What is the gospel? Four truths to consider:
Truth #1: You were made by God.
Here’s what Scripture says:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalm 145:8–9)
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
God is the Maker and Ruler of the universe. He is perfect and holy. There is none like Him. He created us in His own image. Human beings exist to love Him and be loved by Him. But something has gone wrong.
Truth #2: You have sinned.
Here’s what Scripture says:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
“The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)
“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)
“It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)
We rejected God’s love. We chose instead to live in rebellion against Him, breaking His commands. We all have lied, cheated, stolen, and wronged others. Our wrongdoing is what the Bible calls sin.
All who sin deserve to perish eternally. Because God is holy, everlasting death is sin’s rightful penalty. The world is now fundamentally broken due to sin. Without God, we are all in deep trouble. But that is not the end of the story.
Truth #3: You can be rescued from sin.
Here’s what Scripture says:
“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)
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22)
“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.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
Because of His great and persistent love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from our rebellion and give us new life. Jesus is truly God and truly man. To accomplish this rescue, Jesus lived a perfect, holy life and died for our sins, fully taking upon Himself the penalty we deserve and crediting to us His unblemished track record.
Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the grave to overcome sin and death once for all. The world will not always be broken due to sin. Death will not have the final word over humanity. God’s plan is to make all things new through Jesus, and you can be part of that plan.
Truth #4: You are invited to know Jesus.
Here’s what Scripture says:
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” (Revelation 21:1–4)
What will you decide? God offers the free gift of salvation to anyone who turns away from sin and puts their trust in His Son. You are invited to experience life with God by following Jesus today. All who believe in Jesus will enjoy Him forever in the new heavens and new earth. To receive this new life, simply talk to God. Tell Him you’re ready to trust Him, you’re sorry for your sin, and you need Him to forgive you. He receives anyone who comes to Him believing in Jesus.
Still not sure? Want to hear more? A great place to begin is by reading the Gospel of John at esv.org. We also recommend Greg Gilbert’s short book What is the Gospel? If you have questions, please email us at info@emmauskc.com.
“I’ve believed the gospel—now what?”
There’s no greater gift than life with Jesus. If you’ve turned away from sin and trusted Christ for salvation, then your journey with Him has just begun! Here are some next steps that will help you grow as a follower of Jesus:
- Read and study the Scriptures. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is God’s true and unfailing Word to us (see 2 Tim. 3:15–17). Since we have Scripture, we have the privilege and opportunity to hear from God every day.
- Spend time with God in prayer. Prayer is simply speaking with the God who loves us. If you’re new to prayer, read Matthew 6:9–13 to see how Jesus teaches us to pray.
- Come to church. One of the key ways we learn to follow Jesus is by gathering with other Christians who can encourage us and teach us (see Heb. 10:24–25). Emmaus would love to welcome you at church. We gather at 10:00am on Sunday mornings. Learn more.
- Be baptized as a believer. Christians are called to be baptized (see Acts 2:38). If you are interested in baptism, please talk to one of our pastors before or after a Sunday gathering, or email info@emmauskc.com. We would love to talk with you about what it means to take this step!
- Share the gospel of Jesus with others. One of the greatest ways to stir your own faith and experience the gift of life with Jesus is to regularly share your faith with others (Matt. 28:18–20). The best way to begin is by simply telling the story of how Jesus saved you.