The gospel of Christ is the story of Jesus. That story begins in the creation of humans in the image and likeness of God, being given authority over the earth and having the power to decide how to live their life and who to live it for. The result was sin entering the world and everyone having a huge sin problem. God, out of his love and grace, made a plan to offer redemption and salvation to everyone. His plan led to choosing Abraham, through whom he would call out a people and through whom God would send a Savior. That plan ultimately led to God sending his own Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to be born of a virgin named Mary and live among us as a human. He took on our bodies, felt our pains, knew our weaknesses and felt the urges we all feel. He was tempted in everyway like we are. Yet he didn’t sin but went about showing and telling people about God.
The religious people, especially the leaders of his time, rejected Jesus, the innocent son of man and Son of God. They hated him to the degree they made a plot to have him put to death. They thought it was all their idea. But God had planned all along for the Christ to die for the sins of the world. He willingly took our sins upon him and was punished for our sins, so that we can be totally forgiven of our sins and be right with God. He paid the price of sin with his blood and God then placed on everyone who commits to Jesus the very righteousness of Jesus.
The gospel is such wonderful news because it gives each of us the opportunity of being right with God, no matter what we may have done wrong in the past, what we do now or what wrongs we will do in the future. In order to be saved by the gospel, God’s power unto our salvation, we must have faith in Jesus. Our faith will lead us to turn from our sins to God and to walk with him. That faith will lead us to obey the gospel by being baptized into Christ, by being buried with him and raised from the water to live a new life in him.
The gospel is that the blood of Jesus constantly cleanses a person living by faith in Jesus. We live as part of the community of believers called the church and anticipate a day when we will all be together in heaven with all those who have lived for him through the ages.
Leon Barnes
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