The Gospel

THE INVITATION

The Gospel is God’s message to His creation, a story written before the world began, crafted with the purpose of reaching your ears and heart. So listen closely. This is not just a story to hear, but a truth to receive. A message meant to change your heart. It is the Good News of God’s redemptive plan for your very soul. Come and see.

THE BEGINNING

From the very beginning of creation, God created mankind with purpose. 

"So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” - Genesis 1:27 (NLT)

God created both man and woman in His image, meaning our very purpose is to reflect Him. As His image bearers, every person has equal worth and God-given value, and built into our very design, is a calling to display His character. As we move forward, these truths will come together with even greater clarity.

Our fall from grace was our own doing, a pattern as old as humanity itself. Adam and Eve chose to trust themselves over God. The same choice we repeat daily whenever we seek to rule our own lives instead of trusting the One who made us.

This set into motion God’s redemptive plan, foreshadowed and prophesied throughout the Old Testament, all pointing to the coming Messiah.

THE MESSIAH

The Messiah, or Christ, which means ‘Anointed One’, is a central figure to the Jewish Scriptures with hundreds of prophecies and foreshadowing events pointing to Him.

Isaiah, one of Israel’s great prophets, wrote about the coming Messiah. In Isaiah 53, he gives a powerful prophecy that foreshadows the very heart of the Gospel.

“But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” - Isaiah 53:5-6 (NLT)

This prophecy, given 700 years prior, was perfectly fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The Jewish Messiah who fulfilled at least 300 other prophecies just like that one.

For what purpose? As said in Isaiah, He bore the punishment for our sins. Each of us has turned from God's way to go after our own selfish desires. In doing so, we not only turned our backs on Him, but committed treason against the very Creator of all things. Christ willingly bore our sins, in order to save us from destruction and open the path of reconciliation with God. 

THE PROBLEM

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ” - Romans 3:23-24 (NLT)

We all know what it feels like when someone lies, hurts, insults, or steals from us. And we all recognize true evil when we see it, whether in everyday life or in the great horrors of history like the Holocaust. This universal understanding of right and wrong reveals something important: morality is not just a personal opinion. For us to call something truly good or evil, there must be a standard higher than human preference. That means there is a Moral Law, and a Moral Lawgiver who defines it.

When we break this moral standard, this is what the Bible refers to as sin. Sin is anything in thought, word, or action that falls short of God’s perfect character, and it separates us from Him. The word itself means ‘to miss the mark,’ and God’s character is that mark that every one of us has missed.

Just as darkness is the absence of light and cold is the absence of heat, evil is the absence of good. Sin is the absence of love. Whenever we turn from God, who is the standard of good, we inevitably turn toward corruption, because we are cutting ourselves off from the only source of goodness.

THE JUST JUDGE

Many people assume they are ‘good’ at heart, that their good deeds outweigh their bad. But if we’re honest, every one of us can admit to lying, hurting others, speaking harshly, acting selfishly, or harboring hatred or lust. Each of these breaks God’s moral law. Even by our own standards we fall short, and by God’s perfect standard, we stand guilty.

If you were to stand before a just judge having committed a crime, he would have to punish you for your crime. You couldn't persuade a just judge to let you off simply because you have done good too. No murderer could escape a just judge simply by pointing to good deeds. And Jesus taught that even hatred is judged as murder in the heart by the Moral Judge. After all, He sees not only your actions but the very motives of your heart.

This is how it is with God. He is a just Judge, and no amount of good deeds can erase your guilt. The sentence for rejecting God and His mercy is separation from Him; and since God is the source of all goodness, love, joy, and life, that separation is hell.

Of all the world's religions, only one has provided the solution to this dilemma. Christ took our punishment upon Himself.

Just as if you had a speeding ticket, and someone came and paid the fine for you, you are no longer held responsible for the fine. Christ came and paid our fine. He settled our debt.

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.” - Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT)

THE SOLUTION

Why couldn’t God simply overlook our sin? Because if He is truly just, He must hold every one of us accountable for the evil we’ve committed. Just like in a courtroom, justice demands recompense. As we are told in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death”. This means that death is the cost for sin, not just physical death, but spiritual death through separation from God. The only way payment for this penalty was possible was for a sinless life to pay the penalty for our sinful life.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

In order to pay the penalty we deserved, the sacrifice had to be invaluable. Jesus, sinless and perfect, died in our place. But no mere man could bear the full weight of humanity’s sin. Only God Himself could offer a sacrifice great enough to pay for all sin, for all people, for all time. And so God, in Christ, paid it Himself.

