What is the Gospel?
The Gospel means good news. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. To put it simply, we are saved from sin through Jesus Christ's death, burial and resurrection.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
What is sin and why do we need to be saved from it?
Sin is anything that offends God. God is perfectly Holy and righteous and hates sin. The law, which is given to us through the Bible shows us how we have fallen short of God's perfect holiness. No matter how we try to measure ourselves, we fall short of God's perfect holiness. (Romans 3:23)
In Genesis, Adam sinned and because of that sin, we all inherit and are born in sin. (Romans 5:12)
The wages of sin is eternal death. Eternal separation from God. (Romans 6:23)
We cannot come in the presence of God when we don't have payment for our sins. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins.
Who is Jesus and how does he save us from sin?
Because of God's amazing love for us, by his grace and mercy, he sent his Son, Jesus to pay for our sins. (John 3:16)
We did not do anything and can not do anything to earn our salvation, only through Jesus are we redeemed. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In fact, all our good works without Christ offends God. (Isaiah 64:6)
Jesus is God who became flesh (man) to save us. (John 1:1 & 14)
God provided the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sins through the death of His son on the cross. Christ was the perfect substitute for us. He took on the full wrath of God that we might be saved. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Jesus rose on the third day to show us that He is God and He paid our penalty in full and conquered death. Believing in Him is the only way to have our sins paid for and overcome the penalty of death. (1 Corinthians 15:4, Acts 4:12)
How can I be saved?
Believe in Christ and repent from sin.
Romans 10:9-10 "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.."
To confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord means that you agree with what Jesus says about you (a sinner) and how to be saved (faith). 'Lord' means master and therefore are confessing that Christ is master of your life. Believing in your heart is essential to salvation. It cannot be just a mental exercise of belief. Even demons believe in God, but they in no way love Him. (James 2:19, John 14:15)
Faith and repentance go hand in hand. What God desires is a heart that is broken over one's sins and desires to be righteous.
Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."
Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Repentance means that you admit and agree with God that you are a sinner. Faith is more than a mental exercise of belief. Your heart and mind believe in God. Even demons believe in God, so there needs to be a repentant heart that is willing to love God in obedience. (James 2:19, Psalm 51, 1 John 2:3, John 14:15, Luke 13:3)