For God So Loved The World
The gospel is a message about God’s great love for the world. To demonstrate His love He came Himself to save us from sin’s power over us and it’s consequences. God is offering us pardon and forgiveness for all our offenses against Him and His kingdom. He is seeking to reconcile us to Himself. He sent Jesus to take the penalty for our sins upon Himself, releasing us from God’s judgment and punishment. All we must do is turn to Jesus as our Lord and call upon Him to save and deliver us from sins power and penalty.
We All Have Sinned
We must recognize God is perfect and we have all sinned against Him. To not understand this is to fail to understand God. Sin is serious to God, even the smallest sin, because to God it is rebellion against Him, His kingdom, His nature, and His moral character. It is not just our sin alone that condemns us before God but our heart of rebellion against God that makes sin so serious. To sin is to suffer the penalty of separation from God for all eternity. Jesus suffered that penalty for all mankind on the cross. We can receive His dealth by faith as payment for our sins in a simple prayer of commitment and faith.
Faith In Christ
Many people are under a misapprehension that all we need to do is know that Jesus died for us to be forgiven of our sins. Others believe we simply say a prayer and we are forgiven. Some people rely on their best efforts to please God. Others believe a particular religion and it’s practices will earn our forgiveness. All of these come short of God’s perfection. It is not faith in ourselves, our works, or a religion, but putting our faith fully in Christ that saves us (from sins power) and delivers us (from God’s penalty of separation from Him.)
The Benefits Come Through a Full Commitment To God
We need to fully commit to serving God before we can receive all the benefits of Christ’s work. When we do, God will send His Spirit to give us a new life filled with His Spirit and power. As we choose daily to turn from those thoughts, words, and deeds that offend God, with the power of Christ living in us, we will now succeed. This is the simple message of the gospel.
The Power, Penalty and Presence Of Sin
Sin is a power that controls us. We sin because we are sinners by nature. Jesus taught that we are slaves to sin. The power of sin can only be broken by receiving Christ as Lord and savior. When we do, the Spirit of God makes us a new creation because God’s Spirit now indwells us. The Spirit of Christ lives in us to empower us to victory over temptation and the pull of sin’s power that compels us to act upon our impulses. In the power of God’s Spirit we receive a new heart. This new heart gives us a character more like God. God’s Spirit also empowers a God-given discernment to clearly know good from evil. Our heart is made loving and obedient towards God. We will remain sinners, eternally separated from God and under sins power if we do not make Jesus Lord.
Sin will be punished by God. Sin brings consequences, such as spiritual death (separation from God), old age, sickness, disorder, suffering and pain. Sin demands justice for our rebellion against God and the destruction done to His kingdom and creation. God’s will has been rejected and His laws violated. If God is just and good sin must be punished and eradicated. Sin cannot be overlooked. It is a powerful reality that has ruined human lives and God’s creation. Sin has incurred God’s just wrath. The penalty for sin is a broken relationship with God resulting in being eternally separated from God. When Jesus died on the cross He took our place and our punishment, liberating us from the penalty of death. When he rose from the dead He liberated us from the power of death.
Sin will be removed from God’s presence and the creation for all eternity. If sin is not eradicated evil will grow and spread for all eternity, destroying our lives and God’s creation. Sin is not just a present problem it is an eternal one. When Jesus promises us eternal life He promises that sin and its consequences will be conquered and removed from our lives completely. When sin is removed from our hearts we will live in harmony with God’s will. The effects of sin will also be removed from the creation. In His presence is perfect order and happiness. Eternal life is more than a duration of time; it is a quality of life. We partake of the divine nature through our union with Christ. We will share in all that God is, and created.