The True Gospel of Jesus Christ
- The Wholy Christian
- Jan 20
- 7 min read
The good news that changes everything forever
There are a lot of voices talking about “the gospel.”
Some turn it into rules.
Some wrap it in religion.
Some reduce it to behavior, performance, or checking the right boxes.
Some dress it up as self improvement, moral effort, or spiritual hustle.
Some quietly teach that God’s love must be earned, maintained, or proven.
And deep down, something about all of that feels wrong.
Because no matter how hard you try, it never feels like enough. You still feel the weight. Still feel the guilt. Still feel the distance. Still wonder if God is disappointed, keeping score, or waiting for you to fail again.
Religion says, “Do more.”
Your soul says, “I’m tired.”
That exhaustion is not weakness. It is a clue.
It is the quiet awareness that you were never meant to save yourself. That you were never meant to carry the weight of your own redemption. That somewhere along the way, the story got twisted into something it was never meant to be.
The true gospel is not about what you do for God.
It is about what God has already done for you.
It is not a system to master.
It is not a standard you barely meet.
It is not God waiting for you to finally get it right.
It is the good news that God came to us while we were still broken, still struggling, still lost.
And when this truth really sinks in, it does not just change what you believe. It reaches into the places you hide. The shame you carry. The fear that you are unlovable or beyond repair. It speaks to the ache you have felt but never fully understood.
This is not religion.
This is rescue.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The God Who Created You on Purpose
The gospel does not begin with humanity. It begins with God.
God is not distant or abstract. He is eternal, holy, personal, and loving. He spoke creation into existence with intention and order. When He created humanity, He did so with care, meaning, and purpose.
📜 Genesis 1:27
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
You were not random. You were not a cosmic accident. You were made in the image of God to know Him, reflect Him, and live in relationship with Him.
In the beginning, everything was good. There was no shame, no fear, no death, and no separation. Humanity walked openly with God, fully known and fully loved.
That is the life we were created for.
What Went Wrong With the World and With Us
Love requires choice. And humanity chose independence over trust.
Sin is not just breaking rules. At its core, sin is choosing life apart from God. It is deciding to define good and evil on our own terms instead of trusting the One who created us.
That choice fractured everything.
📜 Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Sin brought guilt, shame, broken relationships, injustice, suffering, and death. But the deepest consequence was separation from God, who is perfectly holy.
📜 Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Most people feel this brokenness even if they cannot explain it. Something feels off. The world hurts. We hurt. We try to fix it with achievement, pleasure, morality, or religion, but nothing reaches the root.
Here is the hard truth spoken in love. We cannot fix this ourselves.
No amount of good behavior erases guilt. No amount of effort restores our relationship with God. The problem is not just what we do. It is who we are apart from Him.
And this is where the gospel becomes astonishing.
God Did Not Walk Away
God did not abandon humanity after the fall.
From the earliest pages of Scripture, God revealed a plan to rescue what was lost. Through promises, covenants, sacrifices, and prophets, He pointed forward to a coming Savior.
Not a philosophy.
Not a system.
A Person.
📜 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.”
The gospel is not that humanity reached up to God. The gospel is that God came down to us while we were still broken.
Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh
Jesus is not simply a moral teacher or spiritual example. He is God Himself, clothed in humanity.
📜 John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus lived the life we could not live. He obeyed perfectly. He loved fully. He never sinned. He welcomed the outcast, healed the sick, confronted hypocrisy, and revealed the heart of God the Father.
Then He did something no one expected.
He willingly went to the cross.
The Cross, Where Love Paid the Price
The cross was not an accident or a tragic mistake. It was the center of God’s plan.
📜 Isaiah 53:5
“But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.”
On the cross, Jesus took our place.
Our sin.
Our guilt.
Our shame.
Our judgment.
📜 2 Corinthians 5:21
“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Justice was not ignored. It was satisfied. Mercy was not withheld. It was poured out.
