Becoming Good NewsSample

What Is the Good News? 

Have you ever heard Christians use the word "Gospel"? And do you know what it means? Maybe you heard it at church or read it in a Bible verse. It's actually a very important word to followers of Jesus. In fact, it's the heart of the whole Christian message.

Before we define what the Gospel is, let’s start with what the Gospel is not because that is typically where we get tripped up. 

If you ask most people what the Gospel is, you’ll hear something like this: 

“We’re all sinners in need of a savior. God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross so that anyone who believes in Him can be forgiven of their sins and go to Heaven when they die. And that’s the Gospel.” 

And, that definition is a decent start. But, the problem with that version of the Gospel is that it leaves out the beginning and the ending of the biblical story. Think of it like this: if you missed the first and last 30 minutes of a movie, it would be really tough to understand everything happening in the middle. The same is true with our faith. 

The beginning of our story tells us God created everything and called it good. He created human beings in His image with dignity, value, and purpose. Can you imagine the significance of that truth for others? For you? Pause to take it in because it’s pretty huge. From page one of the Bible, God’s plan was for humanity to show His goodness, love, and power to all creation. Unfortunately, we rebelled against God. We rejected Him as our King and sin entered the picture, breaking the connection between us and God. 

The end of our story is when God will bring Heaven to Earth and make all things new. We aren’t going somewhere out there. God is bringing Heaven here. Is your mind blown yet? Yeah, it’s pretty important to know a little bit about the end of our story!  

With those basic understandings of the beginning and ending of the story of God and the story of us, now we’re ready to answer the question: What is the Gospel? 

The Gospel is the good news that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God has once again become King—and His Kingdom is coming on Earth as it is in Heaven. This is seriously good news! 

Jesus’ death and resurrection wasn’t just a “get out of jail free” card. Jesus’ death and resurrection was an invitation to be rescued from sin and restored to our purpose as God’s chosen people. 


The Gospel is not just a ticket to Heaven. The Gospel is the good news that God’s plan to put the world right has finally been launched through Jesus. The Gospel is the good news that death and decay do not have the final say. Because on the other side of crucifixion and death, we find resurrection and life. 

God has become king. His Kingdom is coming to Earth. You are invited to be a part of His Kingdom. This is truly good news.