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” - Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)

THE SAVIOR

God Himself entered into His creation, into the human experience, in order to pay our debt that kept us separated from Him. 

Imagine an author writing himself into a story, or a game designer entering his game through an avatar. Though far from perfect analogies, they can help you understand God entering a lesser realm while still reigning in Heaven.

Our God humbled Himself by becoming a man, not demanding to be served, but came to serve by paying our debt. The Creator stepped into His creation to save us, yet we mocked Him, spit on Him, struck Him, scourged Him, and murdered Him. And He allowed it. He willingly endured the most excruciating and humiliating death imaginable for you. To reconcile… YOU.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ” - 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NLT)

It's through this reconciliation that we become a new creation, different than we were before. His sacrifice on the cross cleansed us of our sin. Knowing that none could be saved, our God subjected Himself to suffering to be the very Savior we needed.

THE HOPE

But the story didn’t end there. To prove He was who He claimed to be, Jesus rose from the grave on the third day, just as He promised. His resurrection declared His power over sin and death and became the foundation of our hope, that we too will be raised to new life. He was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life to make us right with God. His empty tomb is the proof that His work is finished, His promises are true, and our faith is not in vain.

“for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” - Romans 4:24-25 (NLT)

Christ did this not because we earned it, for nothing we do could ever repay it. He offers forgiveness and righteousness as a gift of unmerited grace, received by faith.

THE GIFT

What is this belief or faith in Christ? It is trust. Trusting that Christ paid for your sins on the cross and rose the third day, overcoming death. Not trusting in the works of your own hands or worthiness, but simply trusting in the promise and works of Christ. True faith humbly admits what pride never will: we cannot save ourselves. Only God can.

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” - Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

When you pay for a gift, it is no longer a gift but something purchased. How then do you purchase something you are incapable of paying for? You don’t. That’s what makes it grace, because Christ took upon Himself the debt you owed, and paid the penalty you deserved. That’s what you put your faith in.

Faith in Christ is like a trust fall. You allow yourself to fall because you trust the one behind you will catch you, trusting in the will and works of another. Someone who doesn’t trust attempts to catch themselves. In the same way, true faith rests in Christ’s work, not in our own efforts.

How then do good works fit into salvation? Although our works play no part in saving us, because salvation comes from trusting Christ alone, genuine faith will produce good works.

THE FAITH

It’s important that we fully clarify faith. Faith isn’t exclusively a mental assent to accept something as true; rather, genuine faith produces the byproduct of faithfulness. Faithfulness is that which naturally emanates from faith, just like how light emits from the light source.

If you claimed to believe a cup of water was poisoned but proceeded to drink it, either you desired death or you did not genuinely believe your claim. Genuine faith placed in Christ produces change. Not as a forced requirement to pay for your salvation, but rather it is the natural result of genuine faith. Just like how fruit grows naturally from a good tree, so too do good works emerge naturally from living faith.

“For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.” - Titus 2:11-14 (NLT)

Good works can’t buy what God gives freely; rather, they are the result of the change God creates in you through faith. Titus tells us it is Christ who purifies us, not we ourselves. This transforming work is called sanctification: God’s Spirit shaping us to reflect His love. The Holy Spirit softens our hearts, cleanses us from sin, and produces in us the character of Christ. So even our good works are ultimately His work done through us, not achieved by us.

Think of it this way: if someone pulled you back from the brink of death at the cost of their own life, would you return to the very thing that almost destroyed you? No. Your gratitude would turn you away from it. Anyone who truly grasps the cost of such a gift would be changed, moved to love the one who saved them.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” - Romans 5:8 (NLT)

THE PURPOSE

This brings us to one of the last major points to understand. Why would the God of the entire universe care to save me? Love.

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” - 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Even while we were actively rebelling against God, He loved us. Though He despised the sin that flowed from our proud, wayward hearts, His love moved Him to endure humiliation and death at the hands of His own creation. In this single act, God satisfied both His perfect justice and perfect love. There was only one way it could be done, and the reason He did it was love. A humble, merciful, sacrificial, and utterly selfless love.

