THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
THE
GOSPEL.
The story that changes everything.
You were made for more than this.
The good news begins with a hard truth.
ONE MESSAGE. THREE WORDS.
Not advice on how to
be a better person.
Good news about
what Jesus has done.
01 / SIN — THE DIAGNOSIS
WE ALL
FALL SHORT.
It began in the Garden of Eden. God created Adam and Eve for fellowship with Him. But they disobeyed His command and ate the forbidden fruit. Sin entered the world, bringing shame, broken fellowship, and death. This was the Fall of man.
We share that fallen condition—and we have each personally sinned against God. Sin is breaking His law. His standard is perfection; we all fall short. Our sin earns death and eternal separation from Him. We need a Savior.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”ROMANS 3:23 · KJV
THE FALL: GENESIS 3 · ROMANS 5:12
THE GRAND CANYON ILLUSTRATION
Farther is still
not far enough.
Imagine standing together at the edge of the Grand Canyon. One person throws a stone 50 feet. Another throws it 100. Neither reaches the other side.
The opposite rim represents God’s standard: absolute moral perfection. Some of us may seem better than others, but none of us reaches His standard. We have all sinned—in our thoughts, words, and actions. Being good compared with someone else cannot erase our guilt before God.
Sin has consequences. It breaks our fellowship with God, brings death, and leaves us facing His judgment and eternal separation from Him. This is what we have earned, not a gap we can close through good works. Every one of us needs a Savior.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”ROMANS 3:23 · KJV
“For the wages of sin is death…”ROMANS 6:23 · KJV · SEE ALSO JOHN 3:18
BUT THE STORY DOESN’T END THERE.
The distance we
could never cross.
The love that did.
02 / SACRIFICE — THE SUBSTITUTE
IN OUR
PLACE.
Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, lived without sin. He did not deserve death. Yet He went to the cross for us.
He took our place. He bore the penalty for our sin. This is how God showed His love: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”ROMANS 5:8 · KJV
THE SUBSTITUTE ILLUSTRATION
He would die.
You would live.
Imagine, if it were possible, that someone took every terminal cancer cell from your body into their own. You would live because they died in your place.
That picture helps explain substitution. Jesus willingly bore our guilt and the death penalty we deserved. The cross is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love.
“…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”ROMANS 6:23 · KJV
THE CROSS WAS NOT THE END.
DEATH.
DEFEATED.
Three days later, Jesus rose bodily from the grave.
The empty tomb declares who He is: God in the flesh, with the authority to forgive sins. The Savior who died in our place is alive. He has conquered sin and death.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:3–403 / SALVATION — THE SOLUTION
NOT EARNED. RECEIVED.BY GRACE.
THROUGH FAITH.
You cannot
save yourself.
Jesus can.
Faith means trust and dependence. When you sit in a chair, you rest your whole weight on it. You stop trying to hold yourself up.
Saving faith means placing your full reliance on Jesus and His finished work. Salvation is not earned by moral improvement, religious rituals, or self-effort. It is entirely God’s gift of grace, received through faith in Christ.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”EPHESIANS 2:8–9 · KJV
THIS IS WHERE THE STORY BECOMES PERSONAL.
TRUST
CHRIST.
For forgiveness. For eternal life.
For what you could never do for yourself.
FAITH IS TRUST.
Rest in what Jesus has done.
Acknowledge your sin and your need for a Savior. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again. Depend on Him alone for salvation.
You can speak honestly to God right now. There is no special formula or prayer that earns salvation. It is Christ who saves, through faith.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”ACTS 16:31 · KJV
Begin walking with Him.
Read the Gospel of John, speak to God in prayer, and connect with a Bible-teaching local church to grow in your faith.
Begin reading John ↗A button cannot save you. Jesus can. This is an invitation to trust Him.