Short answer
The gospel is good news, not good advice. It is the announcement that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised to life on the third day, and that everyone who turns to Him and trusts Him is forgiven and given new life.
Good news about what God has done
The word “gospel” simply means good news. In the Bible it is the news that God has kept His promise to rescue His world through His Son. The apostle Paul sums it up in a few lines: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Notice what the gospel is not. It is not a list of rules to keep, a religion to join or a feeling to work up. It is a report about real events: a cross outside Jerusalem and an empty tomb three days later. That is why the first Christians called themselves witnesses.
Why we need it
Every one of us has turned away from God in our own way. The Bible calls this sin, and it separates us from the God who made us. We cannot fix that ourselves, however hard we try. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
(Romans 3:23).
The good news is that God did not leave us there. God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us
(Romans 5:8). Jesus took the punishment we deserved so that we could be forgiven and brought home.
How to respond
Jesus began His ministry with an invitation: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel
(Mark 1:15). To repent is to turn around, away from going our own way. To believe is to trust Jesus with our life. That is the whole response: turn and trust.
How this connects across the Bible
The Bible is one story. Here is how this theme runs from the Old Testament to Jesus:
- The promise begins in the garden: after the first sin, God promises that the woman’s offspring will crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).
- God tells Abraham that through his family all nations will be blessed (Genesis 12:3); Paul calls that promise the gospel announced in advance (Galatians 3:8).
- Isaiah pictures a messenger bringing good news that God reigns (Isaiah 52:7) and a servant who suffers for the sins of others (Isaiah 53:5-6).
- Jesus announces that the kingdom has arrived in Him (Mark 1:15) and explains after His resurrection that everything written about Him had to be fulfilled (Luke 24:46-47).
- The apostles carry the same news to the nations (Acts 13:32-33), and the story ends with people from every nation gathered around the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-10).
What we believe at Spring Valley
We believe in salvation through faith in Christ, who died for our sins, was buried and was raised from the dead on the third day, and that through His blood we have redemption. This gospel is the heart of every service at Spring Valley, in every language we speak.
Your next step
If this is new to you, you are exactly the kind of person we would love to meet. Read How can I be saved? next, or come along on a Sunday and ask us anything.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Read the Bible free in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, English and many more languages at bible.com.