The Gospel

The gospel is good news! It is the best news! It is good news that will stay good! The good news of the gospel is that Jesus has taken away our sins by dying for us. The law tells us what to do and what not to do. Then it punishes us for doing wrong. The gospel does not tell us what to do. It doesn’t punish us. The gospel is God telling us that He is not angry with us. He does not punish us. He forgives us all our sins. He opens heaven to us and makes it our true home. The gospel tells us about Jesus. Jesus took away our sins. He took away God’s anger. He opened heaven for us. The gospel is always good news.

The law tells you to obey. The gospel does not give you orders. The gospel gives Jesus to you and tells you to trust in Him. Trust in the gospel that tells you Jesus is your Savior. When you believe the gospel you have what it says: forgiveness of your sins and eternal life in heaven. You cannot earn these treasures. You don’t deserve them. But the good news is that God gives them to you freely because He loves you.

Parents: The law agrees with our conscience and with our reason. The gospel disagrees with both. This is why the gospel is so often compromised and even denied. But the gospel is the most important thing God teaches us and our children. Nothing we know about God has any value apart from our knowing that Jesus has taken away our sins on the cross and that through faith in Him we have eternal life. The most precious gift we can give to our children is the gospel. This is the main reason we bring them to church with us and seek to provide in our homes and Christian Schools daily instruction in the alone-saving Gospel.

Rolf Preus is pastor of River Heights Lutheran Church in East Grand Forks, Minnesota.