The Gospel is the good news that God has dealt with our biggest problem. That problem is our sin that separates us from a holy, perfect God. The gospel is the reality that Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live, died the death that we deserved, in order to take the punishment for our sin and give us His perfect righteousness to make us right with God. Jesus paid for our sin and gave us his perfect record so that we can be with the holy, perfect God forever. Pastor, theologian, and author John Piper describes it this way: “The death of Christ is the wisdom of God by which the love of God saves sinners from the wrath of God, all the while upholding and demonstrating the righteousness of God in Christ.”

For a quick summary of the Gospel, watch the video above.

There are a few ways of explaining the Gospel. One of the common forms of explaining it is the Romans Road to Salvation. This explanation takes several verses from the Book of Romans in the Bible that are pertinent to big themes of the Bible and lays them out in a straightforward manner to explain what the Bible means and what God’s plan for salvation is.

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1. Who is God?

God has created all things, the universe and everything in it. He created us too. God is holy, wise, perfect, good, and all-knowing.

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” —Romans 1:19-20

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” —Romans 11:33-36

2. Who is man?

God created man too. We are all His, and we are accountable to God. We have all sinned, or turned our own way, going astray from God and His commandments. The punishment for sinning against a perfect, holy God is death.

“…they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” —Romans 1:25

“None is righteous, no, not one” —Romans 3:10

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” —Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death…” —Romans 6:23a

3. Who is Jesus Christ?

Jesus is God in flesh, the Son of God, the one who was sent to be our substitute. Jesus’ death on the cross to pay for our sins applies to anyone who would repent of their sin and place their faith and trust in Jesus.

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” —Romans 1:1-4

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” —Romans 8:3

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” —Romans 8:31-32

4. What has Jesus Christ done?

Jesus came to earth to live the perfect life we could not live, died the death we deserved, paid the punishment for our sin, and gives us his perfect righteousness through faith in Him, making us right with God. Jesus gives us eternal life with God in heaven when we repent of our sin and place our faith in Him. Jesus restores our relationship with God and man.

“…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation [substitute] by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” —Romans 3:22-26

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

“…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 6:23b

5. What must you do?

Nothing we do ourselves can make us right with God. We must trust in Jesus’ work to make us right with God and place our faith in Him alone to save us from the punishment of our sins.

 “…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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” —Romans 10:9-13

6. What is the result of salvation?

Jesus’ work on the cross frees us from sin, restores our relationship with God, and brings us peace here on earth and forever. This does not mean we will have a perfect or sinless life, but we will be transformed into a new creation. When we trust in Jesus and pledge our allegiance to God, this changes our eternal destiny from punishment in hell forever for our sins to unending perfect peace with God in heaven.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. —Romans 5:1-2

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” —Romans 8:1