The Gospel is good news for all

Simply put, we are in desperate need. We have utterly rebelled against the God who made us and loves us. He longs to be in a relationship with us. But sin has created an impassable gap between us and God. We try hard to bridge that gap with good works, honorable actions, acts of mercy and social justice, but they all fail to meet the standard that God has set. It is never good enough because we bear the guilt and shame of sin that separates and live in the fear of eternal punishment. But God desires to give us his peace and fulfill his purpose in our lives. So he sent Jesus, His one and only Son to die on the cross, bearing our punishment for sin and taking our place. He rose from the grave and now by his cross, there is a bridge covering the gap created by sin. But you must make a choice - will you remain as you are - dead in your sins or will you turn from your sin to Christ in faith alone, trusting him for his saving grace and receive him as your Lord and Savior?

The gospel literally means good news. Good news is only good to those who are in need of it. So it would seem that if man is basically good, than there is no need for the good news that Jesus brings. But when we look closer we know deep down that we aren’t good. We know we don’t have to teach children to be mean, we teach them to be kind. We don’t have to teach them to be selfish; we have to teach them to think about others. Our propensity is to satisfy our own desires and wants at whatever cost to others and often even ourselves.

The Coronavirus is a good reminder that we have very little actual control or power over our lives. It speaks of a Creator, even when we don’t want to admit it. God, as our Creator, is also our Sustainer and the one to which we are accountable. It is He that sets the standard. We can’t measure up to the holiness and righteousness of God. Romans 3:10-12, 19 state: “‘No one is righteous- not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.’ Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands, The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” (bold mine)

In the book of Genesis, not only do we learn about the creation of the world, but we also find the history of man’s rebellion against God. In Chapter 3 we find Adam and Eve at the one tree that God has told them is not for them. Also there is the serpent (Satan), craftily deceiving Eve through a direct deception “You will not surely die.” He goes on to promise her that she can be like God. He speaks half truths to her and she begins to look at the tree through a different lens - instead of the lens of obedience, she sees the tree through the lies and questions why God would keep something that is good from them and would make them wise, she deliberately takes the fruit and eats it and gives it to Adam. He willfully eats it in full rebellion to God’s command. In so doing he has failed to protect and care for the things that God put in his care - the garden and his wife. Sin enters the world. Sin is complete and utter rebellion against God. And as Adam sins, sin enters the entire world. The spiritual death is not just his, but for all humanity. The chasm between us and God is now more vast than the Grand Canyon.

Imagine with me that you are trying to leap from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the opposite rim. At its narrowest point, it is 600 feet across. Simply an impossible feat on our own power and without any aids. Our spiritual condition is far worse. There is no way for us to bridge the gap created by sin’s entrance into the world. We are not simply broken people in need of fixing. We are not just negative thinkers in need of more positive energy and vibes. We are sinful at the core (heart) of who we are. Rebellious and rejecting God’s authority, declaring our independence of and from him. We are guilty and the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death. We all want to receive our due payment for the work that we do. God tells us that the sinful condition of our hearts is due the payment of his wrath and eternal separation from Him. Hell is real and it is the final destination of those who continue to live in their sin.

BUT then there was Jesus. There is hope. Not from ourselves. Not from anything we can do. But found in the gracious, compassionate, merciful plan of God to rescue and redeem those who will receive it. You see he sent his Son, Jesus (fully God) to save us. Jesus came to earth as a human (Philippians 2; Luke 2; John 1) and lived perfectly. And then he was murdered. By his own people. But he died not because he couldn’t stop them but in obedience and willingness to sacrifice his life for the sake of yours. By dying that terrible death on the cross, he took on the sins of the whole world - past, present and future. He bore the wrath of God against those sins. Colossians 2 tells us that he cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. He nailed it to the cross. He took my place and your place. We deserved his death, but he stepped into that place and took our punishment that we deserved. And because he is God in the flesh, death could not hold him. God’s wrath, now satisfied, is turned away from us and his power raised Jesus from the dead and by his life, we now can have life eternal.

HOW do we gain this life? The Bible tells us that we simply need to repent (turning) and respond in faith (reliance). Let’s suppose that you went to the Grand Canyon and found that someone had built a bridge from one rim to the other. The only thing to do would be to walk across and you would now be able to reach the opposite rim. (This is not a very accurate depiction of the gospel because what Jesus did for us is of such great magnitude that no earthly example can come close to describing it). You see the cross is our bridge to God. But we must turn away from our life of sin and walk over the bridge - we must repent of our sins and rely on the work that Jesus did on our behalf (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21, 26:18). It is not Jesus and out good works (Romans 5:8). It is not, keep living my life how I want and add Jesus to the mix (Romans 6:23, 3:22). It is turning away from it all and following him. When we do that, he gives us the gift of forgiveness, of being made right with God, of restored honor, of freedom from the power of sin. His Holy Spirit comes to live within us and empower us. And we never again walk alone in this life. Ever. And we are assured that even when we take our last breath here on earth, that all of eternity will be spent with Him. How incredible. What a gift. Won’t you turn to Him today?

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