The good news that God has provided salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ lays certain demands upon sinners. First, the gospel demands that sinners repent of their sins (Acts 17:30). The gospel demands that sinners “turn away from . . . vain things to a living God” (Acts 14:15).

Second, the gospel demands that sinners place their trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ (John 6:29; Acts 16:31). Sinners cannot in themselves obey these imperatives because they are dead in their sins (Ephesians 2:1). God, however, in mercy, grants repentance and belief to those whom He has chosen (Acts 5:31; 11:18; 14:27; 16:14). He mercifully draws sinners to his Son, Jesus Christ. And He promises that no one who comes to Jesus in repentance and belief will be cast away (John 6:37, 44).

The reward of embracing the good news of salvation in Jesus alone is joy (Luke 2:10). The joy of the good news is present and future fellowship with God. When a sinner turns away from sin to belief in Jesus, God adopts him into His family (John 1:12; Romans 8:15-17), makes him a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), imputes to him Jesus’ righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), sends the Spirit of Christ to live within him (Romans 8:9–11), and hides him “with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The Christian, therefore, presently has access to God at all times through the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:19) and enjoys fellowship with both Jesus and God the Father (1 John 1:3). In the future he has the hope of eternity with God (Revelations 21:3) in whose “presence is fullness of joy ... [and] pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11).

We believe the gospel is the good news that God provided Jesus as a Savior for sinners, and that those who turn away from sin to Jesus Christ in belief escape eternal damnation and obtain eternal joy in God.