What is the gospel?
The "Gospel" is good news. This page explains this good news according to the Bible in about ten minutes.
The Gospel in Seven Steps
Approx. 10 minutes · According to the Bible (Chinese Union Version)
The Most Important Question
What happens after death?
God
Holy! Holy! Holy!
Man
There is no one righteous, not even one.
Judgment
It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.
The Cross
The righteous for the unrighteous.
Resurrection
He was raised on the third day.
Response
Repent and believe the gospel!
The Most Important Question Today
Every day, we deal with big and small problems: What should we eat today? Will the work get done? How are the family? However, we rarely stop to ask: What happens after death?
Many people think that as long as they are good people and follow the rules, things shouldn't be too bad after death. However, if there is a God who created the heavens and the earth, the question is no longer "Do I think I am good?" but "According to His standards, am I a good person?" This question is too important to answer based on feelings alone.
According to His standards,
Am I a good person?
God is Holy and Just
The first sentence of the Bible says: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) God is our Creator. Our lives come from Him, and we will have to give an account to Him in the future.
God is holy. The prophet Isaiah saw seraphim in a vision calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."Isaiah 6:3
God is also righteous. "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you." (Psalm 89:14) A righteous judge cannot overlook sin. God gave us His law, the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20), to show us His standards.
Man's Problem:
We have all violated God's law
Let's honestly examine ourselves with the Ten Commandments:
By this standard, no one can claim to be a good person. As it is written:
There is no one righteous, not even one.Romans 3:10
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Even violating just one commandment means violating God's law: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10)
The law itself cannot save us; its purpose is to make us aware of our sin: "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, it is through the law that we become conscious of sin." (Romans 3:20)
Are you a good person?
Take a few minutes to examine yourself according to God's Ten Commandments.
CantoneseJudgment and Hell are Real
This is the most difficult part, but we cannot hide it.
"According to fate, everyone has a death, and after death there will be judgment."Hebrews 9:27
The wages of sin: "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Jesus himself warned: "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
The Bible says that those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus (see 2 Thessalonians 1:8) "will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
Since God is just, He must judge sin. This raises the biggest question:
The Biggest Question
How can a just God forgive sinners
and still be just?
The Good News: Christ Died for Sinners
God did not lower His standards; instead, He personally provided a way of salvation.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."John 3:16
The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to earth. He is truly God and truly man, and lived a life of perfect obedience to God's law, without sin.
On the cross, He bore the punishment that sinners deserve. The prophet foretold this:
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).
This is God's love: "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
Since the penalty for sin has been borne by Christ, God can forgive those who believe in Christ and still be just: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Christ Rose from the Dead
Jesus truly died and was buried; on the third day, His body was raised from the dead, and the tomb was empty.
"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"1 Corinthians 15:3–4
The resurrected Jesus was not a ghost. He said to His disciples: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have" (Luke 24:39). Later, He appeared to many others, including more than five hundred at one time (see 1 Corinthians 15:5–8).
The resurrection proves that Jesus is who He claimed to be and that God accepted His sacrifice. God has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead (see Acts 17:31).
The Bible also frankly states: "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17). The foundation of the gospel is what God truly accomplished in history.
Your Response: Repent and Trust in Christ
Salvation is not earned by good works: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8–9)
The response God requires is repentance and faith. Jesus said:
"Repent and believe in the gospel!"Mark 1:15
repent
To admit your sin before God, to be sorrowful for your sin, and to resolve to turn away from sin and turn to God.
Faith
To stop relying on your own good deeds and to trust solely in Jesus Christ and His salvation accomplished for sinners on the cross.
Repentance and faith are not merits by which we earn salvation, but the means by which we receive God's free grace. The Bible clearly lays out two paths: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:36)
God "commands people everywhere to repent." (Acts 17:30) Please do not leave this for "later." Seriously consider today:
Are you willing to repent and believe in Jesus Christ?
Are you willing to respond?
If you understand that you are a sinner and are willing to repent and believe in Jesus Christ; or if you still have questions and would like to talk to someone, please turn to the next page.
WhatsApp: +852 6355 1366