The word “gospel” means “good news.” Following the teaching of the Lord Jesus (Luke 24:44-47) and the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) we understand the gospel of Jesus Christ to be the vital heart of the entire Bible from beginning to end. We find the following to be a faithful summary of the biblical gospel message:

 

The gospel is the joyous declaration

    that God is redeeming the world through Christ, 

    and that he commands everyone everywhere 

    to repent from sin and trust Jesus Christ for salvation.

 

Each of us has sinned against God, 

    breaking his law and rebelling against his rule, 

    and the penalty for our sin is death and hell.

 

But because of his love, God sent his Son, Jesus, 

    to live, for his people’s sake, the perfect, obedient life God requires,     

    and to die on the cross in our place for our sin.

 

On the third day, Christ rose bodily from the grave 

    and now reigns in heaven, 

    offering forgiveness, righteousness, resurrection, 

    and eternal blessedness in God’s presence 

    to everyone who repents of sin and trusts solely in him for salvation.