The word "Gospel" literally means "good news". It is the core message of Christianity. The Gospel begins at the very begining of time, when God created the world (Genesis 1:1). When he had finished creating the world, God declared it "very good" (Genesis 1:31). On the 6th day, God created a man and a woman (Genesis 1:26-27). There was no death in the world, and every land animal and bird was vegetarian (Genesis 1:30). God placed the man (named Adam) and his wife, Eve, in a garden so they could work. He gave them only one command: Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or they would die (Genesis 2:16-17). Unfortunately, it didn't take them too long to disobey. Satan took the form of a serpent (Hebrew "Narchesh", meaning "shining one). (Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2) and decieved Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, and Adam quickly followed.

 

God carried out his promise. The pair recieved numerous punishments. Eve would feel pain during childbirth, and would have to submit to her husband (Genesis 3:16). Adam, as the representative of humanity, recieved just as harsh a punishment. Because of Adam, God cursed the entire world (Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:22). Adam had to work hard to eat, and this task would be made much harder by the addition of thorns to plants (Genesis 3:18). But the worst punishment of all was death. Not just Adam, but to everything on the Earth (Genesis 3:19; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:21).

 

But that's just the bad news. While all men, like Adam, are sinners (Romans 3:23), God didn't leave us with nothing. God is omniscient, which means he knows literally everything. God planned our salvation long before the world even began (1 Corinthians 2:7). The plan begins with one man. A very very special man. That man's name was Jesus. In about 6-4 B.C. Jesus was born as a human being. He was both man (John 1:14) and God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). Jesus lived a full human life, with all the trials and temptations that go with it. Despite this, he did not sin even once (Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22).

 

Because he did not sin, Jesus was capable of taking the entire punishment for sin. This is exactly what he did. On one very dark day, Jesus suffered the most painful torture invented by human beings. He was crucified and mocked. His killers even placed a crown of thorns on his head, meaning Jesus even took the thorns which God placed in Genesis 3:18! After 3 hours of excruciating1 pain, Jesus finally died, and was placed in a tomb. The debt was paid. Sin no longer had control of mankind. Man and God could finally have a true relationship with God once more.

 

But it didn't stop there. On the third day after the crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead. He stayed on earth for 40 more days, appearing to hundreds of people, including his disciples. Because he rose again, so also can we have eternal life in God's kingdom (Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22). This is a FREE gift from God (Romans 5:17; Romans 6:23). Contrary to popular belief, salvation is not determined by what we do. We cannot earn salvation through good works. It's not about good people going to Heaven and bad people going to Hell. Salvation is entirely a gift of grace from God.

 

If you are reading this and are not yet a Christian, I urge you to seriously think about what you have just read. Salvation is not a gift you would like to pass up. It will change your life forever, both on this Earth and in Heaven. If you would like to be right with God, say this prayer:

Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I know that I deserve the consequences of my sin. However, I am trusting in you as my Savior. I believe that His death and resurrection provided for my forgiveness. I trust in Jesus and Jesus alone as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord, for saving me and forgiving me. Please come and live in my heart. Amen.

 

If you say those words to the Lord, and truly believe them, he will answer that prayer. He will come into your life and work with you. You will have a loving relationship with your creator, just as he intended from the very beginning. I hope I will meet you in God's kingdom.

 

God bless,

 

- Jay Zeke Malakai
 

 

1. The word "Excruciating" was made up specifically to describe the pain of crucifixian.