What is the Good News?

People turned from God
The world was made by God. He created people with a capacity to know him and enjoy his company.
In spite of this privilege, humans turned away. They broke the natural bond of friendship between themselves and God. Changes occurred. They lost contact with the source of life. Confusion, hardship, sadness and death followed.

God’s love persists
Yet God did not give them up. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, who taught how people should live. Though he was innocent, he was condemned and executed on a cross.

Christ reigns with God
But God did not abandon Him. He raised his son to life again and made him King of heaven and earth. Now Christ reigns with God. His victory has meaning for all people. All who believe in him are rescued from guilt and fear. Nothing can separate them from God’s love.

Christ will return
Soon Christ will return. He will renew the earth. Death and sorrow will be banished. Life, love and friendship will never end.

A new way to Heaven
“Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying them; His laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.”

“But now God has shown us a different way to heaven – not by being ‘good enough’ and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (though not new, really, for the scriptures told about it long ago). Now God says he will accept and acquit us – declare us not guilty – if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like. Yes all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in His kindness freely takes away our sins.” Romans 3:20-24 (Living Bible)

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the Gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written; The righteous will live by his faith.” Romans 1:16, 17. (NIV)

This is the Good News – the Gospel!