Have you heard
The
Good
News?
THE GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ is a message of hope, love, redemption. It tells us that through faith in Him, we can receive forgiveness for our sins and a new life filled with purpose. Jesus offers relationship and peace, inviting everyone to experience His love and mercy. Embracing this good news means opening your heart to His love and allowing it transform your life.
Tell me more:
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The Problem​:
The gospel starts with one key reality of our fallen nature — we are all broken. That brokenness, which the Bible describes as sin, separates us from God. Theologically, sin is simply choosing our way over God’s way. It becomes evident through the bad things we do, the good things we don’t do, and those inner struggles we face.
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The Bible explains this fact in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Because of sin, we’re disconnected from the perfect relationship we were designed to have with God.
The Solution:
The good news is that God didn’t leave us in our broken state. He made a way for us to be restored. That way is through Jesus Christ. Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, lived a perfect life on Earth — the life we couldn’t and still can’t live. Then, He willingly died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. His death was a sacrifice that paid the debt we owed but could never repay.
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Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
But that’s not the end of the story. Jesus rose from the dead three days later, proving His power over sin and death. His resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith and the ultimate evidence of God’s victory over all that separates us from Him.
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A Gift to Receive:
The gospel is not just a historical event; it’s an invitation. God gives us the gift of forgiveness and a restored relationship with Him, but like any gift, it must be received. This happens through faith — trusting in Jesus and what He has done on our behalf.
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Ephesians 2:8–9 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”
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In simple terms, it’s not about trying to be “good enough” to earn God’s love — because we can’t, that’s why we needed Jesus and his sacrifice. It’s about trusting that Jesus has already done everything needed to bring us back to God.
A New Life:
When someone accepts this gift, it changes everything. The Bible describes it as being “born again” (John 3:3). This means starting a new life with God at the center. It’s not about becoming perfect overnight but beginning a journey of growth, guided by God’s love and wisdom.
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Believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in a way that reflects God’s love, grace, and truth. They’re not just saved from something (sin and death); they’re saved for something — a life of purpose and hope.
Why the Gospel Matters:
The gospel is more than a message; it’s a lifeline. It answers humanity’s deepest questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What happens after I die? Through the gospel, we discover that we are deeply loved by God, created for a relationship with Him, and invited to spend eternity with Him.
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This good news is for everyone, regardless of background, mistakes, or circumstances. It’s a message of hope, forgiveness, and new beginnings — all made possible by God’s incredible love.
Conclusion:
To put it as simply as possible: the gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again to save us from our sins and bring us back to God. It’s a gift of love and grace, available to anyone who chooses to believe and receive it.
No matter where you are in life, the gospel is an invitation to experience God’s love and transformation. That’s what makes it such good news.
By: Jaqueline Grandi
Thank you to The Bible Project for creating content like this for us to share with others, dig deeper for ourselves, and find new understanding!
New to reading the Bible? Don't worry! Here is a breakdown of how to find books, chapters, and verses in the Bible.
To read the Bible, use a reference like John 3:16 to find a verse, where "John" is the book, "3" is the chapter, and "16" is the verse. You can find a specific book by using the table of contents at the beginning of the Bible to locate the Book by page number, then locate the chapter within the book, and then searching for the verse number within that chapter.
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For beginners, a good place to start is by reading one of the Gospels, such as Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, because they focus on the life of Jesus.
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Finding a specific verse:
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Break down the reference: A Bible reference is a specific "address" for a verse. For example, in Numbers 6:24 :
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The name of the book is the first part (Numbers).
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The first number is the chapter (6).
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The second number is the verse (24).​
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Locate the book: Open the Bible and find the book in the table of contents at the beginning to see the page number
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Find the chapter: Flip to that page and find the correct chapter, which is a larger number.
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Find the verse: Once in the correct chapter, find the specific verse by looking for the smaller numbers that correspond to the verse number.​
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How to read the Bible:
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Start with the Gospels: A good starting point for new readers is one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) since they tell the story of Jesus's life, death, and resurrection.
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Read a little each day: Start with a small, manageable portion, like one chapter a day, rather than trying to read entire books at once.
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Consider different reading plans:
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By theme: Choose a theme like love or forgiveness and find verses related to it from different parts of the Bible.
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Chronologically: Read the books in the order the events happened to understand the historical context.
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With a study Bible: A study Bible includes helpful notes, maps, and cross-references to aid understanding.
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Pray* and reflect: Before you begin, you can pray for help in understanding the text. Afterward, take time to reflect on what you've read and how it applies to your life.
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​If you need help navigating your Bible, please do not hesitate to ask for help, we would love to hear from you and would be happy to help you find what you are looking for.
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*HOW TO PRAY?
Jesus teaches us to pray using The Lord's Prayer- you can start there, or you can start right where you are:
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Praying isn't a science, it's more of a conversation. You and the God of the universe in conversation, sounds scary right? Thankfully it's not, it's like having a conversation with the person beside you. You can start talking to God, like you'd talk to your friend...after all He's the best friend anyone could ask for.
Share what's on your heart, maybe a little something like this "Hi God, I'm having a hard day, I'm feeling a little discouraged. I know I can talk to you about anything, and I am not sure what to say, I know you know my heart, because you know everything about me..."
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You can ask for guidance or even help figuring out a tricky relationship, it might go something like this: "Can you help me when I pray? This feels a little weird, but I'd like to have a relationship with you, please help me to pray. I need a little help with my friend, We aren't seeing eye to eye, and I feel frustrated about it, please help me figure out what to say..."
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Show Gratitude and share how grateful you are, it might sounds something like this: "Thank you God for my friends and my family, thank you for a warm house to live in, and food on my table... thank you for the beauty that surrounds me, the breath in my lungs, and sunshine on this cold winter day!"
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If you have needs, you can ask for help with those needs, might sounds something like this: "God, my friend is going for some medical tests, I'm a little scared, I don't know what to say, I ask you to show him your peace, and to help me have the words to talk to him. Please look after him at his appointment and I pray that everything goes well. If there is something, I know you are here with us and You will help us get through this."
Prayer is as simple as having a conversation. Don't worry, you won't offend God by talking to Him, even if you think you don't know how, trust me, you do...
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You don't need to formally sign off, you don't need to start or stop at any particular time of day, you can talk to God at any moment of the day, start and stop abruptly, like a conversation with someone in the other room. Know that God is always around, always listening and always wanting to hear from you, all you have to do is start talking.
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