Good News in the Beginning?
As hard as it is to believe, bad news didn’t always dominate our lives. In fact, things were very positive in the beginning. The first man and woman – Adam and Eve – enjoyed friendship with God, their Creator (Genesis 1:1-31). They lived in obedience to Him and experienced a world free from evil, death, pain, suffering, poverty, disease, and hopelessness, a world that totally reflected the goodness and perfection of its Creator. Life was very good!
A Turn for the Worst
But tragedy spoiled paradise! Adam and Eve rebelled against God, willfully rejecting His good instruction for their lives (Genesis 3:1-13). Not only did their sin introduce all the corruption and struggle that now characterize our experience, but it also corrupted us personally (Romans 5:12). We all inherited sin’s corruption from Adam and Eve so that we are all guilty before God, not only for our choices but also our sin-stained nature (Romans 3:23). When we die, we will all face God to explain what we’ve done and who we are. This truly is bad news!
We are all guilty and rightly deserve the tragic consequences of sin: death, an eternal separation from and judgment of God in a place the Bible calls “hell” (Romans 6:23). God is loving but He will not clear the guilty (Exodus 34:6-7). And we can do nothing to repair our broken relationship with God. None of us seeks after God (Romans 3:11). This is the worst news of all!
Truly Good News
Good always shines brightest next to bad. And next to the worst news of all, the gospel is the best news ever! The good news – what we often call the gospel – is not merely an event or idea, but a person. His name is Jesus Christ and His arrival on earth over 2,000 years ago signaled hope for humanity. He is God’s Son, sent to save people from their sin. He did this by dying in our place, taking the punishment that we deserved for our rebellion. Our sins were placed on His shoulders, and He satisfied God’s fair penalty for sin so we they could be forgiven.
However, Jesus did not stay dead. He rose from the grave, an act of authority over death that God used to confirm Jesus’s own claim that He is the Saviour of the world!
What Must I Do?
Do you believe that you have rebelled against God and that you rightly deserve the punishment of eternal judgment? Do you believe that Jesus is the One sent by God to die in your place? Do you believe that His resurrection from the dead proves that He is your Substitute and Saviour? If so, then you understand the gospel, the best news ever!
In response to this wonderful truth, God expects you to repent and believe. Repenting means that you turn from your sin. That doesn’t mean that you’ll never sin again, but you will never again be at peace with your rebellion against God. Believing means turning to God in faith, trusting Him to keep His promise to credit your sin to Christ and credit Christ’s righteousness to you (Romans 5:17-18). Being credited as righteous ushers you into God’s kingdom and reconciles your relationship with Him forever!
Now that you’ve read about this good news, can we talk more with you about it? Please contact us if you would like to talk with someone.