Tuesday 28 February: The gospel – what it is

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The gospel

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Bible reading: Romans 6.8–11

Have you ever experienced the beauty of reconciliation? Maybe you’ve had, or you’ve witnessed, a falling out? You can probably recall the tension or the pain it caused. 

And now, can you remember any times when those disagreements have been resolved? Often there’s a peace, a comfort, maybe a joy that comes as a result.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the healing of a relationship gone wrong, on a scale like you’ve never seen before.

All the things that sour your relationship with God – your disobedience to him, your antagonism towards others, your own feelings of shame and negativity – all of these things are dealt with in one go by Jesus Christ.

Jesus suffered a barbaric death, to act as an atoning sacrifice for all our sin and every way we mar our relationship with God. By the way, the first few chapters of the Old Testament give a helpful context to the reason for and validity of his sacrifice.

But the gospel isn’t just about a sacrificial death. Jesus rose back to life, demonstrating that death itself has no power over him. Or us.

Romans 6.10–11 says, ‘The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.’

This is the good news! Jesus has destroyed our sin, destroyed the power of death, and made us alive in him. Our wounded relationship with God has been remade into something glorious, alive, freeing, joyful, intimate, and beautiful. This is the gospel.

This reflection was written by Tom Newbold, Head of Supporter Relations at Bible Society.