The Gospel
- 10 minutes reading time
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for everyone. Click one of the buttons below and you’ll discover why.
good news
the gospel in 1 minute
You have sinned. We have all sinned. We have all broken God’s law. And the Bible says that we are under the wrath of God. Not because God is the problem, but because we are. We have sinned.
But in the midst of that God gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Who came down here, died on the cross to save us. Not first and foremost to save us from hell. But to save us from our sins. Sin is the problem and sin is leading us to hell.
How did He save us from our sins? Through the cross. And through the new birth. A birth where in repentance to God we get a new heart. In the baptism to Jesus Christ we wash away our sins. And through the baptism with the Holy Spirit we receive the power to live the new life God has called us to.
Make sure that you are born again.
every game has it's rules
life is like a game of chess
In every game, including chess, there are rules. And we need to play by the rules. In the game of chess you move, and then I move. And then it’s your turn to move, and then I move. This is the way it goes. Are you allowed to move two times in a row? The answer is no. Why not? Because there are rules.
The same it is with God. We have moved. We have all sinned. That was a very bad move. Then God moved. He sent His son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. That was an amazing move.
But now, it’s our turn to move. It’s our turn to repent. It’s our turn to give everything to Jesus Christ and get born again.
We should not wait for God. God is waiting for us to move. God is waiting for us to repent. But how can we move if we don’t know it’s our turn? How can we move if we don’t know what the rules are?
That’s why, here, we would like to tell you what you need to do. So, after that God can come and forgive you, set you free and grant you a new life.
god created all and it was very good
but then entered sin
After God created all there is, He said all was good. And it was! But then entered sin.
Sin is like the law of gravity. Try to pick up your phone and really believe it will float in the air. Now let go. Your phone still drops down.
The same it is with sin. All have sinned. And we keep on doing it, no matter how hard we try to stop doing it.
We’re slaves to sin.
how serious is sin?
perspective matters
We all tell (white) lies. We all have stolen something. We all look with lust. We’re just being human. No big deal, right?
Well, it is. Check this. If you tell a lie to your child, it doesn’t matter that much. If you lie to your spouse, you could end up getting a divorce. If you lie to your boss, you could lose your job. If you lie to a judge, you could even go to jail.
The sin here is lying. And the sin didn’t change. It’s the authority we sin against that changed. And only that authority is of influence on the consequence.
The Bible says we have all sinned against God. And He is the highest authority there is. To God, sin is a problem. It always is. That’s because His standard and ours are like night and day. They’re so completely different.
Scroll down and see for yourself.
Which standard do you choose?
I'm a good person
Of course, sometimes I do stuff I’m not proud of. But who doesn’t? Let’s focus on the good stuff I do! Look at me helping my neighbour, giving money to the poor and taking care of the environment. Yeah, I’m a good person.
I have lied,
but only white lies
I’ve told some lies in the past. But they were mostly white lies, or lies to prevent others from getting hurt. So, actually my lying was a good thing to do.
Everyone watches porn,
it's just normal
Looking is just looking. It’s not like I’m doing it in real life. I’m just enjoying my life, making the most of it. Enjoying God’s creation you could even say. Nothing wrong with that.
I can say whatever I want to say
It just sounds nice, there’s nothing to it me using God’s name. Besides that, it’s my life, my opinion. We’re living in a free country, I can say whatever I want to say. No divine being or anyone else can stop me from doing that.
my good outweighs my bad
I live my life to the fullest. And while doing that, I make mistakes. Everyone does. I just try to make sure I do more good than I do bad. And that’s what ultimately matters. To just do good. It will balance out in the end.
Holy perfection
No sin, no matter the size of it, can be near God. He is so Holy, it is just impossible for any kind of sin to be near Him. His standard is perfection. Have you sinned? Then you’re out. You cannot be near God.
no liar will inherit the kingdom of god
All lies are lies. No matter what they’re about. The most common lie? The one in which we lie about us lying. No liar will inherit the Kingdom of God.
Whoever looks with lust commits adultery already
In Matthew 5:28 Jesus says “…whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Nowadays, that means guilty for everyone.
You shall not take god's name in vain
Would you use your mother’s name to curse with? God is the one Who’s given you the gift of life. Without Him, you wouldn’t even exist. And now you’re using His name to express your disgust. That’s no good.
