“And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:25b, ESV)
Isaiah 55:6–9 (ESV)
“Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”[4]
1 Peter 1:22–25 (ESV)
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for
‘All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.’
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”
John 14:6–7 (ESV)
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’”[2]
2 Chronicles 7:12–22 (ESV, selected)
“Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. … If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. … But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments … then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you….’”[4]
Luke 24:44–49 (ESV)
“Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’”[3]
1 Corinthians 15:1–11 (ESV)
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved… For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ[2] died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared…”
Recommended reading: Isaiah 53 (ESV)
Ephesians 2:4–10 (ESV)
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—… For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship…”
Jeremiah 31:31–37 (ESV, selected)
“‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah… I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. … For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.’ … ‘If this fixed order departs from before me,’ declares the LORD, ‘then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever.’”[4]
One-line explainer: God’s unbreakable covenant with Israel (Jer 31:31–37) stands as the backdrop to the grafting-in of the nations by faith (Rom 11:17–24), guaranteeing His faithfulness to all who are in Christ.
Joel 2:12–13, 28, 32 (ESV)
“‘Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to me with all your heart…’ … ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…’ … ‘And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved….’”
Acts 2:21 (ESV): “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Acts 2:38 (ESV): “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”[3]
Acts 3:19 (ESV): “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.”
Acts 4:12 (ESV): “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 10:43 (ESV): “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Acts 16:31 (ESV): “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Acts 20:21 (ESV): “…testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Acts 26:20 (ESV): “…that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”
Repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15; Acts verses above).
Be baptized as a public confession of faith (Acts 2:38; 8:36–38).
Continue in the Word and prayer (Acts 2:42).
Join a sound local church—one that holds Scripture as the final authority and refuses to add to or take away from God’s Word (Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5–6; Rev 22:18–19).[6]
[1] Translation: All Scripture quotations are from the ESV (© Crossway), used here for consistency and clarity.
[2] “Christ” explained: Christ (Greek Christos) means “Anointed One,” equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah. Jesus is the promised Messiah who redeems Israel and, through Israel, brings salvation to the world (John 4:22; Luke 2:32).
[3] “The promise of the Father”: In Luke 24:49 the “promise” is the Holy Spirit, poured out at Pentecost (Acts 1:4–5; 2:1–4, 33).
[4] LORD (small caps): In the ESV this represents the divine name YHWH.
[5] Israel & the nations: God’s covenant faithfulness to Israel (Jer 31) frames Paul’s olive-tree image—Gentiles grafted in by faith without arrogance (Rom 11:17–24).
[6] Church & authority: Measure all teaching by Scripture alone. Do not add to or subtract from God’s Word (Deut 4:2; Prov 30:5–6; Rev 22:18–19).