GOSPEL - GOOD NEWS
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. 19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his deeds may not be revealed. 21 But whoever does the truth comes to the light, so that his deeds may be shown to be done in God."
The Gospel begins with God. The whole question of faith concerns the nature of God:
God is just.
God is holy.
God cannot distort His attributes. He cannot do something that is contrary to His nature. He is a just God. That is a good thing. It would be terrifying if this universe were created by an evil God, an omnipotent God who is evil. That would be absolutely terrifying. So it's a good thing that God is just, but it brings a problem...
If God is just, what will happen to us?
Do you want to know about the most frightening message in Scripture (the Bible)? The scariest news about God? The most frightening message of Scripture is that God is good.
Luke 18:19 Jesus said to him: "Why do you call me good? "Why do you call me good?
Why is it a problem that God is good, why is it bad news, why is it scary?
It's scary to know that God is good because we are not.
Romans 3:10 as it is written, 'There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God: 12 they are all gone astray together, they are become unprofitable: there is none that doeth good, there is none.
So what will the good God do with people like us, with sinners?
Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,...
We have sinned against God, against each other, against nature - against everything! The whole creation cries out for our condemnation. If God is truly just, what will He do with us if we deserve just condemnation and just punishment?
If a righteous God simply justifies the wicked, then he is no longer righteous. If a holy God calls sinners to Himself, then He is no longer a holy God.
So the big question is:
How a righteous God will justify ungodly men, so that he will still be fair?
Numbers 14:18 The LORD is slow to anger and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Surely, however, He will not leave the guilty unpunished, but He visits with punishment the guilt of the fathers on the sons, on the third and fourth generation.
How can a holy God call sinners to Himself and still be a holy God?
The answer is found in the cross of Jesus Christ. In the cross of Jesus Christ we see this tremendous, unique revelation of the fullness of God's attributes:
God is just and therefore must condemn our sins.
God is love, and so He became man in His Son, and lived a perfect life as a man, and then He came to the wood (the cross), and on that wood the sins of His people were laid upon Him.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Philippians 2:6(Though he was) in the manner of God,( he did not cling to) being equal with God, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, and becoming like men. And( when he appeared) in the likeness of men, 8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also hath highly exalted him above all things, and given him a name which is above every name; 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow; they that are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Romans 4:25 He was delivered up for our offences, and raised again for our justification. Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we[ have access by faith] into this grace, in which we stand and glory in the hope of the glory of God.
Hebrews 2:9 But he who was briefly set lower than the angels, Jesus, we see( for the suffering of death) crowned with glory and honor; so( by the grace of God) he tasted death for everyone. ...
Romans 3:26 in the time of God's forbearance, and to show his righteousness in the present time, so that he himself is righteous and justifies him who lives by the faith of Jesus.
All the judgment and wrath of God that we deserve is executed upon Jesus Christ, precisely to the extent that the justice of God is fulfilled.
After that suffering, Christ said: John 19:30 ... "It is finished" ... meaning He did all that was required to satisfy God's justice toward His people - He paid the full price! This is very important for you to understand that there was no atonement for our sins just because the Romans beat Jesus and nailed Him to the cross, but there was an atonement for our sins because He Himself bore our sins on the wood (the cross) and it was God's will to crush Him - that is, to punish Him in our place.
Justice has been done.
Isaiah 53:4 But it was our infirmities which he endured, and our sorrows which he bore; and we thought of him that he was smitten and smitten by God, and crushed.5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; discipline came upon him for our peace, and his stripes we are healed. 6 We have all gone astray like sheep; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has let the guilt of us all fall on him.
Isaiah 53:10 The LORD desired to afflict him with sickness: If he shall lay down his soul for a guilt offering,a he shall see offspring, and prolong his days, and the LORD's desire shall be accomplished by him.
God's wrath, which should have fallen on every one of us humans, fell on His only begotten Son. He suffered the wrath of God in fullness, paid the price, died for our sins, and on the third day rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God.
There is no other name given to men by which we can be saved (justified before a holy, holy, holy God) except the name of Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:12 And in no one else is there salvation; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to God the Father,
only through the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all, a testimony in his time.
All of Scripture (the Bible) calls people to repentance - to turn from their sins and believe the Gospel.
Acts 17:30 Having therefore overlooked those times of ignorance, God now commands men everywhere to repent. 31 For he has appointed a day in which he will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed. Of this he has given proof to all by raising him from the dead."
What does it mean to repent?
It's a change of mind. But it also means much more than you might think in our culture today. A change of mind is not something superficial. The mind in the Bible refers to the mind of the heart - it's the control center of the human being, it's the control center of our will, our emotions, our intellect, our decisions, ... so what it means is: if you've changed your mind, everything else will change along with it. There is a perfect example in the Bible about repentance:
The apostle Paul went on a journey to Damascus, leaving with orders to arrest Christians. He believed that he was doing the right thing, that he was doing God a service, and he had the whole matter in his heart. But then on this journey he encountered the risen and glorified Jesus Christ. And what happened? His thinking changed. His whole belief was refuted as false, everything he thought about God, about reality. He understood that all his original thinking was wrong. He recognized that he was wrong and began to think in a completely different way.