The cross tells us something humbling and something hopeful at the same time. We are more sinful than we want to admit, and more loved than we ever imagined.
The Resurrection Changed Everything
If Jesus had remained in the grave, the story would end in tragedy. But it did not.
Three days later, the tomb was empty.
📜 1 Corinthians 15:3–4
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that 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.”
The resurrection is God’s declaration that Jesus is Lord. Sin’s power was broken. Death was defeated. New life became possible.
Christianity stands or falls on this truth. Jesus Christ is alive.
Salvation Is a Gift, Not a Performance
So how does this become personal?
Not by being good enough.
Not by fixing yourself first.
Not by earning God’s approval.
📜 Ephesians 2:8–9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Salvation is received through faith. Faith is trust. Trust in who Jesus is and what He has done.
To follow Jesus is to repent, to turn away from sin and self rule, and to believe that He is Lord.
📜 Romans 10:9
“Because, 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.”
This is not about perfection. It is about surrender.
New Life Begins With the Gospel of Jesus Christ
The gospel does not only forgive. It transforms.
📜 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
God gives you His Spirit. He begins reshaping your desires, your thinking, and your life. You will still grow. You will still struggle. You will still stumble and get back up. But you are no longer who you were.
You belong to God.
If You’re Ready, Here’s a Prayer
If your heart feels stirred right now and you’re ready to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, you can pray something like this.
There’s nothing special about this prayer by itself. The words aren’t what save you. What matters is the intention behind it and whether you truly mean what you’re saying. God isn’t listening for perfect phrasing. He’s listening for a genuine heart that’s ready to turn to Him.
At the core, this is about trust and surrender. Do you believe Jesus is who He says He is? Do you believe He gave His life for you and rose again? And do you want Him? Not just His help, not just peace or forgiveness, but Him as Lord. Because following Jesus isn’t about adding something spiritual to your life. It’s about handing your life over to Him.
If you feel conviction, that isn’t condemnation. It’s God gently revealing truth. If you feel hope rising or a sense of being drawn, that isn’t just emotion. It’s the Holy Spirit calling you closer. And if you feel unsure or unworthy, that doesn’t disqualify you. Every person who comes to Christ comes empty handed.
This prayer isn’t the end of anything. It’s the beginning. A real beginning. The start of knowing Jesus, drawing closer to Him, and building a real relationship with Him day by day. If you want to learn who He truly is, walk with Him, and let Him shape your life, this is where that journey starts.
So slow down. If you can, get somewhere quiet and alone for a moment. Take a breath. Speak to God honestly, like you’re talking to someone who’s truly listening, because He is. You can pray out loud or quietly. You can pause, change the words, or simply speak from your heart.
Take your time. Read it slowly. Make it your own.
A Prayer of Salvation
Jesus, I need You.
I confess that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I have lived life my own way, and it has led me away from God. I am sorry for my sin, and I turn away from it now.
I believe that You are the Son of God. I believe You lived a perfect life, died on the cross for my sins, and rose again from the dead. I believe You paid the price I could never pay.
I surrender my life to You. I place my trust in You alone. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Make me new.
Be my Lord. Lead my life. Teach me to follow You. I give You everything I am, and I receive the new life You promise.
Thank You for saving me. Thank You for loving me. I choose to follow You from this day forward.
Amen.
Final Thought
This is the gospel. This is the good news. God made you. Sin broke the relationship. Jesus came to rescue you. The cross paid the price. The resurrection secured victory. Grace invites you home.
This is not just the beginning of faith. It is the center of it. Come back to this truth often. Let it shape everything.
Ask Yourself:
Have I truly surrendered my life to Jesus, or have I only admired Him from a distance?
Am I trusting in grace, or quietly relying on my own effort?
What would it look like to follow Jesus with my whole life?
Join the Discussion:
What part of the gospel speaks most deeply to your heart right now?
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