The Gospel is a concept that is at the center of the Christian faith. The word "Gospel" actually means "Good News"! The good news of the Gospel is found in John 3:16: "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." 

You may ask yourself, what does this mean? Why is this good news? To fully understand why the Gospel is good news, we must first understand what the "bad news" is. The "bad news" is sin. We read in Romans 3:23 that "everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard." From this Bible passage, we understand that sin is the result of falling short of God's standard. We also learn from the book of Romans that the wages (cost) of sin is death- meaning eternal separation from God. (Romans 6:23) 

This is where the Gospel comes in! That same verse in Romans continues to say: "but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." God sent his only Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life without sin on Earth. Jesus was crucified as a payment for all of our sins, and was resurrected 3 days later. Through this act of sacrifice, death has been defeated and the wages of sin have been paid! This salvation is a gift that is freely given to all who believe. 

To be a Christian is to be a believer in the redeeming power of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. It is only through what Jesus did for us on the cross that pays the penalty for our sin- we cannot earn eternal life with God through our own strength or deeds, it is only obtained through faith in Christ. All you have to do to accept this gift is to believe! To become a Christian is as simple as sincerely and faithfully praying a prayer like this one: 

"Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I pray for You to forgive me. I believe that You died for my sins and that you rose from the dead. Right now, I invite You into my heart. I put my trust in You as my Lord and Savior, and I want to turn from sin and live my life for You and Your perfect plan for me."

If you prayed that prayer in true repentance and faith, you are a Christian! We at Lighthouse Christian Stores would love to learn your story to celebrate with you and to help you with any questions you may have about what comes next! 

We are here to answer all of your questions! If you would like to send us a direct message, feel free to use the convenient contact form found on the "Contact Us" page or the "Get In Touch" button. This message is sent directly to our owners, and we will get back to you as soon as possible! If you would prefer to give us a call, Lighthouse Christian Stores is available by phone at (313) 340-1850. We are open from 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.