The Gospel in Five Minutes

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16-17

I grew up in the southern United States right on the fifth notch of the Bible Belt, and there is one thing I know for sure about the place I am from—many have not heard the gospel. I live in a cultural phenomenon where many are raised with Jesus being a common household name (or, common explicative), but they have no or little awareness of the true living God’s character and His power to save. So, I would like to start with the gospel, and every once in a while I will come back to it again.

My husband and I believe the good news of Jesus is not just for unbelievers. We, devoted followers of Jesus, need to hear it frequently—if not daily. It refreshes our soul and evokes praise to our Father. We have seen the power of the gospel in action when told both to unbelievers and those who are fervent followers of Jesus. Just this past week, we saw how sharing the gospel with a devoted follower of Jesus prepared her heart for miraculous reconciliation with another believer in our church.

So whether or not you are a seasoned Christian or you’ve never heard the good news of Jesus, I hope this five minute telling of the gospel informs and refreshes your spirit.

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The world is broken. You and I know this because we see and experience it every day. Marriages fall apart, children endure abuse, nations are at war, the elderly are often forgotten, racism is rampant. The world is broken.

But God did not originally create the world in this way. He originally created the world in perfect and peaceful order, and humans walked in perfect and right relationship with their Creator without sickness and without death. And because God is love, he did not hold humans captive in right relationship with Him, but He gave them a choice—to either trust that He is good and to obey His good commands, or to follow their own desires and disobey their Creator.

Those first humans who walked with God chose to disobey Him and follow their own desires. This decision resulted in a great divide between humans and God, and—since the beginning—all humanity has continued to walk away from God in disobedience. This disobedience is called sin, and sin is what led to the broken world we live in today that ends in death for every living thing.

But God is love. And despite our decision to reject His commands and to determine our own path, He had in mind—since the beginning of the world—a plan to restore us to right relationship with Him again. He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to accomplish the otherwise impossible for us. Jesus lived this human life in perfect and right relationship with God. Jesus is our ultimate example of what it means to walk in right relationship with our Creator. Being the only human that has ever walked the earth without sin, Jesus then gave His life as a payment for the sin of the world. He died on the cross—nailed there by the very humans He came to save. But, He did not stay dead. Three days after He died on the cross, Jesus rose from the dead—conquering death and sin. Today, Jesus sits alive—in His human body—at the right hand of God our Creator in Heaven, ruling over Creation.

Jesus told the people who witnessed His life, “If anyone believes in him [Jesus], they will not perish but have eternal life.” If a person believes that Jesus is the Son of God and they repent of their sin acknowledging Jesus as Lord, their soul will be given new life and they will walk in right relationship with God our Creator once again.

Although we may turn and follow Jesus as King and walk in right relationship with our Creator again, it does not mean we will not suffer in this world. This world is still shrouded in sin, and there are many who do not know the saving power of Jesus our King. And even within ourselves when we become believers, we will continue to battle temptation to disobey the Lord and go our own way—but not without help. When we become followers of Jesus, God provides us with His Holy Spirit— a Helper for us who reminds us of God’s mercy and love and strengthens us to walk in right relationship with Him.

There will come a day when Jesus will return to the earth and God will make all things new again. As followers of Jesus, we are promised that we will inherit this new kingdom—where sin and death will exist no more and all will walk in right relationship with the Father.

See, from the beginning of time—our all-knowing Creator has been writing a beautiful redemptive story, a testament of His love for us.

So, I have a question for you. Where are you today? Is Jesus King over your life and are you walking in right relationship with your Creator God? Or are you far from God, living with brokenness in your spirit?

Our Creator made it simple for us—if we believe that Jesus is our Savior and we follow Him, we will be saved.

If you have questions about salvation or would like to learn more in scripture—please visit my contact page. I would love to start a conversation with you or put you in contact with a trusted church resource in your area.