The Good News
What Is the Gospel?
The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, God who came in human flesh, came to rescue us from our sin and bring us back into right relationship with God.
Our sin is that we have broken God’s moral law. None of us could fulfill God’s righteous standard on our own. But Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life, fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, and then died on the cross to pay the debt we owed.
He was buried, rose from the dead on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for those who belong to Him.
God now calls us to repent and put our faith in Jesus Christ. Through Christ, our sin debt is paid, we are brought into right standing with God, and we begin a new life under the rule of the King.
That is the gospel: Jesus came, Jesus died, Jesus rose, and through faith in Him, we are reconciled to God.
Matthew 4:17
Coming Under the Rule of the King
The Problem
God is holy, righteous, and perfect, and His righteous standard must be fulfilled. But every one of us has broken His moral law. None of us has lived a perfectly holy and sinless life before Him.
Because God is just, sin cannot simply be ignored. Left to ourselves, we stand guilty before God and under His judgment.
The Solution
Jesus came into the world as truly God and truly man. He lived the life we could not live — perfectly fulfilling God’s righteous requirements, living without sin, and fulfilling the Law and the Prophets.
Then Jesus went to the cross. Although He had no sin of His own, He took upon Himself the judgment our sin deserved. He died in our place and paid the debt we could never pay.
But the gospel does not end at the cross. Jesus was buried, rose from the dead on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in power, interceding for those who belong to Him.
The Response
Repentance begins when God reveals the truth and opens our understanding to recognize that we have sinned against Him and cannot save ourselves. We turn from our old way of seeing, believing, and living, and we turn toward Jesus Christ.
Faith means placing our trust completely in who Jesus is and in what He has accomplished through His perfect life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection.
And the first step of obedience in this new life is baptism — the believer’s public identification with Jesus Christ.
The Exchange
When we repent and put our trust in Christ, we are no longer depending upon our own righteousness. Christ took our unrighteousness upon Himself at the cross, and His righteousness is credited to us. Through Him, our sin debt is paid, we are forgiven, and we are brought into right standing with God.
The King has come. The gospel has been revealed.
Repent, believe, be baptized, and follow Jesus Christ.
And How It Takes Hold
The gospel begins with God revealing the King and His kingdom. That revelation brings understanding. Understanding calls us to repentance. Repentance turns us from our old way of seeing and living, and faith turns us toward Jesus Christ as Lord.
And that response to the gospel also includes baptism.
How the Gospel Moves
From Revelation to Wisdom
Revelation
God reveals Christ and His kingdom.
Understanding
I understand what has been revealed.
Conviction
That truth exposes where I have been wrong.
Repentance
I repent and turn toward God.
Faith
I believe the gospel.
Baptism
I identify publicly with Christ.
Obedience
I begin walking in obedience to what God has revealed.
Godly Wisdom
I live under the rule of the King.
Identification with Christ
Why Baptism Matters
Baptism is the public, obedient identification of the believer with the Christ whom God has revealed. It declares that I am no longer identifying with the old life, the old kingdom, and the old way of seeing. I now belong to Christ.
Romans 6:3–4 pictures baptism as identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, while Matthew 28:19 places baptism directly within the making of disciples.
Baptism is not merely a church ceremony added later to the Christian experience. In the New Testament, baptism belongs to the response of discipleship. It is the believer saying publicly, “I have seen the truth of who Jesus is. I believe Him. I am turning from the old life, and I now identify myself with the King and His kingdom.”
Acts 2
Cut to the Heart
When Peter preaches the gospel in Acts 2 and the people are “cut to the heart,” they ask, “What shall we do?” Peter answers, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation had come through the preaching of Christ. Understanding and conviction followed. Repentance was demanded. Faith turned them toward Christ. Baptism became the outward response of identification with the One they had now believed.
That brings us right back to Jesus’ proclamation: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The King has been revealed. The gospel has been heard. The response is not merely to admire the message, nor merely to feel sorrow over sin. The response is to repent, believe, be baptized, and begin walking in obedient wisdom under the rule of the King.
Have You Responded to the King?
If God is revealing Christ to you, or if you are ready to be baptized, we would count it a joy to talk and pray with you. Come and see us on Sunday, or reach out any time.