If you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you might have heard preachers or evangelists say: “The gospel is good news”. Today we look at why exactly the gospel is good news for Christians, in the hope that you will be reminded of the great privilege you have to be called a son or a daughter of the King. Also, we aim to equip you to share why the gospel is good news with your friends and family.

1. Salvation

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16 

God loved the world from the beginning and from the beginning God planned his rescue for us by giving his Son to save what he loved—the world. Whoever believes in the Son whom God sent will enter into eternal life.

The gospel is good news because it tells us that when we put our trust in Jesus, he forgives us of all the evil that we have done and we are restored to a relationship with the Father. We were once dead in our sins, but now we are alive in Christ because we believed in him and accepted him to come into our lives and rule as our Lord and Saviour.

2. Finding a new identity

John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Romans 6:6 – “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

These Bible verses are among the many encouraging scriptures to reveal that once we accept Jesus in our lives we have a new identity in Christ. We are no longer living in darkness, no longer slaves to sin and fear, we are adopted into God’s family, we are his sons and daughters. We are chosen, holy and called to declare the praises of him to the world that we live in.

3. A new authority

To figure out who we are in Christ, we must take the time to read Ephesians. In Ephesians, we find out about the riches of a believer’s inheritance in Christ. Grasping the truth that we are God’s children and walking in the reality of God’s inheritance is the key to taking our place with Christ and living in victory in this life.

The Holy Spirit wants us to get our heads around Jesus’ complete victory over Satan in the triumph of the cross. He wants us to see what Jesus’ being seated on high really means to us and the rights and privileges we have in Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-7 – “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

We are seated with Christ in heavenly places! And that position is one of authority, honour, and triumph—not one of failure, fear, hopelessness, and defeat. Through Christ, we have triumphed 1 Corinthians 15:57.

4. A new calling

Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

The Christian life is not a playground, but a battleground. These verses in Ephesians 6 make that very clear. Otherwise, why would we need all this armour?

God has not saved us, given us a new identity and authority so that we can live comfortable selfish lives. He has called us into his army. From the beginning he has given us a mission: to take the message of his salvation and lordship into enemy territory, to win captives from the forces of darkness.

The gospel is good news because we no longer live meaningless lives, we live with a clearly defined purpose. And when we submit to his purposes, that’s when we find meaning and joy and fulfillment

5. A new destination for eternity

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

We don’t know what eternity will look like. The Bible isn’t very specific on this topic. We, however, know that Jesus is coming back (Matthew 24:30-31) to fully establish his Kingdom on earth and we will be part of that Kingdom, reigning with him for eternity (Revelation 21:1-4).

As Christians we can often go through the motions, forgetting about our identity, our salvation, our calling, our authority and our eternal destination. Be reminded today of who you are, whom you belong to, your calling and start living the abundant life that Christ offers you. Don’t just go through the motions, but live the new life that Jesus has purchased for you because your life might be the only gospel some people will ever read!

Jesus wants us to keep announcing the good news to other people. That’s what evangelism is all about.