Free Bible

Before we can appreciate the good news, we must first face the bad news. We have a serious problem. God made us to rule the world under his authority, but we rejected him. We chose to live life our own way and on our own terms. The Bible calls this sin.

We see the effects of sin all around us—in our world and in our own hearts. But the most serious consequences are these: we all die, and we will face God’s judgment for our rebellion against him.

Our situation was hopeless—but this is where the good news begins. God loves the world he made. In fact, he loves it so much that he sent his divine Son into the world to rescue us. His name is Jesus. Jesus gladly came to rescue us from our sins. He did this by living the perfect life we should have lived. He obeyed God fully, which we failed to do. And more than this. Jesus also died in our place. By dying on the cross, he took the judgment that our sins deserve.  

We know that God accepted Jesus’s sacrifice in our place because God was pleased to raise Jesus from the dead. The resurrection is God’s great sign that Jesus is God’s Risen Ruler and the Judge of All the Earth. Jesus has conquered death and he alone can forgive all our sins. Because of his resurrection Jesus now offers to replace our wretched record with his righteous one. It is only this gracious exchange that gives us confidence to stand before Jesus when he returns to judge all people. 

The Bible is clear that we will respond to Jesus in one of two ways. We can refuse Jesus as God’s solution to our sin and reject him as God’s appointed ruler. That rejection may be open and hostile—or quiet and indifferent. Either way, it leaves us separated from God and facing the judgment we deserve. 

But the gospel tells us there is another way. We can receive Jesus as God’s gift for us by trusting in him and repenting of our sin. When we do this, Jesus’s righteousness is ours. He forgives our sins, gives us new life, and sends his Spirit to help us live for him. And this is new life isn’t temporary. Because Jesus has conquered death, he gives us eternal life—a life that we will enjoy with him forever.