When Jesus began his ministry, the Bible tells us,
“Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” – Mark 1:14-15
Before his ascension after the resurrection, Jesus summarized the gospel for his followers, telling them,
“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:46-48
In short, the gospel is about Jesus dying and rising again to forgive people’s sins. It is open and available to anyone who repents and believes that Jesus Christ is our savior.
The Apostle Paul, whose letters to the early church comprise most of the New Testament and explain many of the concepts rather clearly, reminds us what the gospel is at its core in his letter to the church in Corinth.
“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.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Again, it’s clear: the gospel is that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. In dying for our sins, he sacrificed himself for us, fully paying the debt of the sins we commit against God our Father. Therefore, anyone who chooses to repent and believe in him is forgiven. As Jesus proclaimed in John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
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