In fact, you are so loved that Jesus willing gave up His life so that you could live!
You are valued by God.
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~Romans 5:6-8
What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?
The word gospel means “good news,” so the gospel of Christ is the good news of His coming to provide forgiveness of sins for all who will believe (Colossians 1:14; Romans 10:9). Since the first man’s sin (anything that we think, say, or do that is opposed to God’s right and good standard), mankind has been under the condemnation of God (Romans 5:12). Because everyone breaks God’s perfect law by committing sin, everyone is guilty (Romans 3:23). The punishment for the crime of sin is physical death (Romans 6:23) and then an eternity spent in a place of punishment (Revelation 20:15; Matthew 25:46). This eternal separation from God is also called the “second death” (Revelation 20:14–15). You and I, and every other human being, cannot erase the dark blot of sin from our lives; we stand tried, convicted, and sentenced to death and hell because of our own rebellion against God.
But there is Hope!
The good news is that God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to come to live a perfect life as God in the flesh. He died a death that we deserve because of our sin, and to be raised from the dead by the power of God – thereby defeating sin and death. This Good News is called the Gospel, and embracing the Gospel will change your life forever!
The Bible specifies the content of the gospel message: “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time…” (1 Corinthians 15:1–6)
How do I know that I will go to heaven?
The Bible makes a clear distinction between those who have eternal life and those who do not: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). It all goes back to faith. Those who believe in Christ are made the children of God (John 1:12). Those who accept Jesus’ sacrifice as the payment for their sins and who believe in His resurrection receive eternal life (an eternal relationship with God that culminates in heaven). Those who reject Christ reject God’s love and forgiveness, thereby rejecting heaven. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18). “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” (1 John 4:14-15)
Are you at peace?
Truly, God has put eternity in the hearts of men, and we all have that “built-in void” that can only be filled by God himself. When we invite him to fill that void, peace naturally follows. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27). “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Have additional questions? Go to: GotQuestions.org or AnswersInGenesis.org, or visit our website at: cbcblackcreek.org/Knowing-God