The News: Gospel Of the Kingdom Of God

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

The good news (gospel) is that God will forgive our sin. In other words, He will stop feeling angry towards us, and cancel our debt or penalty of our sin. That penalty is death—eternal punishment and separation from God in hell (Matthew 10:28; 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:6–10). What follows are the basic facts as to what separates us from God, and how friendly relations can be restored between us and God.

God created the heavens and the earth, and therefore it all belongs to Him; that includes all human beings (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1). God is perfectly holy, and expects the same from us (Leviticus 11:44; Matthew 5:48; 1 Peter 1:14–16). Additionally, God requires that we completely obey His law (James 2:8–11). Since we have broken God’s law, we are subject to pay the penalty for our sin through death and eternal separation from God (Genesis 2:16–17; Romans 3:10; 23; James 1:15).

We are unable to keep all of God’s laws, and we are unable to save ourselves from the penalty of sin through doing good works, so, we are in need of a substitute to pay the penalty for us (Titus 3:5; Romans 6:23). That substitute is Jesus Christ. Thank God that He sent His Son to earth as God, and sinless man; God in the flesh (Colossians 2:6, 9; Philippians 2:5–7). Jesus was accepted by God to die as a man, a sacrifice that paid in full the penalty for our sin (Acts 2:22–23). This demonstrated His love for us (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was buried in a tomb, and as promised, He rose from the dead on the third day and is alive today (1 Corinthians 15:3–8).

God requires that we repent of all sin, and everything that dishonors Him (Isaiah 55:7; Luke 9:23; Acts 17:30). The kindness of God is what leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). To receive the forgiveness offered by God we must confess Jesus as Lord, and believe God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9–10). After being witnessed by over five hundred of His followers after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God (1 Corinthians 15:5–8; Acts 1:9; 2:32–33; 5:31–32).