And while it's easy to say "the Gospel is simply Jesus Christ", the truth is that there is one very specific element of Jesus' time on earth that is THE critical element of the Gospel, the one irreplaceable detail without which there is no "good news", no "Gospel".
Think about it: why did the Son of God come to live an earthly life to begin with?
Not to teach, although He did that and did it profoundly.
Not to heal, although He did more of that than any prophet or doctor who ever lived.
Not even to die and be resurrected, although that is part of it.
In order to understand the good news, you must first come to terms with the BAD news:
There IS a Hell, and more people are going to Hell when they die than to Heaven.
"But why would a loving God send people to Hell?", we hear non-Christians ask a thousand times over (and, unfortunately, a large number of supposed Christians who apparently have never read the Bible).
Here's the answer, in case you're one of either category: Because He is both the God of Love AND the God of Justice.
As the God of Justice, He cannot let sin go unpunished.
But as the God of Love, He sent His only Son down to earth, to lead a sinless, perfect life (without which the rest of this would all be moot!), to suffer the torturous PUNISHMENT for every sin that every man and woman who EVER LIVED deserved for their sins, including his heinous, undeserved death on the cross, and to then be resurrected on the third day as He had "predicted", thus proving His Deity and right to be recognized as the Son of God.
That is the key to the Gospel.
Jesus Christ suffered and died to pay the price for YOUR sins, yours and mine and everyone else's, solely because He could live a perfect life and have no sins of His own, and that was because He was and is fully man and also fully God Himself.
The demands of the God of Justice have been fulfilled.
The only catch is that, like a defendant in a court of law, you must accept the agreement.
Picture this: you're standing in the Courtroom of Eternity. (And we all will someday, whether you believe any of this or not.) God is the Judge. Christ is your attorney.
The court reads the charges - and remember, one sin is enough to keep you out of Heaven, and therefore cast you into Hell. And like every other human who has ever lived, you've committed WAY more than one sin. Probably way more than one sin today, but that's immaterial. One is enough to bar your entrance to Heaven.
Then your Attorney presents your "plea bargain".
"Your Honor, I would like My punishment to take the place of his, if he will accept My sacrifice on his behalf."
What an amazing offer! All you have to do is accept this plea bargain, and you're going to Heaven instead of Hell!
So...accept Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection, and thus His Lordship as God, and your punishment will be completely revoked and you will through the unwarranted Grace of a Loving God be welcomed into Heaven.
Do you accept?
PS - you need to decide that BEFORE you get to the Courtroom! There's no way to prove your acceptance by that point, because once you're in the presence of God, obedience is mandatory and complete. You have no choice then and there.
So you must choose before you die. It can be right before you die, no matter how unfair that may sound, but again: God is an infinitely loving God. Any loophole He can give you, He will.
What is the Gospel? The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus Christ came to earth, fully man and fully God, lived a perfect, sinless life, and then accepted the punishment for OUR sins that we rightfully deserved simply so WE would have the opportunity to accept His free Gift, His unwarranted "plea bargain", and go to Heaven instead of Hell. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you will spend Eternity in Heaven rather than Hell.
There are thousands of benefits on this side of the veil to being a Christian, but this is what the Gospel is truly about.
Our eternal destination.
Heaven is not for "good" people - there ARE no "good" people.
Heaven is for forgiven people.
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