The gospel is the story of the Bible.
God created a perfect world. We, His created people rebelled and sinned. But, God in His infinite grace gave His only Son, Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sin. God, through Jesus Christ, is saving and restoring a broken world.
The central message of the Bible is the gospel, or “good news,” about the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul narrates the most succinct summary of this good news in his letter to the church at Corinth found in I Corinthians 15:1-4. Paul writes that Jesus, the Christ, died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from death three days later conquering sin and death forever. All of this occurred in accordance to all prophecy and promises found in the Scriptures so that all who would believe in Him alone for salvation would have eternal life.
When we read the Scriptures as a story, we come to know the reason for salvation–the gospel’s purpose:
Creation: Our God is the Creator of all life! He made us good. He made us in his image so that we can bring glory to Him through our lives (Genesis 1-2). This is the natural order of things.
Fall: The bad news is that family dysfunction has entered into our world because of sin. We are all sinful—adults and children alike—and we are all need God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). The gospel tells us that we are worse than we ever imagined… the good news becomes great news in light of the bad news.
Redemption: But the gospel also tells us that we are more loved than we could ever dream (Galatians 2:20). The gospel promises us forgiveness from sin and new life in Jesus Christ. The good news is that God sent his Son to redeem the world and create a new humanity.
Restoration: Jesus makes all things new. Eventually the whole world will be renewed. Death, decay, injustice, and suffering will all be removed (Ephesians 2:10, 14-22; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; Revelation 21). The gospel is not about my individual happiness or God’s plan for my life. It is about God’s plan for the world. We pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” One day all dysfunction will be wiped and away and God’s perfect creation will be restored.