THE GOSPEL
The Gospel
The Bad News
I remember in the early days before I accepted Jesus, someone shared the gospel with me and opened with what I thought to be a harsh statement. She said, “do you know that you are a sinner and that you are going to hell unless you accept Jesus Christ as you Lord and Saviour?” That alone was enough to put me off. I mean, who was she to judge me? This was very difficult for me because I believed that I was a good person compared to most people and why would a good God send me to hell.
However, I soon began to understand that God did not evaluate our goodness by comparing us to other people. He evaluates our goodness by comparing us to Himself. And compared to God none of us is good. All of us have broken God’s moral laws (*Exodus 20:1-17).
The 10 Commandments List (Short Form*)
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You shall have no other gods before Me.
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You shall not make idols.
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You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
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Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
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Honour your father and your mother.
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You shall not murder.
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You shall not commit adultery.
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You shall not steal.
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You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
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You shall not covet.
All of us have told lies. We are liars. Nearly all of us have stolen something. We are thieves. We have taken God’s name in vain. We are blasphemers. We have looked upon others with physical lust. We are adulterers at heart (Matthew 5:28). We have put something, someone or even ourselves in the place of God. We are idolators (Exodus 20:3-4, Colossians 3:5, Mark 12:30). We are all sinners (Romans 3:23). We are rebels (Isaiah 1:28). Left in our sins not only are we alienated from God (Colossians 1:21), we are His enemies (Romans 5:10).
We ought to understand that God’s moral law is there for our good. To protect us and to keep us safe. Would you like being lied to, stolen from, abused, cheated on or spoken ill of and so on. If we can respect the laws on earth for our good and that if broken a penalty must be paid. How much more God’s divine laws? When these are broken, there is also a penalty to be paid. The earthly penalty is temporal while the Godly penalty is eternal.
If a man committed a heinous crime and was taken before a good judge, he would be punished for his crime. God is intrinsically good by His character and nature (Mark 10:18), and a good God must punish sin. If He did not punish sin, then He would not be good.
God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). He is holy and just. He is not actively sending people who are merely passive participants to hell. According to God’s law, the consequence for sin is death (Romans 6:23).
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).
How can a God who is holy and just pardon sinners without compromising His righteous justice?
The Good News Is So Good
The good news is that God loves us despite of our sin, and He has provided a way for us to be saved from His righteous judgement through His son Jesus Christ, who took our place and bore the punishment for our sins on the cross and then three days later was resurrected (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20), proving Himself to be who He said He was, God in human flesh. On the cross, the cup of God’s wrath for our sins was poured out on His Son, Jesus, and Jesus drank in every last drop of it. He became what the Bible calls the propitiation for our sins. To “propitiate” is “to satisfy.” Jesus satisfied the wrath of God by offering Himself as the ultimate and only sacrifice for sin. On the cross our sins were charged to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
John 3:16 says it beautifully - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
The first part says that “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”. This demonstrates God’s mercy towards all of us. God has made a way for us, His enemies (Romans 5:10) to be reconciled to Himself. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth. He was and is fully God and fully man: human and divine. He was perfect and without sin. He willingly lay down His life to pay the ultimate price for our sin – past, present, and future. He died for everyone, all of humanity - regardless.
The second part says, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
This demonstrates God’s grace to whoever chooses to believe. The word “Whoever” here, is an open invitation to anyone and everyone. So, whoever chooses to believe and have faith in Him will not get the punishment deserved for their sin which would be eternity in hell but will get a free gift of everlasting life which Jesus attained for us on the cross. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). But this doesn’t mean that everyone is saved because not everyone believes.
Jesus, who was without sin, was battered, beaten, bruised, and killed for our sin. He lay down His own life for us, taking the punishment that we deserved so that He could give us the gift that we did not deserve. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Romans 5:8-9).
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9).
This is the good news.
So, What Next?
REPENT:
God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance (Romans 2:4). The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). So, repent of sin and place your trust in Jesus Christ. If you will come to Him in godly sorrow over your sin and if you genuinely desire to follow Him in obedience for the rest of your life, He will save you. You will pass from death to life (John 5:24).
CONFESS AND BELIEVE:
Confess and believe that Jesus is Lord. That He is the Son of God sent down to earth to take the penalty for our sin. The bible says, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10).” For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
If you are not certain where you would spend eternity if you were to die today, then I ask of you, to get really honest before God. Confess your sins to Him and your utter need of His mercy and forgiveness. Ask Him to save you. The wrath of God will be removed. Your sins will be forgiven and they will be put away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and God will remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12).
The moment you accept Jesus into your life, you will also receive the Holy Spirit as part of your continuing relationship with God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us (1 Corinthians 2:12).
Next, get into the word (Romans 12:2). I would recommend examining the four gospels in the New Testament which are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is vital to know the character of Jesus Christ, how He treated people, what He taught, how He died and how He rose from the dead. It is important to know for yourself what makes Him trustworthy so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Also, pray daily (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). God wants a relationship with you. Speak to Him, ask Him forgiveness in humility, ask Him to help you and to teach you His ways. Find a good fellowship group that is rooted in the word (Hebrews 10:24-26) where you can grow with likeminded people in Christ. Ask God for wisdom so that you know what to look out for when seeking a fellowship group. It is important that we test any church we go to against the bible to make sure that it is in accordance to the truth of the bible.
You can buy a bible from almost any major bookstore or online retailer these days. An easy version to start with would be the New International Version (NIV) or the English Standard Version (ESV) and then as you grow in your faith, you will learn more about the different versions and have a preference. There are many resources and apps available to help you with reading plans and study guides.
Here are a couple I have used but there are many others available:
https://www.bible.com/reading-plans
https://www.biblegateway.com/reading-plans/
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/
https://biblia.com/books/esv/Jn3.16
Remember that Christ did not come to bring religion, but He came to seek and save the lost and that through repentance, we are reconciled to God and have a relationship with Him.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, and I will do my best to answer.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).