The gospel is the good news about what God, in His great love, has done through Jesus Christ. Here is the basic message of the gospel.
1. The one and only God is the Creator of all things, has authority over all things, and is worthy of our worship and obedience (1 Chronicles 29:11; Nehemiah 9:6; Revelation 4:11). God is gracious, compassionate, and perfect in moral purity and justice (Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 103:8; Deuteronomy 32:4).
2. God has made us in his image to know, enjoy, and obey Him (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 16:11). Instead we have all rebelled against Him and failed to obey His will (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:1-3). We are sinners and are objects of God’s righteous wrath, judgment, and condemnation (Psalm 14:1; Matthew 10:28; Ephesians 2:11-12; Titus 3:3).
3. In his great love, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to rescue his people from the judgment they deserve because of their sin (Romans 5:6-8; Hebrews 9:27-28). Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s commandments, He died on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of His people, and He rose from the dead and is the Savior of all who put their trust in Him (Luke 24:46-47; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18).
4. All who turn away from a life of disobedience and unbelief and put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9). This salvation is a gift of grace which we could never earn or deserve (Ephesians 2:8-9). For those who have come to faith in Jesus Christ, God gives His Holy Spirit to renew and transform their lives on earth and they will live forever with Him in heaven where evil and judgment are replaced with joy and gladness (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 22:3-5).
The Bible summarizes the gospel in these words:
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.