THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

The Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ

To understand the Gospel we need to first understand 4 things about God:

1. God is holy and just

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.”

Psalm 89:14

In civil law, a good judge must punish crime. If he turns a blind eye to injustice, then he is corrupt and he himself should be punished.

An analysis, conducted by property buyers Good Move, in 2018, revealed that of 62,032 theft crimes recorded between 2016 and 2017, only 1.5% were solved. Violence and sexual offences also only have a solve rate of just 11.68% between 2016 and 2017. In fact, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland only 11.58% of all crimes were solved from 2016 to 2017! (https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/967571/Unsolved-crimes-Britain-UK-Police-numbers-revealed)

These were unsolved crimes. If God turns a blind eye to those murderers, then He is corrupt by nature. It makes sense that if He is good and just, He should be angry with those who have taken the lives of others, and He should punish murderers, rapists, etc. This is the teaching of the Bible—that God will “by no means clear the guilty.” He “will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” “God is angry with the wicked every day.”

2. God warns us that the wages (payment) of our sin is death.

For the wages of sin is death, but …

Romans 6:23

God says that “Sin is transgression of the Law.” (1 John 3:4) so let’s look briefly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), and see if we have kept God’s Law:

  1. You shall have no other gods before Me
  2. You shall not make yourself a graven image
  3. You shall not take God’s name in vain
  4. Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy
  5. Honor your father and mother
  6. You shall not murder
  7. You shall not commit adultery
  8. You shall not steal
  9. You shall not lie
  10. You shall not covet

Before we say we have obeyed the Commandments, this is what someone would be like if they kept the Law:

  • they would always love God with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their strength, and with all their mind, and love their neighbour as much as they love themselves.
  • they would never make a god to suit themselves (either with their hands or in their mind).
  • they would always give God’s name reverence, keep the Sabbath holy, honour their parents implicitly, and never once be “angry with their brother without a cause.”
  • they would never hate anyone, have lust in their heart, or have illicit sex.
  • they would never steal even a paper clip or ballpoint pen, or tell as much as a “white” lie, and not once desire anything that belongs to someone else.
  • They would always be “pure in heart,” perfect in thought, word, and deed.

The truth is, we are not like that. We have all “sinned” many times, and therefore we have stored up God’s wrath, which will be revealed on Judgement Day. The proof that we have sinned will be our death, and after death we must face God in judgement.

Think of it—if He has seen our every thought, word, and deed, and if He is going to bring all of our sins out as evidence of our guilt on the Day of Judgement, we will all be found to be guilty. Our conscience has shown us right from wrong; we will be without excuse. God will give us justice, and Hell will be the place of our eternal punishment. “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.”

3. God is rich in mercy to all who call upon Him

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us…”

Ephesians 2:4

A youth once borrowed a fast car, and in a drunken stupor, sped through his hometown at 120 m.p.h. Since everything was horse-drawn in his country town, there were no laws against speeding. So the council passed a law saying that 30 m.p.h. was the maximum speed, and that any transgressors would be fined £100 for every m.p.h. over the speed limit.

On his way back through the town, the speedster decided to pull the same prank. He was apprehended, tried, and found guilty by his father, who was the town’s only judge. He was fined £9,000, and because he had no money and no words of defence, the youth was led off to prison. As he sat in despair behind bars, his father appeared at the door, and told him that he had sold all his own prized possessions and paid the fine for him. The son couldn’t believe that he loved him that much. They embraced as they never had before, and walked off in a new-found relationship, bonded together with love.

That’s a picture of what God did for us through the gospel!

We have all broken God’s Law a multitude of times, but God came to this earth in the person of Jesus Christ, and paid the fine—”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 Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus satisfied eternal justice, and then rose from the dead, defeating death. Hundreds saw Him after His resurrection; it’s no fairy tale. Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies about the promised Savior, written in the Holy Scriptures hundreds of years before His birth. But just as we cannot earn a gift, so we cannot earn eternal life by our good works—”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

4. God offers eternal life through Jesus Christ

“He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life.”

John 5:24

Life’s greatest mystery, death, was destroyed by the One who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” The Bible says, “He who has the Son has life…”

To find the way to God, to understand the truth of God’s Word, and to receive the gift of eternal life, begin by repentance. Read Psalm 51 to get an idea of what true repentance looks like and ask God to search your heart and reveal your sin to you.

Once you repent and put your trust in Jesus the bible says: You have passed from death into life (Jn. 5:24). Welcome to the family!

You are God’s child now and he promises: God “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24)

Search the Scriptures daily, and see what God has in store for those that love Him. Honour Christ’s command to be baptised, and find yourself a Jesus-centred, Bible-teaching church and commit yourself to it.

May God continue to bless you as you obey Him.

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