What is the gospel, or “good news”?  Can you answer that question?  In less than 60 seconds?  If you can, great!  Go share it with others.  If not, read over the following and you will be able to quickly and easily share your faith.  If you have not heard the Good News, please read over this and let it speak to your heart:

For there to be “good news”, there must also be “bad news”….otherwise it would just be “news.”  Also, for the “good news” to be “good”, there must be other news that is “bad”.  Basic logic and common sense, right?  So, with that, let’s look at the bad news first.  That way, the good news will indeed be good instead of just news.

Are you a good person?  Such a simple question.  Yet the answer reveals much about us and how we view ourselves.  The crux of the question is how you define the word “good”.  Whose or what standard determines what is good and what isn’t?  The bible says “No one does good, not a single one.” -Romans 3:12.  God has given us His law, a moral standard to which He will hold us accountable.  This law is summarized several places in the New Testament of the Bible, but it is given explicitly in the Old Testament and we commonly refer to it as The Ten Commandments.  It is this standard against which we need to measure ourselves, not to our own.  If you examine yourself openly and truthfully and apply His law as Jesus did, you will see that you have not kept it.  None of us can.  We are all sinners.  None of us are good.

When we stand before Him, on the day of judgement, will He find us innocent or guilty?  Again, answering truthfully and openly, knowing none of us are good, basic logic says we will be found guilty.  And what happens with the guilty?  Hell.  Why would a just judge allow law breakers into Heaven?  That would not be justice.  “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars – their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death.” -Revelation 21:8.  Unless there is another way of satisfying our guilt, we are all bound for Hell.

So that’s the bad news; when we die, we are all condemded to Hell.  Now for the good news.  And good it is indeed!

God doesn’t want eternal damnation for us.  He wants eternal relationship.  “Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” -Genesis 3:9.  It’s the reason we were created – the reason we are here.  He wants us to know Him.  He wants to restore us to a righteous relationship with Him, to a relationship that was as it was before sin entered into the world.  “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16.  We have been redeemed – not by anything we have done or can do, but by a wonderful, loving God who desires us to the point of giving His only son to pay the price for our sins.

That’s the Good News!  You can be saved!  The gift has been given!

This redemption is a gift “…He gave…”.  Like all gifts, they have to be received however.  For this gift to have any redeeming power, they must be applied to you; credited to your account.  Receive Christ Jesus as the payment for your sins.  Receive God’s grace given to you as an undeserving gift.  Know that He died for you and be born anew of the Spirit.  “But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, he gave the right to become children of God.  They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” -John 1:12-13.  This is done through the act of repentance, meaning  turning from your previous ways and seeking God.  Ask for forgiveness, confessing your sins before Jesus, knowing that you are forgiven.  “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place in our hearts.” -1 John 1:9.  Follow this by placing your trust and faith in Jesus for the salvation of your soul instead of yourself, your good works, or anything or anyone else.

This, then, is the Gospel – the Good News!  But that is a lot to say in 60 seconds.  So here is a summary:

- We are all sinners in need of salvation.
- Without salvation, we are all destined to Hell.
- God wants to restore us to Him.
- Jesus died for the payment of our sins.
- We must repent of our sins and trust in Jesus to receive God’s precious gift of Grace and eternal life.

If you have never heard this, it is my prayer that these words, through the power of the Holy Spirit, have opened your heart to its power and truth.  If you are a Christian, then assuredly none of this is new.  But perhaps this will help you in being able to share this Good News with others.

May God bless you.