The Gospel is the good news about Jesus Christ. Perhaps you’ve heard that before and you might wonder: What’s so important about Jesus? Why did He die on a cross? What does it matter?

To answer those questions, it’s helpful to start at the very beginning.

In the beginning God created everything (Genesis 1:1). He is perfect, and His standard for us is perfection (1 Peter 1:15-16).

The problem is, we’re not perfect. We think and say and do things that break God’s commandments, and through our rebellion and sin we fall short of His standard of perfection (Romans 3:23). The punishment for our sin against God is death—both spiritually and physically. God is perfect, and that means He’s good and just and holy. Because of this He must punish sin. And those who rebel against Him and who never repent from their sin are sentenced to Hell for eternity where the wrath of God will be poured out on them in its fullness (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-3).

At this point you might say: This is all terrible news! Why are you telling me all this?

And now we get to the good news about Jesus.

Jesus Christ, who is God, added to His divinity a human nature and came to earth as a man. He lived the perfect and completely sinless life that God demands (one that we’re not able to live) (Hebrews 4:14-17). And although He didn’t deserve to die, Jesus Christ died a sacrificial death as a substitute for others. He died on the cross taking the punishment and wrath from God that others deserve. But He didn’t stay in the grave. He rose from the dead after three days, showing His victory over sin and death. (Romans 4:25, Luke 24:6-7).

Jesus Christ offers us forgiveness for our sins and a reconciled relationship with God, not because of any good work that we have done, but only because of His free grace which He gives. This happens when we stop trusting in our own “good works,” but instead trust in Jesus Christ alone and what He accomplished in His atonement on the cross and His resurrection from the dead (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Our proper response to this good news about Jesus is repentance (which is turning from our sin to God) and faith (which is putting all our trust and hope in Jesus because of what He has accomplished through His wrath-bearing sacrifice and resurrection). Those who turn from their sins and trust in Jesus are cleansed from all their guilt. God graciously gives this salvation as a free gift. It’s not something we can earn, and it’s not something we can repay (2 Timothy 2:25, Luke 13:3, Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21, Mark 1:15, 1 John 1:9-10, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9).

Those who are saved will persevere in their faith until the end. That is, they’ll continually trust in Jesus Christ and treasure Him above all else. (Philippians 1:6, Jude 1:24, Ephesians 4:17-23).

One day God’s people (people from every ethnicity, every language, every nation, and from every people group) will be with God worshiping, and enjoying, and glorifying Him forever. (Revelation 5:9-10, Revelation 7:9-12)

That’s why this is such good news. We could never earn God’s favor on our own. We aren’t perfect, and so we deserve His judgment. But for those who’ve trusted in Jesus, when God looks at them now, He sees the perfect life of Jesus Christ. And all of their sins have been paid for through the death of Jesus on the cross. For Christians, our separation from God is over and we are destined for eternal life in God’s presence.

That’s why we call it the good news. Jesus Christ has made a way for us to be in a perfect relationship with God.

For more information about God’s grand story and how you fit into it, click here.