The Message of Jesus: Here’s Good News for Everyone!
[Jesus said] “God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, ‘This is God’s year to act!’” (Luke 4:18-19, The Message translation)
God the Father sent his one and only Son Jesus to show us how much he loves us. Jesus not only told people about the good news (the gospel), he is the good news for all people, including you!
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Only Jesus can teach us about God’s love. This is because he is God’s eternal Son, and he has always known the Father (Matthew 11:27). The Bible tells us what he said and did. His words and actions show us that God is our loving Father and we are his dearly loved children.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)
Before he made the earth, our heavenly Father decided to make us his children. He wanted to “adopt” us into his family, where we would live in perfect relationship with God and with each other.
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind… to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ… He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. (Ephesians 1:3-6, The Message)
God’s plan has always been to include us. But we humans (starting with the first people God made) didn’t do what God wanted. That sin messed everything up. But God did not give up on his plan to adopt us. He sent his Son to live among us as a human — Jesus. Jesus was like the Father in his thoughts and feelings, and he was happy to be with us forever.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
And being found in appearance as a man, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:8)
Jesus represented all of us. He lived a life of perfect love, faith and obedience. He did this for all of us, so we could be friends with God again. Jesus came to fix the bad things in the world and make everything right.
Even though God made us to be close to him, none of us naturally trusts God and his love. We all have chosen to ignore God and his good plan for our lives.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:23)
Instead of trusting God and getting life from him, we try to find love, meaning, and safety on our own. This is why the world is the way it is now. We can still see signs of God’s good creation around us. But often things seem hopeless and broken.
Even though we have all failed and sinned, God showed his great love for us. He sent his Son Jesus to die, and bad people killed him on a cross. Jesus gave his life willingly and happily to take the place of our broken lives.
God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Only Jesus’ life could overcome the death that rules over all people. Only Jesus, the eternal Son of God, could restore our broken relationship with God. It cost God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit a lot to save us from ourselves, from sin, and from death. But it was worth it.
Jesus beat death and evil for us. He rose from the dead and will never die again. Because of Jesus, we can be friends with God again. Because of Jesus, we will live forever.
God didn’t give up on his first plan for his creation. He stepped in to save it, even though it cost him a lot and even though the people he loves fought against him. God took responsibility for every wrong thing we have done and for the wrong things done to us. He did everything needed to make all of creation new again.
After Jesus came back to life, he went back to his Father. But he promised he would come back to earth one day. When he comes back, he will bring a new heaven and earth where everything will be right. While we wait, Jesus is getting a place ready for us. When everything is fixed, we will live forever with our loving and kind Father in heaven.
[Jesus said] “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:2-3, ESV)
Jesus shows us that God is not an angry judge who wants to punish us. Instead, God the Father happily gave his Son to be our Savior and Lord (John 3:16-17). After Jesus finished his work on earth, he and the Father sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit puts God’s love in our hearts. He changes us and guides us to live a good life.
Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5, ESV)
What should you do?
You don’t need to do anything to earn or deserve eternal life with God. It’s a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). But like any gift, you need to accept it. How do you accept God’s gift? Jesus said:
“The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
To repent means to change your mind—to stop relying on false hope, security and identity, of a false story of what life is for. You begin to rely on God, putting your hope in Jesus and his kingdom of peace, joy and harmony. To repent means to stop living in the darkness of sin and begin living in the light of God’s love and forgiveness.
To believe means to trust Jesus with all you are and all you have. It means to follow his way of love, growing in your relationship with him. It means to accept his plan that we will live with God forever, and that we share in his life.
[Jesus said] “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)
You may begin following Jesus and his way of love with a simple prayer like this:
Thank you, heavenly Father, for loving me. Thank you for making me your child. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to be my Savior and to take away all my guilt and shame. Thank you for the love and forgiveness you have shown to me in Jesus.
Thank you dear God for sending the Holy Spirit to live in my heart. Come Holy Spirit—guide me to know what is true. Teach me to love God and others and help me to follow the way of Jesus.
I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
By talking to God in prayer like this, you are starting a lifelong journey with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This journey will change your life, little by little. The Holy Spirit will help you join with others to follow and worship God. You’ll learn from God’s written word, the Bible. You are not alone.
That’s the good news—for you and everyone!
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updated March 23, 2025