God will judge you
Nothing in life is sure, but one thing: death. We all die, and after we’ve died we will be standing in front of a Holy God. You will be naked and nothing will cover up your sins. God will judge you. He has to, because He’s just. There’s no other way.
a reality for all of us
judgement day
Imagine this. You’ve committed some serious crimes. Now you’re standing in the court of law. You’ve admitted your crimes. But then you tell the judge you’ve helped some homeless people in the past and donated to charity. Only a corrupt judge will fall for that. A good judge will not be impressed. Your good deeds are irrelevant to the bad you’ve done. There needs to be a penalty for the wrong you’ve done.
God is the highest judge there is. He will judge all of us. He will judge you. He has to, because He cannot wipe away all of the horrible things we do. If he did so, that would mean He is corrupt. And that’s impossible.
"for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God"
god's only begotten son
the perfect lamb
God is love indeed. In His love God did something perfect. He sent down His only Son Jesus Christ and punished Him for all of the sin we have done. But what does the death of a carpenter who lived 2,000 years ago have to do with us and all of our sin?
What Jesus' death means for you
It is important you understand the legal implications of what happened on the cross.
Remember God being holy and just. Our sin needs to be punished. Jesus took that punishment for us. Jesus’ death means you and me now have a solution for our sin.
Through Jesus God set us free from sin.
Through Jesus we can get right with God.
Through Jesus we can live holy lives here without being enslaved to sin.
Through Jesus we can receive the gift of everlasting life.
God made him to be sin who knew no sin
the only way for us to come back to god
he was crucified
and rose again the third day
Jesus now sits at the right hand of God
The Holy Spirit is now here with us
the kingdom of god
how to enter
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Repent
Jesus came to set us free from sin, so we can live a holy life and be with God forever. This is a free gift, which we can receive by taking a few simple steps.
The first is repentance. Repentance is to recognize ‘I have sinned’. Not only against men, but you have sinned against a Holy God. When you recognize that sin, turn away from it and ask God for forgiveness.
When you repent to God you stop putting faith in yourself. Instead you put your faith in Jesus Christ.
More about repentance.
Baptize
In John 3 Jesus says, that if any man wants to enter the Kingdom of God, he needs to be born out of water and Spirit. When you’ve repented from your sins, that means turned away from them, God will give you a new heart full of desire to honour Him.
This new heart is still in your old body. That’s why you need to bury your old life and that’s where baptism comes in. Getting baptized to Jesus Christ is not ‘just a symbol’. When you get baptized, your old self dies with Christ. And you rise up with Him as a brand new creation.
Baptism is two things: washing away your sins and burying your old life. And according to Jesus, being born again out of water is crucial for you to enter God’s Kingdom.
The importance of baptism.
Holy Spirit
But Jesus said more. We need to be born out of Spirit as well. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in.
Receiving the Holy Spirit is God’s promise to those who repent and turn to Him. The Holy Spirit is there to help us and guide us in serving God.
The Holy Spirit is a person. According to Romans 8, we receive not a little Holy Spirit, or just a portion of Him. We receive the complete Holy Spirit.
The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives inside of us. It’s this Spirit of Truth that will give life to our mortal bodies, enable us to heal the sick and cast out demons and to live lives that truly glorify the one and only living God Almighty.
More about the Holy Spirit.
if anyone is in christ he is a new creation
the body of christ
Once you’re born again, Satan is no longer your father. God is. You’re part of His Kingdom. You’re a part of Jesus’ body on earth. And you have been given a clear assignment.
In Matthew chapter 28 we witness Jesus’ ascension to Heaven. A few moments before He went to sit at the right hand of His Father, He said this to His discples: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
This Great Commission is for us too. Together with fellow believers we form the body of Christ here on earth. And it is His desire to use us while He builds up His church and His Kingdom.
it's all about discipleship
the map
Turning away from sin, and following Christ means we have to obey Him. To learn what that is can be a bit tricky in the beginning. Luckily, it took Jesus 3 full years to teach His disciples what to do. And He wants us to use the same method.
Learning how to live your life like Jesus is what discipleship is for. We need other believers to guide us in living this new life. We need to work together. To cooperate. To reap the harvest. Together.
We need to function as one body. And that’s why we at TLR came up with a map. On this map you’ll find many people who are willing to pray for you, to train you, equip you and help you in your walk with God. This tool is free for you to use.
We strongly recommend you take a look and get in touch with a local brother or sister who can help you grow in faith and live the life we read about in the Book of Acts.