Got Questions? 2-24-18

Hey guys! Welcome to "Got Questions?", the Spiritual Life article for this year. I am Hudson Roseboom, the Sprititual Life Leader. In this article I will answer any of your questions about the Bible, God, or anything in the Christian faith. This month's article was written by my intern, Ariel Martinez.

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel, or the Good News, is simply about what Jesus did for our salvation. It's about Jesus’ life, what He taught, and especially what He did on the cross.

In the very beginning, everything was perfect. Everything was in perfect harmony with each other. Adam and Eve had a close relationship with God. There was no hatred, death, disease, etc. But then one day, as we know, all of that changed. The serpent went to Eve and tricked her into eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (the one in the center of the garden of which God specifically said not to eat). Eve gave the fruit to Adam to eat, and sin entered the world. (Genesis 3:1-7) With sin came shame, disease, hatred, hurt, and sadness.

From then on, things went downhill in a sense. One of the biggest things, as I just mentioned, was sin. Because of sin all perfection was gone. Instead, people started making mistakes and having mess-ups. Nobody was perfect. Nobody in the world was without sin. People had to be forgiven of their sins, and there had to be some way. In the Old Testament, people were forgiven by sacrificing animals. But when Jesus came, all of that changed.

The biggest thing Jesus did was die on the cross. Yes, He did do many miracles and had many great teachings, but that’s not all of it. He came to earth; God sent Him to die for us; to die for our sins. (1 Peter 2:24) So, what is the Gospel? The Good News? Well, it's what I just said. Jesus was one hundred percent innocent, yet He died just for us. We were the guilty ones - not Him! We were the ones that rebelled and messed up. Yet, because of God's love, mercy, kindness, grace, God decided to send His Son so that we may have redemption. Because of Jesus, we have salvation, and if we accept the gift of salvation, we’ll have everlasting life!

In simple terms, because of Jesus, things can be a lot better. Did everything become perfect when Jesus died on the cross? NO! But because of Jesus, our sins can be forgiven. When we accept the gift of salvation, we’ll have everlasting life. He’s kind of like a bridge between us and the Father in a sense. We can have a personal relationship with God ourselves anyone can. Anybody can have a relationship with God if we just focus on Him and pursue Him. So, no, Jesus coming did not make things perfect BUT the good news is, because of Jesus we have hope. He is our living hope-and that is the Gospel.

1 Peter 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

The only way that this article can survive is through your questions!

Please send me any questions you might have!

Have a great month!

Your friend in Christ,

Hudson Roseboom, SLL