The Message of The Gospel

The Gospel.

As I see it presented, discussed and interpreted in some blogs, the message of the gospel is made out to be so overly complicated, who could understand it? Or, by contrast, it's reduced to practically nothing, so who really needs it?

It seems to me that the Scriptures are very, very clear on who God is, on man in relation to Him, on sin, repentance, forgiveness and salvation.

Everything - as in E.V.E.R.T.H.I.N.G. - begins and ends in God. God is. I AM

I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. "Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it. "Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker -- An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say,'He has no hands'? "Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?' " Isaiah 45:5-10

Wow - this and many other passages just like it ought to cause us to tremble at the Great God and Maker of this universe and everything in it.

And despite what some teachings would claim, God wasn't so lonely or desperate that He created man because He looooonnnnged for fellowship with him. Throughout the Bible, we see that everything He does is for the purpose of making known His glory. Good reference tools are Crosswalk.com and BibleGateway.com. Do a search on "glory" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Without turning this post into a thesis paper, I'll simply say the Scriptures teach that human beings are depraved sinners. We're this way by nature via birth. 'Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned'-- Romans 5:12. In other words, because Adam (the 'one man') disobeyed God, the DNA of the entire human race became fractured. So again, despite bad teaching, we are not born "good" and become "bad" through upbringing and environment.

See also Romans 3.

Because we are depraved sinners, we cannot have a relationship with a just, holy and righteous God; we cannot know Him, and we cannot spend eternity with Him. We cannot be 'good enough' to earn His favor; we have nothing to offer Him - e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. is ALREADY His; we have nothing with which to barter. We are helpless and hopeless in our wicked, sinful, depraved state. And we're headed for hell without His merciful intervention.

But...

He is merciful; He is gracious, and He is loving. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

See this whole passage in Romans 5.

Read Ephesians 2, too!

God condescended. He sent His Son to live on this earth. To absorb His wrath. To die so that we might be saved. 'He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ' 2 Cor 5:21

The Bible teaches that we must repent. And that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21

Good News, indeed.

Maybe in reading this, God has begun to stir your heart. Perhaps this writing is just one tiny thing in a string of events that God has used or is using to draw you to Himself. I wouldn't really know. But He does. And you do.