The Good News, or "Gospel"

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

— Genesis 1:1

This is the first verse of what we call "the Bible", which is a book containing the sacred writings given to mankind by God. They were given mainly in Hebrew and in Greek, but later translated into English. God, or "elohim" in Hebrew, is the supreme being who has created all other beings and things, but he himself is not created. The "earth" here refers to the globe we live on, and everything in it, while "the heavens" is everything other than that.

A common teaching today in secular education, is that the universe we live in is billions of years old. Supposedly, it originally came into being as a result of some kind of quantum fluctuation, grew large in an event known as "the big bang" and then evolved into its present state through billions of years of natural processes.

The truth, however, is that God, the supreme being, created all things by his power and wisdom, in a process that took six days.

For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day.

— Exodus 20:11 (NASB 1995)

God created mankind to rule over the earth, that is, to manage the plants and animals. Mankind was created in God's image, which is to say we are created to be like God in many ways, and to know and to love God, and so we are suitable representatives of God before the rest of his creation.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

— Genesis 1:26 (NASB 1995)

Mankind was originally created good, without any evil or perverse desires, and there was no violence or death in the earth. The first man and woman were placed in a paradise known as "the Garden of Eden".

A spiritual being who had rebelled against God, whom the Bible calls "Satan", tempted the man and the woman to rebel against God, and they turned away from God. Consequently, God cursed mankind, and the rest of the earth, with suffering and death. Since then, every man and woman has been born with something broken inside, a bent toward evil and rebellion, and our relationship with our Creator has been broken.

Nevertheless, God still loved mankind, and he prepared a way for mankind to be restored to a state of goodness, and for that broken relationship to be restored. When the time was right, God sent his only Son into the world, who was himself God also, but he took on humanity, and he walk among us. This is who we know as Jesus, who was also called the Christ, which means God's special chosen one.

Jesus walked among us, but there was no evil within him, and he perfectly kept all of God's laws. In an event known as "the crucifixion", Jesus was killed by wicked men, and died on a wooden cross. This death was, however, part of God's plan, in which Jesus was willing giving up his life, in order to take on the punishment for the evil that we had done, and to appease God's anger against all evil. The Bible calls the evil which we have done "sin".

Also, as part of God's plan, Jesus did not stay dead, but God raised him back to life after three days in a tomb. This proved he was the Son of God, and God's special chosen one. Also, it proved that Jesus was more powerful even than death itself.

Consequently, all who believe in Jesus are forgiven of all the evil they have done, and their relationship with God is restored. To "believe" means to put all your trust in Jesus and what he has done for you — dying for your sins. Also, that same power that raised Jesus from the dead also makes you a new person, so that you desire to do what is good and right and pleasing to God. This is called "the new birth".

There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

— John 1:9-13 (NASB 1995)

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

— John 3:16-18 (NASB 1995)

Everyone who trusts in Jesus will live forever with God, and will one day be brought back to life with a new body, as Jesus was. Furthermore, some day in the future, Jesus will return to Earth and will end the curse, removing evil and suffering and death entirely from the world.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

— Revelation 21:1-4 (NASB 1995)

Put your trust in Jesus today! If you have any questions, please reach out to me at the following e-mail address:

christopher -AT- librehacker -DOT- com