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” - John 15:12-13 (NLT)

Love isn’t merely an emotion, but a willingness to sacrifice oneself for another. Its foundation is a selfless heart and is in stark contrast to that of a selfish one. Christ clarifies that the ultimate form of selflessness is the greatest form of love. Love is expressed through the selfless action of putting the needs of another before your own. The very command He left His disciples with was to live as He lived, by loving as He loved.

THE CALLING

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” - 1 John 4:16 (NLT)

Now we have come full circle. God created mankind in His image, and since His very nature is love, we were created to be a reflection of His love. This is why every one of us desires to love and be loved. We were created by love for love. 

Biblical love goes beyond emotion or acceptance; it acts selflessly for another’s true good. Real love doesn’t leave us where we are but helps us become who we were created to be. God’s love does exactly this: He calls us out of darkness and shapes us through repentance into the likeness of His Son.

In Scripture, the word repent means to turn, like making a full 180-degree change of direction. We were walking away from God, but His love calls us to turn back to Him and to our original purpose: to love. Love is the natural outflow of genuine faith, the fruit that true faith always bears.

“For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus... What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” - Galatians 5:6 (NLT)

The Gospel is more than accepting the facts that Christ lived, died, and rose again. It is a message meant to shape the heart, not merely inform the mind. Through His sacrifice, Christ not only saved us but taught us how to live. To love others, as He loved us.

This is why when it is truly understood, John 3:16 demonstrates the perfect summary of the heart of the Gospel: Love.

“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)

If you have understood this message and wish to trust Christ, talk to Him now. Let it flow from a heart coming before Him in humility. Something like this is a good place to start: ‘Jesus, I believe You died for my sins and rose again. Forgive me, make me new, and teach me to follow You.’ 

THE REBEL AND THE KING

Stories are a great way to help someone understand a complex topic. Christ used them to teach, and although His life as read in the Bible is the Gospel, let’s illustrate the Gospel with a story.

There once was a just and loving king, adored by his entire kingdom. He cared for the poor, protected the weak, and showed mercy to all.

But among them lived a man known as the Rebel, one who extorted the townspeople, burning the homes and shops of anyone who refused him. When word reached the king, he issued a death sentence for the Rebel. Eventually the Rebel was captured, and to the king’s heartbreak, it was his own son. Yet because he was just, the king declared the sentence must stand.

When the executioner raised his blade, the king suddenly cried, “Stop!” He removed his royal robe, wrapped it around his son, then placed himself over him and said, “Continue.” The executioners obeyed their king. As he lay dying, he whispered to his son, “Love others… as I have loved you.”

The prince rose, pardoned by his father’s sacrifice, and in time became a just and compassionate king like him. He showed mercy to the people entrusted to him, and every time he looked at the robe he had been given, he remembered the grace that saved him.

We are the Rebel, each of us living for ourselves. Yet our Father took the punishment we deserved, simply because He loves us. He loves YOU. And His sacrifice not only saves, but shows us how to live, letting His love shine through us.

Now is the time to put your faith in Christ. You never know if there will be a tomorrow. Today is the day of Salvation!

WHATS NEXT?

If you sincerely entrusted your life to Christ, you can be confident that you are saved. Though you will face struggles and may stumble at times, He will never leave you. Write down the day you trusted Him, and whenever you feel distant, return to this moment and remember the confidence you have in Christ.

I, __________________________________________ gave my life to Christ on 

_____________________, and I can have full confidence that He saved me from my sins and has made me new to love others as He has loved me!

The best place to start your new walk with Christ is to learn more about Him! Check out the Bible App for a quick and convenient way to read the Bible from your smartphone. 

Bible App

The Book of John is a great place to begin to learn more about the love of Christ.

Check out the NLT version of the Bible for an easy to read and understand option for your first read through. The BSB is another excellent option.

Welcome to the one family in Christ!

THE AFTERWORD

If someone placed this Gospel in your pocket, it’s because they care for you. Not only your physical life, but your eternal one. Anyone can offer water, but true love leads you to the fountain of living water, the One who gives eternal life (John 4).

They cared enough to share the Good News with you. Now let that same love move through you. Pass this Gospel on. Put it in someone else’s pocket. Become part of the movement to share the Love that Saves.

Imagine the kind of world we would live in if everyone loved as Jesus loved.

Share your testimony and a picture of your Pocket Gospel on social media and help spread the movement to put a Gospel in every pocket!

#ThePocketGospel