What is the Gospel?

1. Paradise

God made the world and people perfect.  No pain, misery, hunger, disaster.  Just joy and peace in perfect union with our creator.  It was paradise and something in us craves for it now and knows the world is meant to be better.

2. Paradise lost

Human beings rebelled against God thinking that they would be like God and better if they went solo.  This broke our relationship with God and shattered the world.

3. God comes to save us

God loves us and wanted to make a way back for us to know Him now, and one day restore paradise for us.  This meant that God the Son came to earth and lived the perfect life we should have lived, and died the death that we deserve, in our place.  

God is perfect and the only way to know Him is to be perfect, but we aren’t, are we?  Jesus’ life and death for us provides a way for us to be perfect in the sight of God.  To be forgiven and to have the record of Jesus’ perfect life given to us.  Like someone taking a test for you and passing with distinction, except much more important!

4. What you need to do

Being forgiven and coming back into a relationship with God is not automatic.  We have to own and acknowledge that we have been living independently of God and not according to His ways (sin) and decide to change that.

This also involves trusting Jesus to pay for your sins and not trust in your own goodness. There is nothing we can do to earn His love and forgiveness, it is a free gift that just needs to be received. You can pray in your own words and ask Jesus to come into your life.  See also the Come & See Page.

5. Paradise restored

When you become a disciple of Jesus, a Christian, you are given eternal life. Eternal life describes both the quality of new life that God gives you and its duration. In the here and now there is nothing more satisfying than knowing God personally. It doesn’t mean life will be easy, in fact for thousands of persecuted Christians around the world it’s very hard. And being a Christian might not win you any popularity contests today. For many there is a cost to following Jesus. But you will have a new spiritual family and God the Holy Spirit in you.

Eternal life also means that when you die you will be received into Heaven; your faith in Jesus means your sin will not keep you out. Heaven will be amazing! However, Heaven is not our final destination because when Jesus returns to this world, He will renew the current earth and heavens. We will, once again, live with Him in paradise.

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