He now thought that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah. He now thought that Christians were the people of God, the true Israel. And because his thoughts had changed, everything else had changed. After he was baptized, he began his ministry and began to preach the Gospel and was persecuted for the same beliefs for which he himself had been persecuted earlier.
You see, to repent is to fully realize that all your thinking, your reality - everything was wrong because your life was based on lies and sin without the knowledge of God. It is necessary to come to your senses, to submit to the Truth of God about who God is, who you are, and who Jesus is, and what He has done for you.
Have you repented? Has your mind changed? Has this change led to a change of intellect, a change of will, a change of your emotions; the sins you once loved, do you now hate them? The holiness you once ignored, do you now desire it? The Christ you had nothing to do with, do you now honor Him? Do you regard the kingdom of heaven as a pearl of great price? These are sure evidences that repentance has been wrought in your heart.
The Bible calls us not only to repentance, but also that to be saved you must
to believe in Jesus Christ.
Mark 1:15 And he said, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
There is absolutely nothing in us that can save us from the righteous wrath of God. For we have all sinned.
Romans 3:23 all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
It is the recognition that we have only one hope in what Jesus Christ did on the cross. You cannot save yourself. And if anyone offers that you can get to heaven by your own righteousness, they are a liar and a heretic - a false teacher, and they are accursed according to the Bible.
Galatians 1:8 But even if[ we] or the angel from heaven( himself preach to you in the gospel) something( other than) what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, I say again now: If anyone( preaches to you as the gospel) anything other than what you have received, let him be accursed!
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, fix your hope perfectly on the grace that is brought to you by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and this salvation is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 It is not( on the ground of) works, lest any man should boast.
And so salvation comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ!
Mk 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He who does not believe will be condemned.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and this salvation is not of yourselves: it is the gift of God;
If you truly believe in Jesus Christ, you have eternal life, and you have the promise that Jesus Christ will resurrect you at His second coming, even if you die, and give you eternal life with Him.
1 Corinthians 6:14 And God also hath raised up the Lord, and will raise up you also by his power.
2 Corinthians 4:14 And we know that he who raised up the Lord[] Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will stand with you.
And how do you know if you have truly believed?
A person who has truly believed will keep the faith to the end. Nothing will separate him from the love of Christ.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.8 Finally, there is prepared for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day. And not only to me, but also to all who love his revelation.
For many people, the question arises,
"Do even true Christians sin?"
Yes, unfortunately yes.
"Can a true Christian fall into sin?" Yes, but a true Christian cannot live in a long continued state of carnality, that is, sin, a continued state of immaturity.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? 2Absolutely not! How can we who have died to sin still live in it?
Further, the Bible says:
Philippians 1:6 I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 1Corinthians 1:4 I thank[ my] God always for you, for the grace of God that was given to you in Christ Jesus: )5 For in him you have been enriched in every way, in every word and in every knowledge, 6 just as the( testimony of Christ( has been established among you) , 7 so that you are not lacking in any( gift of grace) and are eagerly awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.8 He will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus[ Christ] .9 Faithful is God, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
In the Bible in Hebrews chapter 12, one of the greatest signs that you belong to God is that God will care for you as a father and even correct and discipline you when you get off track. Not because His attitude toward you has changed, but because He loves you and desires your holiness.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he bringeth up, and scourgeth every one whom he receiveth for a son.' 7( Bear this in mind for your upbringing) , God treats you as sons. For[ is] there any son whom the father does not bring up? 8 But if you are without the discipline in which all have been made partakers, then you are illegitimate children, and not sons. 9 In our fleshly fathers also we had tutors, and we held them in esteem. Shall we not be much more subject to the Father of spirits,( to live) ? 10 For indeed they did indeed for a short time educate as they thought right, but he for the benefit of us, that we might receive a share in his holiness. 11 But all education does not seem joyful at the time, but harsh; but afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
What is the Church?
Once you become a Christian, you become part of the body of Jesus Christ, the church, which is made up of believers who form a community. A community is also called a congregation. In these congregations are believers who have believed the Gospel, pray together, exhort one another, encourage one another, and most importantly have love for one another and are called brothers and sisters because they have one Father, God in heaven.
There is one Biblical truth!
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He who does not love has not known God, because God is love. 9 In this( was made manifest the love of God for us) , that God sent his Son into the world, the only begotten Son, that we might have life through him. 10 In this is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love in us( has reached its goal) . 13 We know that we abide in him and he in us( by the fact) that he has given us of his Spirit.... 20 If anyone says, 'I love God,' and yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And everyone who loves the Father also loves( his child) .
Therefore, you cannot live a true Christian life outside the community of believers and without love for God and neighbor.
To avoid wandering in sects, it is necessary to know the Word of God, so read and study the Bible.
The basis of sound doctrine is that God is triune - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which means that the Father is God, the Son Jesus Christ is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Salvation is only through faith in God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ and His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, Jesus is Lord and He died on the cross in the flesh, was buried, was raised in the flesh.
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father
and from Christ Jesus our Lord and only Savior.