As a follower of Christ I should be able to articulate the
Gospel, but sometimes I find it difficult to express the truth I hold so dear,
and I know other Christians struggle in the same way. So, today I will practice expressing that
deeply loved good news. If you are a
follower of Christ, I hope this encourages you to meditate on the Gospel for
the glory of God and for your good. If
you are not a follower of Christ, I hope you are curious enough to read on.
Before I
explain the Gospel, that is the good news, I must try to convey the seriousness
of the bad news. Of course, it is clear
to anyone that things are not all right in our world. Disease, injustice, broken relationships,
natural disasters, war – the list of painful things is much longer. As human beings we are all in rebellion
against our creator. The brokenness of
this world is the result of sin against God.
We all have ignored our creator and worshiped his good gifts in the
place of him.
Romans 1:18-23 makes clear our sin against God and our
fearful position under his just wrath.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their
unrighteousness suppress the truth. For
what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to
them. For his invisible attributes,
namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever
since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are
without excuse. For although they knew
God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became
futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and
exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and
birds and animals and creeping things.
Our creator is holy and just. To be consistent with his holy nature, he
must punish sin against himself. The
thought of God’s wrath should terrify anyone.
The one who is powerful beyond our imagination should be feared. But, the
good news is that this just and holy God who will punish all sin is also
merciful and loving.
Ephesians
2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the
great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses,
made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved…
The apostle Paul also states the good news in Christ more
clearly and concisely than I ever could in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
For I delivered to you as of first
importance what I also received: that Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that
he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that
he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Christ being fully God, one with God the Father and the Holy
Spirit, the creator of all things, who was in need of nothing, chose to humble
himself to the point of death because he desired to show mercy to sinful
people.
Philippians
2:5-8
Have this mind among yourselves, which is
yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the
form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross.
God’s just wrath fell on him. If you trust in Christ and his righteousness
and not your own attempt at goodness, he has taken God’s wrath on himself for
you. If you are in Christ, meditate on
this great love every day. I pray this
knowledge causes you and me to live a life full of gratitude and worthy of the
new life we have been given in Christ.
If you have not trusted Christ for your right standing with God, I pray
that you will, and I plead with you to repent and trust the Gospel, the good
news in Christ. Every breath you take is
a gift from God. In patience he gives
you more time to trust him. Don’t waste
the gift of this moment.
May God bless you deeply with his joy and peace.
Bethany
There is much more I would like to say and clarify, but I
will keep things as short as I can for now.
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