Christianity is all about Good News. Good news about Jesus.

The message of the bible is not very complicated. Here it is in a nutshell:

There is one God, who has always existed. He’s the loving ruler of the world. He made the world. And he made us to rule the world under him.

But, as we know, that’s not the way it is now. We all reject the ruler, God, by trying to run life our own way without him.  Does that work? No – we fail to rule ourselves, or society, or the world.

What will God do about this rebellion? (What would you do, if you were God?!) – God won’t let us go on rebelling for ever. God’s punishment for this rebellion is death and judgement. As the bible puts it: “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement” Hebrews 9v27.

God’s justice might sound tough from our point of view – if fair. But here’s the brilliant news: God sent his Son into the world, the man Jesus Christ. Jesus (unlike us) always lived under God’s rule. Yet by dying in our place, took our punishment and bought us forgiveness.

Then, on the third day after his death, just as he said beforehand would happen, Jesus was raised to life again by God. He was seen by hundreds of people, before physically rising up from the earth back to the unseen heavens, where he now rules from.  It sounds odd – but many witnesses saw it. And the bible explains why it makes total sense. It means Jesus has conquered death, that he now brings new life, and that he will return to judge the world.

Well, where does that leave us? We each need to respond to this. And there are only two options – only two ways to live:

• Our way: continue to reject the ruler, God, and run life our own way without him. The result? Condemned by God, and facing death and judgement.

• God’s new way: submit to Jesus as our ruler; rely on his death and resurrection for our forgiveness. The result? Forgiven by God, and given eternal life.

What does it mean to be a Christian?