There are those who would tell us that the Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus loves us. That is good news. But it is not The Good News.
Others might tell us that Jesus’ paid the price for our sins on the cross. That, too, is wonderful news. But it is also not The Good News.
The Good News of the Gospel is Jesus loves us, that He died for our sins, and that He has risen from the dead!
Jesus Loves Us
And so does God the Father. The Father’s love for us is demonstrated in the fact that “He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) It has been the Father’s desire to restore the relationship with Him that He originally intended until Adam’s disobedience separated us from fellowship with the Father.
It must be clearly understood that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, did not stop loving us, or Adam, or any of His creation since the beginning of time. He loves us, and He longs for us to love Him. But it took a special person to restore that relationship.
It is good news that He had a plan before He laid the foundation of the world. That’s good news! But it is not The Good News. At least, not by itself.
Jesus Paid the Price for Our Sins
Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, demonstrated His love for us in that He was willing to lay aside His incomparable glory, take on human flesh, and live a sinless life, obedient to God the Father in every way. (See Philippians 2)
By doing so, He became the perfect Lamb of God, the only earthly or heavenly being who was fully qualified to redeem us from the condemnation of sin. (John 3:18)
Even before He surrendered Himself to death on the cross, He comforted His followers, assuring them that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” that no one can come into a loving relationship with God the Father except through Jesus.
Jesus was now the way to come to God the Father. That’s really good news. But it is not The Good News. At least not entirely.
Jesus Has Risen from the Dead
That’s right! Jesus is alive!
Not only is that good news, but it is also The Good News!
You see, Jesus’ death on the cross did not change the fact that we will all die. To be really good news, Jesus had to conquer death’s power over us. And that is exactly what He did by arising from the dead. The author of Hebrews explained that Jesus came to free us from death. (Hebrews 2:15)
Because of His resurrection, Jesus becomes the first among a great harvest of resurrection. Even though we will die in the flesh as He did, in Christ, we shall also be made alive again.
If this sounds strange, I recommend reading 1 Corinthians 15. In that chapter, Paul said that “If Christ has not been raised, then [our] faith is useless and [we] are still guilty of [our] sins.” He went on to say that “If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are to be pitied.”
The Exclamation Point on the Good News!
Paul reminded the Corinthians that “there is an order to His resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back.”
We know Jesus is coming again. When He told His disciples that He is the only way to the Father, He also told them that He would be going to prepare a place for us – and that He will return again to take us to be with Him!
No Other Gospel
Let’s get the Good News right!
Jesus loves you is not the Good News – It is that He was crucified, risen, and is coming again.
For the sake of the souls around us, we must proclaim the whole Gospel.
“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8-9)
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
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