04 May What We Need to Tell the World
by Gary Hendrix
-The Gospel is the most important message in all the world for human beings. “Gospel” means ‘good news’.
However in order to perceive the Gospel as good news, people must understand their personal situation before God. We must recognize that God demands things of all of us, things that we have failed to do, indeed that we cannot do because of our spiritual condition. God demands righteousness. He requires that we do what is right in His eyes all the time. God is perfectly righteous and cannot approve of unrighteousness at all, not even once. Attitudes, words and actions that are commonly accepted by us are severely condemned by God. Things like: pride, prejudice, taking His Name in vain (the ubiquitous “OMG”), lying (even the small ones), covetousness (including unspoken lusts); all such things are evil in God’s sight and demand the punitive actions of His justice. Above all, the failure to love God supremely and with all our minds, hearts, souls and strength condemns us in God’s sight. God must be truthful and the truth is that He is the only Being deserving unqualified love and devotion.
Being condemned by God involves a great deal more than making God sad or losing a few blessings. God’s condemnation is death, not just physical death but eternal conscious separation from Him and the unending endurance of His wrath.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
— Romans 1:18
“The wrath of God” is the most terrible reality imaginable. The wrath of God is being revealed even now; but the most devastating portion of wrath is reserved for Final Judgment and the eternity to follow.
The “Good News” is that God, because of His undeserved love for mankind, sent His Son into the world. God the Son, the eternal equal to the Father and His constant companion, became a sinless human. He lived before His Father the righteous life required of us. Then, in the greatest display of love and mercy this world will ever see, God’s Son died in the place of guilty humans. He permitted the guilt of people like you and me…the guilt which requires eternal punishment from Divine justice, Christ accepted that guilt as the Father imputed it to Him. Then He received the infinite wrath due that guilt. Because He is God and possesses infinite worth, His suffering and death as Man on the cross satisfied (propitiated) God’s justice and wrath. What will require eternity future for humans to satisfy, Christ satisfied in one sacrifice, one death on the cross.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
— Isaiah 53:5-6
God the Father raised Christ from the dead because justice was satisfied in Him. The historical fact of Christ’s resurrection from the dead proves that justice is satisfied eternally for all who believe in Christ.
God also took Christ back into Heaven so that He might intercede for all who trust Him. So that He might bestow forgiveness freely to each guilty person who calls upon Him from the heart while repenting of sins.
Do you acknowledge that you have sinned against God and that you have earned His wrath? If so, will you by faith embrace Christ as He is offered to you in the Gospel? Will you turn from going your own way in defiance of God’s will and will you entrust yourself to Christ trusting Him alone to make you right with God by the authority of His sinless life, substitutionary death and resurrection? If you will call upon Him He will pardon all of your transgressions, reconcile you to God, and give you eternal life.
That is the Good News. Will you accept it?
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
— 1 Timothy 1:15
(ESV) To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
— Acts 10:43