The Bible says that our basic orientation now is not what it originally was; that now our basic orientation is self-centered.  God originally created us with his nature which is essentially others-centeredness (inherent in the love and interdependency of the Trinity).  To correct this now abnormal nature, and the cosmic alienation and societal breakdown which it produces, is why Jesus came.  This word (Gospel) which means “good-news” refers to Jesus' finished work. Jesus finished all our obligations to God, and thus secured for us the legal status of a finished record of perfect obedience (though we ourselves didn’t lift a finger for this record!) as well as the rightful status as fully and permanently adopted children of God. 

We at Redeemer believe that the message of this accomplishment by Jesus is for the non-Christian and Christian alike. This one truth is not only the means that saves us, it is also the only means by which we grow and change. “Believing it” means continually turning from our “make-life-work” agendas to instead rest and rely on this gospel, which then secures a better agenda (the one for which we were made) of finding God himself as our happiness.  As we wrestle to keep believing this, it begins to produce the experience of being delighted in by God, and then works through us to change this “fallen” self-oriented nature to be restored back into God’s likeness (others-centeredness).