What is the main message of Christianity?

It begins with God. He created all and owns all. He formed man and woman in His own image, to worship and know Him in perfect love, joy, and peace. We owe this obedience to God, but it is a happy obligation because this is a good God.

Yet mankind spurned this obligation. We rejected God and His rule and wished God dead. Though God has been nothing but kind to us, we hated him. We broke the relationship of peace, and God is rightly angry with us.

And because we don’t see God’s anger at sin and sinners now, many misunderstand God’s kindness as weakness. We think his patience with us–which is meant to lead us to repent and receive his forgiveness–means that God will not judge us. But one day God’s patience will come to an end, and he will judge sinners.

So God, in love, sent his Son Jesus to die in the place of sinners. Jesus took the judgement that his people deserved, so that they might be reconciled to God. They are forgiven so that they can be restored to the perfect relationship of love, worship, and peace with God.

How do we receive this gift of forgiveness and reconciliation? By turning away from our sins and trusting in Christ alone for salvation.

This is the central message of Christianity–what the apostles call ‘the gospel’. We could never do enough good deeds to earn our forgiveness, so God has taken the initiative. Jesus has won our forgiveness, if only we would repent and believe in him.