Good news that saves!
Romans 1:14-17
By Ysrael De la Cruz
As followers of Jesus, we need to be acquainted with the gospel; we need to know what it is and what it isn’t. In a shifting culture, it’s imperative that Jesus followers know the content of gospel; a word that appears over 75 times in the NT. The word gospel literally means good news. The gospel is the good news of Jesus that has been preached for two thousand years. The gospel must confront the sinners. The Bible teaches that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We deserve his wrath rather than his blessing. The gospel makes it clear that you and I cannot save ourselves. We cannot become innocent before a Holy God based on our own efforts. We fall short. The gospel talks about God providing a way for us to be reconciled to him. A way for people to be cleansed; a way for people to be declared righteous before him; forgiven and redeemed and made holy. The gospel is about God showing his love for humanity in making a way for us to be saved, redeemed and forgiven.
This is why the writers of the New Testament were so passionate about preaching, announcing this news to anyone they came in contact with.
Paul had a passion to take the gospel to those who were not Jews and had no knowledge of Christ.
Roms.1:14-17
Paul was so passionate about preaching the gospel of Jesus that even though he had not visited Rome, he longed to go to Rome to preach the gospel there as well. (8-13)

-He felt obligated to preach the good news of Jesus to all people.v14 Greeks (civilized world) and no-Greeks (Barbarians ESV, NASB, KJV), wise and foolish. He wanted an opportunity to preach in Rome. (v14) He prayed for an open door to be able to go to Rome in his preaching the gospel.

-Paul was not ashamed of the gospel:
The gospel is the power of God at work for the salvation of anyone who believes. First the Jews (the preaching of this good news started with the Jewish people; the first church was Jewish, then the gospel reached also the non-Jews or gentiles)
The gospel is good news of salvation for anyone who believes. The good news of Jesus, the Savior.
The gospel reveals God’s righteousness. God’s justice is revealed in the gospel. How to be right with God and what is deemed right by God. This righteousness cannot be earned. Only received by faith. From the beginning to end, this righteousness is by faith.
The righteous shall live by faith.
Paul makes a beautiful argument in the letter to the Galatians in which he said that no one will ever be justified or declared righteous by the works of the law, but only by faith in Christ Jesus. To be made just before God is only accomplished by faith in Jesus. The gospel reveals this to us.

God’s plan is revealed in the Gospel, it tells people how they can be right with Almighty God. By believing in the Son, whose life was sacrificed to save those who believe in him. God did his part, now people just have to respond by placing their faith, trust in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Jesus is God’s righteousness revealed to us.

The gospel is the good news of Jesus that saves those who believe. Those who place faith in him.
1 Cor.15:1-3
The gospel is preached, people must receive it (believe in it) then take a stand on it. You must stand firm on the message of the gospel otherwise you believe in vain.
(v2) By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, his death, burial and resurrection.
This good news has the power to save anyone who believes in it.
We must tell people that they can be right with God through Jesus Christ.
If you already embraced and believed the gospel of Jesus. You must continue to take a stand on it. You and I must hang on to this good news that saves us.
How are you taking a stand on the gospel today? We, like Paul, should never be ashamed of this news because of his power to transform people.
2000 years have passed, and people continue to be transformed by the power of the gospel. God is at work through the message you and I bring to someone. Take a stand to share it with others, for you have been commissioned to tell others about Jesus.