What is the “good news,” and why do I need it?

Good question! Maybe your life is already pretty good, and you’re just here because you’re curious. Or maybe you’re not even asking the second part of that question – maybe things are pretty rough right now, and you’re feeling sort of desperate for any good news you can get. Either way, I’m glad you’re here, because I actually have the best news ever for you!

We’ll start with the “why do I need it,” because the good news doesn’t really mean much without that part. And to understand the “why” (which is, admittedly, bad news, but don’t let that scare you off, because the good news is totally worth it!), we’ve got to start with some basic news.

Basic News:

There is a God. 
There is only ONE God.
Specifically, there is the God of the Bible – the God of Christianity.

God is real, and Christianity is true. Like, really, actually, objectively true. Historically and spiritually and in all the other ways. As real and as true as your own existence. Really real, and truly true. 

(There is evidence for this! Good, solid reasons to believe Christianity is actually true, and is the only true religion. Click on those links if you’re interested in hearing any. (Please be interested!) And also feel free to reach out to me directly.)

This one true God created everything. He is the source and sustainer of all life.
He created all people.
He created YOU. Knowingly, and on purpose.
This one true God is perfect, pure, and completely good. 

And now, we’ve got to face the bad news.

Bad News:

We are not perfect, pure, or completely good.
I’m not, and you’re not. (Hard, and sad, but true.)

Every person who ever lived has done something wrong. (Any arguments there? Actually, there is one exception; we’ll meet Him in just a minute.)

And the thing is, doing something wrong (this is what the Bible calls “sin”) separates us from God, because He is perfect, pure and good, so He cannot accept or condone any wrong thing. As our Creator, He is our rightful judge, and because He is completely just, the consequence for what we’ve done wrong must be applied; the penalty must be paid.

The penalty of doing wrong things is separation from God…but God is the only source of life.
So, the penalty for doing wrong things is, ultimately, death. (Here’s why in more detail.)

Sin earns death. Eternal death. Eternal separation from God. 
We’ve all sinned.
We’ve all earned eternal death.
And that penalty we’ve earned must be paid.

But wait! Don’t despair! Here comes the…

Good News!

Jesus, God in human form, came to PAY OUR PENALTY FOR US.
He lived a perfect life – He never once did or said or even thought anything wrong – so He did *not* earn death. He’s that one exception.
But He voluntarily took our place, paid our penalty, died our death – 
in order to offer us His life. 

Then He came back to life, proving He was who He said He was, and He lives forever, as the rightful King of everyone and everything!

Now, we CAN be reconciled with God, no longer separated from Him!
Now, we can have true life, forever, with true joy and true peace and true hope, even in the middle of hard things, because of Jesus!

SUCH good news!!

Hang on, though; there’s one more thing you need to know.

One more thing:

This reconciliation to God is not automatic. It’s offered to everyone, but it’s not applied to everyone. There is a condition. 

We can’t just stay as we are. 
We can’t keep living as if there’s no Jesus, and still have our penalty paid.
Jesus offers every person eternal life in Him! But we must be IN HIM to have that life.

So…how do we move from being by ourselves, under that penalty of death we earned, separated from God, to being in Him and having that eternal life Jesus offers?

It’s not something we have to do, really; not like we normally think of doing things, anyway. It’s simply making the choice to trust Him. Putting our faith in Him. It’s taking Jesus at His Word, believing what He says, and making the choice to submit ourselves to Him as the rightful authority over us.

We can’t hang on to our wrong things, our wrong ways; we have to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus. This is what “repent” means. It’s changing direction, changing our minds, agreeing with God instead of with our own feelings and desires.

We give up our old sinful ways, and follow Jesus instead. We choose to deny our ‘self’ and choose to belong to Jesus to live in new, true life with Him, in Him, through Him.

And, really, if you think about it, what do we give up? We give up moments of wrong things that feel good but aren’t actually good for us in the long run. And what do we gain? True life, peace, and joy, that lasts forever!

That is a win-win.  

What will you choose?

If this makes sense to you, and if you haven’t already put your trust in Jesus, do that right now. Turn from your sin, and follow Jesus. Just pause right here for a moment, and tell Him you want to do that (He’ll hear you).

Let me or another Christian friend know if you have decided to follow Jesus – because that means you’re part of God’s family now! That’s wonderful!! There’s so much more beauty and joy and peace to come!! And I urge you to get connected with a local church – one that really believes and teaches the Bible – and start learning more about your new life in Christ. Pick up your own Bible and start reading and studying (John is a great place to start!), or get one if you don’t have one.

And if this doesn’t make sense to you yet, but you’d like to know more and understand more, please reach out, either to me or to another Christian you know. This is life and death – forever. It really is true, and it really matters. Don’t put it off, friend; you aren’t guaranteed more time.

Jesus is real. He came to earth to save you from the death penalty you’ve earned. He didn’t come to condemn you, but to truly, lovingly, joyfully save you, and to give you eternal, abundant, joy-filled life. Consider the evidence, make the reasonable choice, and trust in Him.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
John 3:16-18 ESV

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved … I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 10:9a, 10b ESV

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 NIV

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 NIV

Related Posts: