Why begin with the bad news?
The phrase can sound a little harsh, but it is meant to make the good news clear. If someone does not see why they need rescue, talk of salvation may feel like a vague religious extra. Paul says that every person has sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). Sin is not only the obvious harm we do. It is our shared turning from God, refusing his rule and failing to love him and others as we should.
Scripture treats this seriously because sin brings death and separation from the God who gives life (Romans 6:23). This is not a message for pointing at other people. The speaker stands on the same ground. Christians share this news humbly, knowing they too need mercy.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
The good news is Jesus
The gospel does not leave people with their failure. God showed his love by sending Christ to die for sinners, not for people who had first made themselves worthy (Romans 5:8). Jesus took sin and death seriously, gave himself for us, and rose again. Paul places Christ's death for our sins and his resurrection at the centre of the message he received and passed on (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
So the good news is not, "Try harder and perhaps God will accept you." It is that God has acted in Jesus. Eternal life is his gift, received through Christ rather than earned by moral effort (Romans 6:23).
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
An invitation, not a sales pitch
This approach normally ends with a personal invitation to respond. Jesus called people to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). Repentance means turning around, turning from sin and self-rule towards God. Faith means relying on Jesus, trusting who he is and what he has done rather than trusting your own record.
When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved, they directed him to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). A clear conversation can invite someone to pray, ask questions, read one of the Gospels, or speak honestly with God. No clever wording can force faith. God calls people to respond freely and sincerely.
Share it with truth and kindness
The bad news / good news pattern is a useful summary, not a required script. Different people begin in different places. Someone carrying shame may first need to hear that Christ welcomes sinners. Someone who assumes they are already fine may need help seeing why grace matters. Either way, truth and love belong together.
Keep Jesus at the centre. Listen before assuming you know a person's story. Don't use guilt or fear to win an argument. Explain the seriousness of sin honestly, then speak even more clearly of God's love, Christ's cross, and the hope of resurrection. The aim is not to pressure somebody into repeating words. It is to help them encounter the real good news and consider trusting Jesus.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: