The message of the Gospel or “Good News” starts with “Bad News”. It begins with a story of disobedience; God’s intended perfect creation got polluted by “sin”. The word “sin” is derived from an archery term used to describe an arrow shot toward its target, but falls short of its intended mark. God had made Adam and Eve with free will. He desired that acting on their own, they would choose to have an intimate relationship of love with Him. Instead, the relationship was spoiled through lying and cover-up; faith and trust were displaced by shame and guilt. The genes of the entire human race were within Adam and Eve and when they decided to rebel against God’s will, their lives were plunged into death and decay. This became the legacy of all of humanity. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23].
Purpose in the life of all of humanity was interwoven with their relationship with God. He placed Adam and Eve in a garden that would supply their every need but had commanded them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told them that on the day that they ate of it, they would die [Genesis 2:17]. This was spiritual death as well as physical decay. Spiritual death meant separation from God, and banishment from His presence forever. So when they sinned, it brought the dissolution of the relationship between God and people and left all of humanity lost and without direction. They had to find a way to make it on their own without God because He could no longer relate to them without trust. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 6:23].
But God still had His tender love for His precious creation. Seeing their desperate situation, He was determined not to let them be lost to obscurity. His love for them was so great, it would not allow it even after they had broken His commandment and pushed away the intimacy of relationship. God made bold plans to redeem His people back to Himself [Genesis 3:15]. This would be tricky, because, unlike our relationships with each other on an imperfect level, God is perfect. He is Holy in righteousness and cannot abide or tolerate the presence of sin. Any attempt by imperfect beings to relate to Him would end in their destruction [John 1:18].
The only way to redeem humanity from the sentence of death was to find a suitable substitute, someone to die for them. Payment had to be paid in blood [Hebrews 9:22]. The way of redemption was foreshadowed when God Himself killed animals to give Adam and Eve their skins as a covering for the shame of their nakedness [Genesis 3:21]. In the Law of Moses during Passover, it was appointed that a spotless lamb without blemish [Exodus 12:5] was to be offered as atonement for the sins of the people. This atonement had to be done annually and was a foreshadowing of the real redemption that would occur through the slaying of the Messiah, God’s very own Son, His spotless Lamb [John 1:29]. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us [Romans 5:8].
God loved the human race so much and so fervently desired their love in return, that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, into the world to die for the sins of the whole world [John 3:16]. Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world [1 John 2:2]. Now, each person is invited to place his/her trust in Jesus, the Lamb of God, as their personal sacrifice for their sin. In so doing, the sentence of death is overthrown and instead of separation from God for eternity, each man or woman by faith can receive eternal life [John 3:16]. Any person that agrees with God concerning sin, accepts the atoning sacrifice of His Son and proclaims that Jesus is Lord, believing from the heart that He came back to life after dying on the cross, will be saved. Acceptance of His lordship results in right standing (righteousness) with God and salvation from the consequence of sin. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made, resulting in salvation [Romans 10:9-10].
All who receive Him are given the potential of becoming His children [John 1:12]. The Holy Spirit has been sent to live within each believer [John 14:17]. He proclaims God’s word to the reborn spirit and guides the listening believer by faith into all truth [John 16:13]. Through the obedience of faith to His word, they demonstrate their love toward Him [John 14:15] and the intimacy of relationship that God desired with Adam from the beginning is established. Those who consistently demonstrate their love for God, by following after the Spirit, are the true children of God [Romans 8:14].
Are these steps open to every person? Yes. Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord, shall be saved [John 3:15-16]. Is anyone excluded? Only unbelievers. Regardless of who you are, where you have been or what you have done, whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed [Romans 10:11].