation
But we didn't stay there. Given the choice to trust God or go our own way, we chose our own way, and everything broke. Sin entered the world, and with it came shame, death, and distance from the God who made us. This is the ache you feel even when life is going well: the sense that something is off, that we were made for more than this. That ache is real, and the Bible tells us exactly where it comes from.
Redemption
Here's the good news. God didn't leave us in that brokenness. He sent His own Son, Jesus, to do what we could never do. Jesus lived the perfect life we owe God, and then He died the death our sin deserved. On the cross, He took our guilt and gave us His righteousness. Three days later, He rose from the grave, proving that sin and death had lost. Because of Jesus, anyone who trusts Him is brought back into relationship with God, forgiven, and made new.
Glorification
This isn't the end of the story either. Jesus is coming back, and when He does, He'll finish what He started. Everything broken will be made whole. Every tear will be wiped away. Believers will be raised, sin will be gone for good, and God's people will live with Him forever in a renewed creation. What began in a garden ends in a kingdom, and it's better than we could imagine.
Where Do I Go From Here?
Now that you’re ready to begin exploring the reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we’d love to talk with you about your faith and get you connected with people who care about you, whether that’s at Sacred Mission or elsewhere. A first step towards making that connection is to fill out the form below:
Want to read more in depth about the Gospel before speaking to someone? Check out The Gospel by Ray Ortlund. Learn more about the beauty and hope of the good news.