Towards the end of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).

Our word "gospel" comes from a Greek term meaning "good news." It follows that there must have been some bad news for Paul and the New Testament authors to write about good news. According to the Bible, the not-so-good news is that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because we have sinned and committed acts that displease God, we are guilty. No one is innocent (Romans 3:10). The consequence and judgment of sin is death, not just physical death but eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). That is terrible news!

But God, who is rich in mercy and grace, demonstrated His great love by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8, NLT). As John reports, for this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NLT). God loves us so much that He provided the way to forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:5). On the cross, Jesus took on our sin and endured our punishment (1 Peter 2:24). As a result, there is now no condemnation for those who trust in Him because, through faith in Him, we have peace with God and eternal life (Romans 8:1; 5:1). This is fantastic news!

The gospel of Jesus paves the way for all people to be freed from sin and death and to obtain salvation and eternal life. It is the most important news anyone can ever receive. All we need to do to be saved is confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). God’s good news is for every person, but how we respond to this news is as important as the news itself. Indeed, what we do with Jesus determines our eternal future. 

If you have not embraced this good news by trusting Jesus as Lord, I invite you to make that decision today. If you know someone struggling to hold on to this good news, I encourage you to pray for them. If you know someone who has never heard this good news, I urge you to share it before Easter Sunday.