Is the Gospel Message too Hard?

Articles

Larry Schneider
04/18/21 - The Gospel

“IS THE GOSPEL MESSAGE TOO HARD?”

Over the years, no doubt, many of us have heard that the Gospel message of the Bible is too hard. It is hard to understand what God wants us to do. It is hard to know what we must obey. Some think it is too hard to follow after you decide to follow Christ. The word “gospel” means “good news.” Over the years, it has come to almost exclusively refer to the good news of the salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus left heaven and brought the message of salvation to man on earth. The message is meant for all mankind, yet at the same time, it is very personal. All human beings must accept it one person at a time.

The Gospel message is a simple message. In 2 Timothy 1:10, we are told that Jesus is our Savior, the Son of God. Hebrews 7:27 and Hebrews 9:28 remind us that Jesus went to the cross to die, to offer His life as a sacrificial payment for the guilt of our sins. He gave His life for ours. From the tomb on the third day, He arose from the grave and demonstrated God’s power over death by presenting Himself alive to hundreds of people. Peter tells us this in Acts 10:39-41. Forty days after His resurrection from the grave, He ascended back to heaven in full view of witnesses to be with the Father. (Acts 1:9-11)

The Gospel message is presented quite simply in 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 where we read, “Moreover, brethren I declare all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that, He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once…. After that, He was seen by James and then by all the apostles.”

Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He was buried in the tomb after His death. He arose from the grave, triumphant over death. He ascended back to heaven to wait with the Father until the final day of judgment when He will come again to judge all mankind.

We need to prepare for His next coming. We need to act upon our faith in Him by obeying the Gospel. We need to repent of our sins, openly confess our faith in Him as the Son of God, and be baptized into Him for the remission of our sins. As we believe the Gospel message and come to salvation in Christ, we also need to begin a new life in Him by living according to His teachings. We need to live a life of faithfulness as we await His final coming.

That is the simple Gospel message. Do you believe it? Have you obeyed it? Your eternal salvation depends upon recognizing the simple message of the Gospel and rendering obedience to it. Don’t let anyone tell you that the Gospel message is too difficult to believe. Read the Word of God and find out for yourself.

Written by Larry Schneider