What is the best news you can imagine? First responses people give may not be the real answer to this question. Winning the lottery, finding a mate, or getting a bigger house may all sound appealing. However, we all have hungers that go deeper than that along with questions we would like answered. Is there purpose in life? How do I fit in? How do I deal with guilt and shame? Why is there so much suffering and pain in life? If God is real, how can I know Him? We all have an emptiness in our lives that needs to be filled. Only God can fill that spot and make us complete. The Gospel is good news, but not just any good news. It is the story of God reaching down to rescue humanity through Jesus Christ. It is the story of Jesus with roots going back to the beginning of history. This good news provides the answers to our questions about life and fulfills our deepest longings.
When God created man, He made man in His image. Genesis 1:27 reveals, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” What does it mean to be made in God’s image? This was something different than all the other living creatures created. We are created with honor and value. Psalm 8:4-6 tells us, “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,” We reflect God’s nature. Psalm 92:5 speaks of God thinking. “How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep!” Instead of being robots, we are able to think and choose freely. We are able to reason. God gave us a sense of right and wrong. Romans 2:15 explains, “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them.”
We have feelings and emotions just like God does. Isaiah 65:19 6:6 is an example of God having feelings. He is affected by what we do. “I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.” Other emotions are revealed in Exodus 4:14, Exodus 34:6-7, and Exodus 20:5 among many other places in the Bible. Being in relationship is something we naturally desire. Man was created with the ability and need to have fellowship with God. 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 John 1:3 pictures us in fellowship with God and others. “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” We can know God, communicate with God, and have a personal relationship with God.
Genesis 1:26 says, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” God gave man the responsibility to rule over creation, which is another trait we have that reflects God.
God made us special and has a plan for each of our lives. Psalm 139:13-16 reveals, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” We have great worth to God. The details of our life matter to Him. Matthew 10:29-31 paints a picture of His intimate knowledge of us and the great value He places on us. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
All God designed is good. (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12,17-18, 21,25, 27, and 31.) God’s ways are perfect. 2 Samuel 22:31 tells us, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” Following His ways brings joy, peace, and fulfillment. Proverbs 3:1-10 lists some of the benefits of doing things God’s way.
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
Unfortunately, man chose to not follow God’s way. This had disastrous results. Man no longer reaped the reward of following God, and fellowship with God was broken. Romans 6:23 warns us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin separates us from God, the fruits of a life lived following Him, and the plan He has for our lives. We cannot be fulfilled without Him.
The Gospel starts with Genesis in the early days of creation when man chose to disobey God’s command and do things their own way. Genesis 2:16-17 tells us, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” They lived in the beautiful garden full of wonderful choices, but God gave them one restriction. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command. Neither Adam nor Eve were willing to accept responsibility for their sin. Instead, they tried to shift the blame (Genesis 3:12-13). Fellowship with God was broken and man was condemned to pay for his sin. Genesis 3:24 says, “therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. ...” Sin breaks our relationship with God, and we have all sinned. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:10-18 further emphasizes the state man is in. “As it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’ ‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’ ‘Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’” We have all failed to live up to God’s standard.
God, in His great love, provided a way for man to be restored and forgiven. God chose to pay the price for us. Redemption plans were put in motion. Abraham was promised that through his seed all nations would be blessed in Genesis 22:18. As the story unfolded, David was promised a king who would reign forever from his line (2 Samuel 7:12-13). The prophets foretold of a suffering servant who would return as eternal king to make all things right. Isaiah 9:6 prophesies, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Luke 1:31-32 is the fulfillment of this prophecy. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David.”
We cannot live a perfect life. Only Christ, who is part of the Trinity, has done that. 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” We did not earn this. We were all sinners. Romans 5:8 explains the amazing truth, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Only He could pay the price for sin. 1 Corinthians 15:1-5 tells us, “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, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” Jesus did not just die to pay the price for our sin, but He was then raised from the dead victorious over death (Luke 24:1-7).
Our acceptance of this truth and submission to God’s plan changes everything for us. Romans 10:9-10 tells us, “because, 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” We need to recognize our need for a saviour. 1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God did more than forgive. He adopted us into His family. John 1:12 tells us, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” He made us joint heirs with Christ. He gave us riches in Heaven. We gain eternal life. 1 John 5:13 promises, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”
As we grow in relationship with Christ, it changes who we are and what we do. We become more and more like Jesus. This affects how we live in this world, and we receive the joy of His salvation.
It is not enough to know who Jesus is and what He did for us. We must accept His sacrifice and forgiveness, and believe enough to turn control of our life over to Him. The good news is that since we could not be good enough to have a relationship with God, He reached down and made the way for us. Jesus is the only way to God. John 14:6 tells us, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” We grow in faith the more we get to know God. He helps us grow and develop godly character. God wants to be in relationship with us. He wants us to spend eternity with Him.
The Gospel is not just good news, it is great news! It answers our questions about the meaning of life, gives us direction on how to live, gives us a living relationship with God as our Father, and changes everything about us. It is the best news we can hear, and it is for all of us.
