“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
The word “gospel” literally means good news.
It is the good news contained in the entire Bible that though each and every one of us is a sinner separated from God the Father because of our sins (Romans 3:23), while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), as part of His perfect salvation plan, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for us (Romans 4:25). By faith in Jesus Christ alone and not by our works (Galatians 3:6-14, Romans 4:1-6), our salvation is secured. He took our failures and faults and gave us instead His own righteousness.
Charles Spurgeon summarized what this good news is by saying, “The heart of the gospel is redemption and the essence of redemption, is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ” (1886). The more we let this sink in, the more we realize that “the gospel is not ‘God loves us,’ but ‘God loves us at the cost of His Son’” (Derek Thomas, 2011).
It’s truly as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth: “good news of great joy for all people” (Luke 2:10). And it is good news upon which we can build our lives!
It is the good news contained in the entire Bible that though each and every one of us is a sinner separated from God the Father because of our sins (Romans 3:23), while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8), as part of His perfect salvation plan, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for us (Romans 4:25). By faith in Jesus Christ alone and not by our works (Galatians 3:6-14, Romans 4:1-6), our salvation is secured. He took our failures and faults and gave us instead His own righteousness.
Charles Spurgeon summarized what this good news is by saying, “The heart of the gospel is redemption and the essence of redemption, is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ” (1886). The more we let this sink in, the more we realize that “the gospel is not ‘God loves us,’ but ‘God loves us at the cost of His Son’” (Derek Thomas, 2011).
It’s truly as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth: “good news of great joy for all people” (Luke 2:10). And it is good news upon which we can build our lives!
Scripture Focus
Luke 2:10-14
Insight
“If the Lord, bearing our sins for us, is not the gospel, I have no gospel to preach.” (Charles Spurgeon, 1877)
Bible In A Year
- 1 Samuel 3-4
- Psalm 121
- 1 Corinthians 15
