Question Posted on Yahoo! Answers: Why is the gospel called the good news, if all it is about is threatening people with hell?

To the Christian that understands the Gospel, this questions sounds offensive and inflammatory. However, I think that this is a very good question. Why? Because so many non-Christians ask it with genuine conviction. The question is likely a result of one of two things:

1. Being bombarded with a false gospel that preaches condemnation without hope of salvation, or
2. Hearing the true Gospel and not understanding the hope that is offered in opposition to the “threat of hell”.

It is unfortunate that either of these two scenarios would take place. However, they do happen constantly. My direct answer to this question goes like this:

The Gospel is called good news because it is good news. However, you cannot understand the good news until you understand the “bad news”. The bad news is that, as humans, we stand condemned before God because of our sinful nature. We are sinners from conception because of the rebellion that Adam committed on our behalf. Our sin condemns us because God is holy and just. His holiness will not tolerate sin; it must be justly punished. The punishment for sin is indeed eternal separation from God in a place called Hell. That is the bad news. That is the “threat” that is referred to in the question posed. Bet keep reading… here is the good news: We have hope of salvation in Jesus. For you see, God made a way for us to be righteous; He had a solution to the problem of sin. He sent His own Son, Jesus, to live an absolutely perfect life so that He could then bear the just punishment of God in our place. And He did just that… and more. You see, Jesus died, but He also conquered death. He rose from the dead by the power of God. 

If you have faith to believe the good news of the Gospel, then your hope is in Jesus Christ for salvation. Yes, the threat of Hell exists for those that do not believe, but that is not the message of the Gospel. The message of the Gospel is that God loves us and provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him so that we could be in relationship with Him for eternity. 

If you still have questions about the Gospel, please ask.

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