[For our church website I revised the wording and changed some verses from this earlier blog post on the basic gospel message. Same message, just updated. Here is the revised re-post.]
How can we know God? By trusting in Him through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Do you believe the gospel of Jesus? What is the core of the Good News? Although the effects of the gospel are profound, the basic message is simple.
Ruler
God, the holy, loving, joyful Creator, is the sovereign One over all people and things, and He deserves the worship, reverence and obedience of His creation.
Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created. (Revelation 4.11)
For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. (Romans 1.20)
Rebels
We, the creation, have chosen our own path in life, and walked away from our holy Creator. As a result we deserve our due penalty—death and separation from the loving and joyful God.
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. (Romans 1.18-19)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6.23)
Redemption
Jesus the Christ (the Messiah), who is fully God, took on a human body, lived a perfect life, died in our place (thus taking our death penalty), and rose from the dead. As a result, the ability to know our Creator and live in His joy was restored and made available in Christ.
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm. (1 Peter 3.18)
He [God the Father] made the One who did not know sin [God the Son—Jesus] to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5.21)
Renewal
The available redemption cannot be earned, but must be applied to us individually as the Holy Spirit pulls us, and we respond to His grace in repentance and faith—accepting the gracious gift of life in Christ, and growing in Christlike character. This involves immediate soul renewal, and later at the return of Christ, it will involve the physical renewal of our bodies and all of creation.
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8.11)
But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell. (2 Peter 3.13)
My sincere prayer is that you would be able to experience God’s joy and delight in Him through the gospel of Jesus Christ. He offers Himself to you. Will you trust in Him, and accept His gracious gift?
If you are just beginning your life with God in Christ, I encourage you to connect with a local church community of Christ followers. In the meantime, for more information, click here.
*All Scripture references are from the HCSB.
"It is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." Rom. 2:13 Maybe you need to find out which law he is talking about since he also says a law has been added to the law.
ReplyDeleteMr. Jones, thanks for the comment. I'm not sure what you're aiming at, but if you are suggesting Rom 2.13 as a verse arguing for works-based justification, you picked the wrong section. That entire chapter is addressed to self-righteous religious Jews, whom Paul loves and wants to see them come to the truth. Those folks were banking their justification on their connection to the law (Mosaic Law), except that they weren't actually obeying it (see esp. 17-24). That's what he is describing in 2.13. The only ones who can actually do the law are those who trust in Jesus to do it in them, and then through them. Be sure to read a section in its entirety to make sure you don't take one verse out of context. Better yet, read the whole letter to the Romans. Praying for you!
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