The Gospel: The Crucified and Risen King

Discover how God dealt with sin, defeated death and began His new creation through Jesus.

Plan Your Time on This Page

Follow the two-block main path in about 18–22 minutes. At the end, you may open an optional 8–10 minute deeper look.

The next evening, Joel placed the blue notebook on the table.

"You promised to answer my question," Joel said. "How can one person's death rescue so many people?"

Dad pulled out a chair. "I did. And we will not rush the answer. Let us begin where the first Christians began."

"Yesterday we learned that God came looking for us," he continued. "But coming near was not the end of the rescue. What did God do about the sin that separated us from Him?"

He asked everyone to open the Bible to 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.

"Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth of the message he had announced to them," Dad said. "What events are at the centre of his message?"

Anna read aloud:

"Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
1 Corinthians 15:3-4

"Jesus died, was buried and rose again," Sam said.

"Yes. The gospel is not advice about how to make ourselves good enough for God," Dad replied. "It is good news about what God has done in history through Jesus, His promised King."

What Paul Says About Jesus

"Let us slow down and notice the whole announcement," Dad said.

Why Was the Cross Necessary?

"Couldn't God simply say, 'I forgive you,' and forget about sin?" Joel asked.

"That is a fair question," Dad replied. "Imagine someone deliberately breaks our window. Later, I forgive that person. Does my forgiveness repair the glass?"

"No," Sam said. "Someone still has to pay for it."

Mum joined the conversation. "Now suppose the person washes our dishes and sweeps the floor every day for a month. Are those good actions?"

"Yes," Anna said. "But the window is still broken."

"And the wrong still needs to be faced," Mum replied. "Those good actions do not undo the damage."

Dad nodded. "That is why forgiveness is more than pretending nothing happened. In this example, I choose to bear the repair cost rather than make the person pay. Forgiveness still takes the wrong seriously."

He pointed towards the window. "But remember, this is only a small picture. Sin is far more serious than broken glass. Sin is rebellion against our holy Creator. It leaves us guilty, enslaves us, harms others, separates us from God and leads to death."

"So our good works cannot patch the relationship?" Joel asked.

"No. Good works can genuinely help people. But they cannot erase yesterday's guilt, break sin's power or bring a spiritually dead heart to life. We do not need a better score. We need God to forgive, free and restore us."

Because God is just, He does not treat evil as though it does not matter. Because God loves us, He did not leave us under sin's judgment. At the cross, the Father sent the Son, and the Son willingly gave Himself. God was not punishing a helpless outsider. In Christ, God Himself lovingly bore the cost of reconciling us to Himself.

Good works can serve our neighbour. They cannot erase guilt or repair our broken relationship with God. Only God can rescue us, and at the cross He acted for us in Christ.

How Can One Person Act for Many?

Joel tapped the page with his finger. "This is the part I don't understand. How can one person's death count for millions of other people?"

"An ordinary person's death could not," Dad replied. "Paul is not saying that the death of any good person could remove someone else's sin. Jesus is not a random person or an unwilling victim. He is God's eternal Son who became truly human."

"But how can He stand for us?" Sam asked.

"Do you remember David and Goliath? Goliath challenged Israel to send one man to fight for them. The whole army did not enter the battle. David fought as Israel's champion. If David lost, Israel lost. When David won, the people shared in his victory."

"They won because their representative won," Anna said.

"Exactly. A representative is someone who acts on behalf of others. His action has consequences for the people he represents. Jesus is far greater than David. He is our representative King."

In the garden, human beings tried to take God's place. At the cross, God in Christ lovingly took our place.

Dad asked them to turn to Romans 5.

"Paul places two men before us: Adam and Christ," Dad said. "Adam stands at the beginning of the old humanity. Christ stands at the beginning of a new humanity. In Adam's story, sin and death reign. In Christ's story, grace and life reign."

Dad read slowly:

"Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
Romans 5:19

"But I was not in the garden," Joel said. "Why should Adam's choice affect me?"

"Adam's sin was not merely a private mistake," Dad replied. "He stood at the head of the human family, and his rebellion brought sin and death into our story. We are born into that broken humanity. We also repeat Adam's choice whenever we reject God's rule and choose our own way."

Joel was quiet for a moment. "So Adam began the rebellion, and our own sins show that we have joined it."

"Then what did Jesus do differently?" Sam asked.

"Jesus entered our humanity without joining our rebellion. Adam grasped at independence from God. Jesus trusted and obeyed the Father, even when obedience led to the cross. Adam's disobedience opened the way to condemnation and death. Jesus' obedience opened the way to righteousness and life."

"So Adam led humanity into rebellion," Joel said. "And Jesus begins a new humanity under God's rule."

"Yes. Paul even calls Jesus 'the last Adam.' See 1 Corinthians 15:45."

Dad drew two short paths on a piece of paper:

Jesus could stand for us because He became truly human and remained sinless. He could save us because He is the divine Son. The Father sent Him in love, and the Son willingly gave Himself. God Himself was acting through Christ to rescue us.

"Did our sins physically move into Jesus?" Sam asked.

"No. Sin is not dirt that can be moved from one body to another. Sin makes us guilty before God and separates us from Him. As our willing representative and substitute, Jesus bore the judgment our sins deserved. His death dealt with our guilt so that He could bring us to God."

"Does that mean everyone is automatically forgiven?" Joel asked.

"No. The good news is offered to everyone, but Paul speaks about those who receive God's grace. See Romans 5:17. Forgiveness and new life become ours when we trust Christ and belong to Him. We will explore what it means to be 'in Christ' on the next page."

"Then salvation is not pretending that sin never happened," Anna said.

"Right. God dealt with sin through Jesus. Salvation is His gift, not something we earn. Later, you will have space to consider your response to Him."

Mum spoke gently. "Then we do not have to pretend that we are better than we are. Jesus already knows the truth about our sin, and He still came for us. We can come into the light and trust what He has done."

The Gospel Does Not End at the Tomb

Dad returned to the passage they had read at the beginning.

"Paul's gospel announcement does not stop at Jesus' death," he said. "What happened next? If Jesus had remained dead, would the cross still be good news?"

Anna looked further down 1 Corinthians 15.

"Paul says it would not."

She read:

"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins."
1 Corinthians 15:17

Christian faith does not rest only on the belief that Jesus died. It rests on the good news that God raised Him bodily from the dead. The resurrection is not a happy ending added to the cross. It is part of the gospel itself.

"Bodily means Jesus did not rise only in the disciples' memories?" Sam asked.

"Correct. The empty tomb was not a symbol created to inspire people. Jesus truly rose. He appeared to His followers, spoke with them, ate with them and was seen by many witnesses. The Jesus who was crucified was now alive with a transformed body that would never die again."

What Does the Resurrection Announce?

The Cross and Resurrection Belong Together

Four Windows into the Cross

Anna looked again at the words "Christ died for our sins."

"What becomes true of someone who belongs to Jesus?" she asked. "Does God only cancel the punishment, or does He also restore the relationship?"

Dad smiled. "God's rescue is greater than cancelling a punishment. He forgives us, brings us back to Himself and welcomes us into His family."