The Good News is that God has provided a way for helplessly sinful people to receive perfect righteousness and be brought into full fellowship with Him. Four things make up that message: God, Sinners, Jesus, and Faith.

A Holy God

God wrote a book so we could know Him. He created everything perfect, without flaw, and asked only that people believe Him, because what we do is directed by what we believe. Knowing His identity as Creator and Owner of all things tells us He has every right to expect certain things of the people He made. Knowing the goodness of His character tells us His absolute goodness demands complete obedience, and requires real justice. There is no good news without first knowing the One who has been offended, the justice of His cause, and the judgment that is due. He is perfectly righteous and requires perfect righteousness of those He created. Every wrong must be righted; God’s wrath against sin must be satisfied. (Genesis 1–2; Exodus 20:1-17; Job 38–39; Romans 1:18-32)

A Helpless Sinner

Evil had a beginning, and it will have an end. Every one of us has chosen our own way over God’s, questioned His goodness, and fallen short of the perfect standard He requires. There is nothing we can do to undo what we’ve done, change the rebellious nature of our hearts, or become perfectly righteous on our own. God’s judgment against our unrighteousness is certain, imminent, and just. (Romans 3:10, 23; 6:23)

A Sufficient Savior

Through God the Son, Jesus Christ, God the Father has provided a way for helpless sinners to be restored to perfect righteousness. Only Jesus, the triune God in human flesh, could satisfy an eternal debt, because only God is eternal. Having no sin of His own, Jesus willingly gave up His life, paying the penalty for sin on the cross as a substitute for sinners. He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, proving He has power over death and that God’s wrath was satisfied. He is able to cover, in His own righteousness, anyone who will believe Him, for the sins of the whole world. (Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-11; 1 John 2:2)

A Personal Faith

We receive the righteousness credited to our account simply by believing God. By faith in Him, we become sons of God, children of Abraham, brethren of Christ, heirs of the promise. It is not our own righteousness that makes us acceptable to God, but the perfect righteousness of Christ, credited to us by believing Him. (John 3:17-18, 36; 5:24; 1 John 5:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5)

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

— John 3:36

“And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

— 1 John 5:11-13