Today, we have many different versions of the Bible and even more interpretations. Many see the words as complicated, and God as confusing, so the Scriptures have been twisted, turned, modified, watered-down, souped-up and even deleted to make it easier to understand. However, there is only one gospel and it can be summed up in a nutshell.

We can know the entire gospel by reading, believing and following just 25 words. These are found at John 3:16, and they speak of the heart of God, His love for us, the salvation He gave and the punishment that will come to those who don’t receive it.

• For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.—John 3:16 NKJV

This Scripture verse tells us that God loves us, that He was willing to give up His own Son for our sake so that we could have life. And we need to understand that if God was willing to die for us, then He was also willing to take care of us while we live on this earth.

He heals us when sickness attacks.

He is a friend when we are lonely.

He gives us strength when we are weak.

He is our tower when storms come.

He cares for us when we need help.

He avenges those who hurt us.

He keeps us from falling back into temptation.

He gives us the desires of our heart.

He supplies all of our needs.

He prospers us when we earn it.

He has prepared a home for us in Heaven.

This Scripture at John 3:16 tells us that God forgives us when we confess our sins and turn to Him for salvation. But we need to believe in Him, not just know about Him. We need to come to the cross personally, repent of our sins, ask Jesus to forgive us and then to fill us with His Spirit. And then we need to know that we are no longer of this world and that we should not go back into the sinful lifestyle that we once lived, or engage in the sinful acts that once controlled us. Jesus has set us free and so we need to stay free by following Him and not the world any longer. He often told those He healed, “Go, and sin no more.” And we need to do this, as well.

• Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.—John 8:36 NKJV

This Scripture means that we will no longer have to face Christ on Judgment Day as a sinner and be judged and sentenced for the sins that are in us because we won’t have any sin. Jesus took our sins when He died on the cross. He redeemed us back to God. We no longer belong to this world, but we belong to Him. Our sins were judged on the cross and sentenced to Hell at that time.

• For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.—John 3:17-18 NKJV

This Scripture means that when we leave this earth, God will welcome us home with open arms. It means that He has already prepared a place in Heaven for us that is ours forever. We will spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven, and no one can take that away from us.

• Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.—John 14:1-3 NKJV

This is the gospel of Christ in a nutshell.

And once we know this gospel and that Jesus is our Savior, we need to read the Bible so we can know God and understand why the gospel of Christ is our benchmark. Then we will realize that we belong to His kingdom and that Jesus is our Lord. And we’ll also see that Jesus is the King who is about to return to earth and set up His Kingdom on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem.

The hurts and stresses of this world belong to this world. But life and freedom belong to the people who love God. We have so much to live for, so much to look forward to. And it begins and ends with these 25 words that reveal the gospel of Christ.

• His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”—Matthew 25:21 NKJV

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Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day….ronnie!