What Is The Gospel of Christ And Why Should It Matter To You
It took a long time for me to write this post because I did not know where to start. The gospel of Christ or salvation is a huge topic, and I feared that I might not be able to represent it all in a single post.
But I decided to do it anyway.
Because everyone should hear about the beauty of the gospel of Christ.
In case you’re new to the blog, I’m Wangui Hinga, a young Christian and a believer that salvation is the best gift that God offered to mankind.
I know that there’s much to discuss, so I’ll start with a basic introduction.
Who is Jesus and what does he have to do with the gospel of Christ?
For most people, they know Jesus Christ as the son of God. Maybe you have heard of the man who died on the cross to die for sinners. What you may not understand is that Jesus Christ is also God, the Son.
He is part of the trinity described in the bible as three persons in one- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
In John 10:30 Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” Further confirming that Christ is God made flesh to reconcile us back to Himself.
Christ is also the savior and the one and only way to have eternal life.
Why do we need salvation?
But I’m a good person?
This is one objection that many have regarding salvation. After all, why would one require salvation if they are not a murderer, a thief, an adulterous person, or even a substantially greater sin?
However, there is no bigger or lesser sin. But, some sins have greater consequences than others.
We need salvation because we are imperfect and sinful beings
We all need salvation. The scriptures in Romans 3:23, says “For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.”
No man or woman has walked on earth blameless, sinless, and perfect except Jesus Christ. We are sinners, and our sins alienate and keep us far from God. Sin entered the world after Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree.
By one man’s sin, we became sin. Therefore, we are all born sinners before the eyes of a perfect and holy God.
For us to be saved, and brought back to communion with our creator, we needed someone to take our faults as his own and have the anger and wrath of God upon him.
Our own works could not save us and even our best, humane actions to others, to the environment, or even to God could not give us what we truly need. Contentment and eternal life.
How then could God reconcile us to Himself?
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.”
God became man, to reconcile us to Himself. The father, God, sent his son Jesus Christ to live a perfect, blameless life and take our sins on himself. His death signified such depth that the entire land was dark for 3 hours.
His death meant that God’s wrath was on Jesus Christ. He who knew no sin had the sins of the entire world population on Him. To have the wrath of God upon him and die on the cross for yours and my sins.
He died, and took the sins we had committed, the ones we were committing, and the sins we would commit.
On the third day, just as Christ had promised, he was resurrected. (Came back to life.)
He now had power over death and our sins. We can have His grace only if we proclaim Him Lord and Saviour with our tongues and believe in our hearts.
Now he lives in the hearts and lives of those who confess that He alone is Christ, savior, and lord overall. He lives in those who believe in him, the repentant, and those who understand that they need salvation to have eternal life.
Why would God go to such lengths, even becoming a man to grant us salvation?
Because God understood that our sin would do us no good. He, being all-knowing, understood that there was no life in sin. Only death and an outpour of His wrath.
We are His children, He loves us and of course, He wants only the best for us. He had to become a man, live like one for more than 30 years, and be humiliated, rejected, cast out, shamed, and nailed to a tree.
All this so we could be taken from the Book of Death to the Book of Life. He did it so that we could not suffer the wrath and consequences that sin brought to humankind. Ultimate death, pain, and eternal suffering.
Psalms 136:26 Give thanks to the Lord, His love endures forever.
How do you get saved?
It’s only by the grace of God, our faith in him, and repentance of our sins. And even in all these, it’s Christ alone who grants us the grace and mercy to repent, believe, and find salvation.
In other words, good deeds will not give you salvation if you don’t believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and that He alone is the only way to the Father.
Just like a gift, you can not work your way to salvation. It’s a graciously given gift that we need to accept.
Ephesians: 2 8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
To be saved, we need to accept that yes, we are sinners, we are unworthy, and we are marred before a perfect and Holy God. Even our best and worthy works are like filthy rags to him.
We need to acknowledge that we are broken people in need of saving. That our sins have disconnected us from God’s perfect plan. To go back, we need to accept the loving and gracious gift that Christ gave us by dying on the cross.
We need to come before God, stay at His feet, and repent. We need to acknowledge His mercy and grace to save us from our sins which would otherwise lead to death.
What Happens after you are saved
You are a new creation
2nd Corinthians 5: 27– “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
The old you is gone, now you are a child of God, receiving His blessing and living life in communion with him. (It’s only the beginning of a long, wonderful, and sometimes hard journey.)
You are forgiven
1st John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Whatever your life looked like before salvation, God has cleansed it all. He has fully accepted you. And if you are struggling with some of your past life’s sins, God will help you through it.
He will guide you to consistently obey him, and fulfill your God-given purpose.
His love is beyond what the world is willing to offer you. It’s unconditional, perfect, and relentless.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
You get a lighter burden
Matthew 11:25-30-“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So many things happen when you are born again and accept Christ. And the loving sacrifice at the cross. We’ll talk more about it in a later post: the Gospel.
He loves you more than anyone ever will
More than anything, God loves you. He wants to walk with you all the days of your life. He wants to be your guide and give you the best. But it all starts with accepting the gift on the cross. By bringing your all, the good and the bad, and letting him have control.
There you have it.
The Gospel of Christ in a few words. Of course, there’s so much more. I’m planning on doing it in a series-like fashion to help you understand it more.
Let me know what you think so far. And in case you have a burning question, comment, or anything else, let me know in the comments.
Or send me an email through the contact page.
Remember, God loves you. It’s not too late to go back to Him. Because His arms are always wide open. You can read more about my story and the working of the gospel of Christ in my life in the next post.
In case you don’t have one, here is an online version of the RSV bible. If you prefer it offline, download the app from Google Play.
