For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-17

The gospel means good news or glad tidings. Everyone loves to receive some good news, especially when they are personally benefiting from such news. When called into a meeting with your employer’s boss to discuss your job performance, there is hope for getting a good report. Receiving a positive message that you are a valuable employee, you have surpassed all expectations, and will be receiving a substantial raise is indeed a glad tidings. In this respect, everyone would love to receive this for themselves.

God has good news for every person. God wants all of us to be with Him in Heaven forever, and He is inviting everyone to come. This invitation is offered freely as a gift. It is not a reward, it is not earned, and it is not deserved. As with all gifts, it is only yours when personally accepted. 

Surely everyone would want to receive this gift. But not everyone who hears the gospel wants God’s gift. The Bible tells us the reason for this. Romans 1:18-22 reveals that the problem is in the heart, man’s will. Everyone is born with a conscience, the knowledge of God. The proof is found in creation. The gospel is God’s Word, therefore it is God through His Spirit that speaks to a person’s heart. The heart knows that it is the truth, but because of an unwillingness to accept what is true, there will be those who reject God’s gift. The will wants to choose its own way.

God sent His eternal Son to be born as a man without sin to do for everyone what no one could do. All have sinned and death is the consequence, both physically and spiritually. But Jesus took all the sin of mankind upon himself and paid the consequence by His death. His resurrection demonstrated His Deity and the power over sin and death. 

 God’s gift is not an opportunity to get a better life but rather an opportunity to have your heart transformed to desire good. To accept God’s gift is to recognize your own sinfulness and powerlessness to change your situation. Eternity with God is freely given to all who yield their will to God, repent of their sin, and accept God’s plan by faith.

This week, don’t let another day go by without accepting God’s gift for yourself. If you have God’s gift, take time to praise Him for giving you what could never be achieved. That is the good news.