What is the gospel?

from the old testament

• The gospel really begins with bad news. God created the world and everything in it, and He said it was very good (Genesis 1:31). God created Adam and Eve with the ability to make decisions, and He put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, commanding them not to eat from it (Genesis 2:16-17). However, they chose to disobey God by eating the fruit, bringing sin and death into the world (Genesis 3:6-7; see also Romans 5:12). As a result, all humanity is born under the curse of sin, separated from God, and deserving of His judgment (see Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3).
• God gave the Mosaic Law, God's rules for humanity, to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 5:1). As the Israelites attempted to follow God's rules, it quickly became evident that no person was able to obey the Law. Human nature is to rebel against rules; the more rules we are given, the more we are tempted to resist those rules. This is called "sin." Sin is choosing to live your own way instead of God’s way. It is anything you say, do, think, or feel that is against God and His character. It is the tendency to choose darkness over light, death over life, self-destruction over self-benefit.
• To save us from our sin, restore our relationship with God, and bring us to heaven, God provided a way for sin to be paid for, or removed. The Mosaic Law (written by God and therefore immutable) says that only through a blood sacrifice can sin be removed. Where would God find a blood sacrifice that could be applied eternally, to all people? The answer is Jesus Christ. God's own son was perfect, a spotless lamb (Ezekiel 46:13; see1 Peter 1:19).

from the new testament

• The Apostle Paul defines the gospel as "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). God saves us through the gospel, and we are responsible to believe.
• The Mosaic Law reveals our sin. We are imprisoned by it, but the gospel can set us free (Galatians 3:21-26).
• Jesus became a man and was the perfect sacrifice for all who would trust in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:14; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
• Jesus–fully God– came to earth in a man's form. His spirit was eternal and One with God, but He became a man to save us (John 1:1-5). Being fully God and fully man made Him the only candidate for the blood sacrifice that could accomplish salvation for all men and women throughout time.
• First Corinthians 15:1-4 defines the gospel as the message that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day, all in accordance with the Scriptures: "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures."
• The gospel is the ultimate demonstration of God's love and generosity—if He was willing to give His own Son for us, we can trust that He will graciously provide everything we need in Christ. It reassures us that, with God on our side; nothing can truly stand against us. As Paul writes in Romans, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32). That is very good news!
• Anyone who believes in the gospel will be saved (Mark 16:16; John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9). This means that anyone who recognizes their sin, repents, and places their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be forgiven and granted eternal life.
• Salvation is not a result of our good works, but of God's power to save (Ephesians 2:8-10). He justifies us (taking away the sentence of death that we earned with our sin), sanctifies us, and in the end will glorify us and take us to live with Him in heaven (Romans 5:1; 8:1; Hebrews 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-9).
• The gospel is summed up in these simple verses: "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" (John 3:16-17).

implications for today

Many of us have felt that God is a "hard man" who gives us a Law we can't follow, making it impossible for us to do right (Matthew 25:24-28). We might picture Him standing back, arms crossed, shaking His head at our continued failures. But this is not God's character. God is loving and merciful, and He knows our weaknesses. Psalm 103 says, "As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:13-14). God didn’t give us the Law to discourage and humiliate us but so we could understand our need for a Savior. It helps us realize we are all on an equal playing field before God (Romans 3:10-11, 23; Galatians 3:28). Every one of us falls short of perfection. But the good news is that God did not leave us helpless. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to fulfill the Law on our behalf and to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus lived a sinless life, died on the cross to take the punishment we deserved, and rose again to give us eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 3:18).

Through Jesus, we are no longer condemned by the Law but are invited into a relationship with God. This gift is not earned through good works, but received by faith. Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Salvation is not about trying harder, but about trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ and accepting His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Scripture assures us, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). You can respond to God in prayer, confessing your faith in Jesus and asking Him to transform your heart. This is not about saying the perfect words but about sincerely placing your trust in Christ.

When you believe in Jesus, you are not only forgiven—you are adopted into God's family, given new life, and sealed with the Holy Spirit (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:13-14). You are no longer defined by your past failures but by Christ’s righteousness. Now, as a follower of Jesus, you can grow in your relationship with God by reading His Word, praying, and being part of a community of believers.

God’s love is not distant or harsh—it is personal, patient, and full of grace. He invites you to experience the joy of salvation and the hope of eternal life in Him. Will you trust Him today?