What is the Gospel?
The Gospel is the good news from heaven that God has rescued us in Jesus.
That begs the question, “What are we rescued from?”
The Bible tells us that we are rescued from our own hearts of rebellion against God, something called “sin.” Sin breaks our relationship with God, which results in misery, guilt, and death. On our own, we cannot put things right. We cannot be our own savior.
Remarkably, God in his amazing mercy sent his only Son into the world to live the good life we could not live, to die the death we deserve, and to rise to new life, the life we receive by faith alone, through God’s grace alone.
This is why J.I. Packer defines the gospel in three simple words: “God saves sinners.” The gospel is not about joining some divine rehab program; it’s about receiving the gift of God’s finished work in Jesus.
While the gospel is simple, it is endlessly rich. As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:16, it is “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” That is why at New City, the gospel is the animating, driving force and foundation for all that we are and all that we do.