If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you’ll know that I love to talk about the Gospel: God’s good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. It’s one thing to mention it and assume you know what it is and means, and it’s another thing to explain clearly what I mean when I refer to “the Gospel.”
Below is a brief explanation. I pray that if you know Christ, it will increase your thankfulness for His grace to you, and that if you don’t know Christ, you would come to know Him and receive the life that is found only in Him.
God created mankind to have a relationship with Him. Because He is the Creator, He has a special claim on our lives and we are accountable to Him and should live in perfect obedience.
God made us with a purpose: to enjoy Him and glorify Him forever. God is a Holy God, which means He is perfect and just in all His ways–and as a Holy God, He has to punish evil and wrongdoing.
Have you ever wondered what is wrong with the world? The answer is that it is sinful–collectively and individually. Each of us are sinners. Every time you have lied, cheated, stolen, been jealous, taken God’s name in vain, or worshiped something other than Him, you have sinned and have earned the consequence of sin: death and eternal punishment in hell.
Sin destroys our ability to have a right relationship with God and puts us under his punishment and justice. Just like a judge in a courtroom can’t be a good judge and let a convicted criminal go without the deserved punishment, God can’t overlook our sin and simply forgive us without our debt being paid.
In His great love, God saw humanity in its hopeless situation and provided a Savior, His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus took our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. Jesus was fully God, because only God could live the perfect life required to pay the price for our sin. Jesus was fully man, because only man could take the punishment for sin committed by man.
Jesus both paid the debt of our sin on the cross and appeased the wrath of God. Because of His death and resurrection, we can have our sins forgiven, walk in newness of life, and look forward to the delights of heaven.
How do we receive the benefits that Christ offers to us?
Think deeply about your sin and how it has offended God and bought you God’s condemnation. Think about Jesus hanging on the cross absorbing God’s wrath and paying the price for your sin. Put your faith in Jesus Christ and hate your sin enough to turn from it.
Jesus is alive and powerful to save. He saves those who call on Him with a repentant heart. Don’t let your head hit the pillow tonight without making yourself right with God. Come to Jesus today.
If you have any questions or want someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d love to talk to you about following Jesus and pray for you.
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