What is the gospel?

Is it, “Ask Jesus into your heart”?

Or is it to give your testimony in public?

Actually it’s neither.

The word gospel means good news. It’s an announcement, a report, of the historical facts of Jesus Christ and him crucified.

It tells you that you don’t need a set of rules for saving yourself because the good news is that Jesus has done the work for you.

From A to Z, the gospel is about Jesus. His life, death and resurrection according to God’s plan.

The gospel is not someone’s testimony about how he or she became a Christian. They became converted through the gospel, but their personal story is not the gospel.

If there was ever a group of people who could have given their personal testimonies about their relationship to Jesus, it was the apostles. On a few occasions when they did, they spoke of their fear and failure. Instead they spoke of Christ and his cross for sinners.

God himself says that his power lies in the gospel. This is the means by which he brings people to believe in his Son.

The gospel is not a set of directions for saving yourself, but good news about what Jesus has done to save you.

So what’s your responsibility in this?

You job is to believe God. To believe that he sent his only Son to rescue you from sin and death and hell. And when you place your faith in Jesus, you become a new creature in Christ, God adopts you into his family, and you live your life as someone who has been resurrected to a new life in Christ.

You are no longer your own, but you have been bought with a price, the priceless life and blood of Jesus Christ.

And from that moment on, you live in gratitude to God and in love to your neighbor.