We hear the word “gospel” all the time.  It’s a pretty common word now-a-days.  But what do we mean when we use the word?

Quite simply, the word gospel means “good news.”  It’s a such a simple message that a child can understand it, yet so complex and profound that it leaves many theologians baffled.  In it’s simplest form, God created the world. We, His creatures, rebelled. But God, in unfathomable grace, sent His Son Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have been forgiven of our sins, welcomed as sons and daughters, and empowered by His Spirit to live lives that reflect His goodness and love. This is the gospel. This is our core passion, and the source from which all of our other desires and ministries flow.

You cannot even begin to bridge the gap between the perfect, holy God and your sinful heart except by trusting in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. But we believe that no one ever “gets past” the gospel. The gospel is the means of our entry into the family of God and the means for our continued growth together in this family.

Hope’s vision is to honor God by helping as many people as possible become fully devoted followers of Christ.  As such, we do all we can to continually remind ourselves and each other of this simple truth, yet spending a lifetime to figure out all of its implications on our lives.

Further Resources

If your interested in learning more about what the gospel means, feel free to view this PDF document, as well as check out The Gospel sermon series.