The Gospel

This topic has been on my heart for quite a long while now. The topic of "The Gospel" or the good news. I don't really know where to start as it's pretty big. I guess it got brung up again when I was talking with Nicole, Surein and some of their friends over dinner, and the topic of religion came up. I thought to myself, thats a huge topic, but I just wanted to have a small summary of it.

I believe there is a lot of Christians out there, who don't know the Good News, they know portions, and some even more, some even less. And neither do I, but I believe I have at least a dip of something more than the average Christian folk out there.

What is the gospel? Gospel means the good news. Of what? Repent, and your sins are forgiven. Repent means to change your mind, your thoughts. That Jesus the son of God came down to die for us for the forgiveness of our sins, that we can return to God if we so chose to without needing to do anything but just accept the gift which is Christ Jesus.

The problem then, is always about religion. Christianity is not a religion, its a relationship. A religion is a set of rules, a book of do's and don'ts. If you do this, God will bless you, if you don't God will destroy you.

Christianity should never be and it never was a religion. The people that crucify Jesus, that mocked him, that tried and kill him while he was alive were the Pharisee's. The keepers and the holier than thou people. Don't mock the Pharisees, for every law or good work you can keep, the Pharisees can do it better. They are people of utter seriousness to the law, they are people of outmost outstanding and they still exist today in all forms. But these are not the people Jesus hung out with but rather Jesus criticized them for their hypocrisy.

Jesus hung out with the foul mouthed fisherman, the hated tax collectors, the prostitutes, the people of every day and walk of life. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" Matt 9:12. He came to the people who are in need of a savior, not the people who are trying to be the savior.

Why did Jesus criticize the pharisees, the upstanding people of society, for their hypocrisy? Their doing so much good, their giving so much to the poor, they are making society a better place.

Because, it is not good enough. Their salvation is born out of flesh. Their own works.

God is a God of order. Where there is sin, it must be punished. Either in this world or the next. Where does sin come from? Since the garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Eve into eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.

What is the fruit of knowledge of Good and Evil? It is not sin. But it is wrong for man to eat it. Why? It's simply means, independence. As in Genesis 3:5, "You shall be as God, knowing good and evil". The KNOWLEDGE of knowing GOOD and EVIL simply means that you are responsible for your actions.

Have you ever wondered, what is God's standard? I mean, if there is a standard in heaven, as to whether you can enter or not. What would it be? In the Old Testament of the Bible there is never a stated standard, never a measurement. I asked my muslim friends, they say it's 50%, that if you do more good than bad you can enter. For the Jews, they also don't have any idea, but their trying their best, and some really go so far to give their lives to earn their salvation. Same goes with even catholics to be honest, who become nuns and priests for erroneous reasons.

What is the standard in the new testament? Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God". The standard is, impossibility. It is perfection. Utmost perfection that is unattainable.

There is a belief that sins are quantifiable. Like I was telling Surein and Nicole. He was asking me about my belief on homosexuality. I believe it was a sin. But there is no such thing as a more worse or less worse sin. In the eyes of God, a boy who lies to his mother about his grades is just as bad as a homosexual pedophile who preys on small young boys. There is no big and small sin. Even the bible quantifies FEAR as sin. The bible says that they are the first people to enter into Hell. The fearful, people who are afraid all the time. Being afraid is a sin. Yes it is true. Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Then how can man ever be saved? Who is this God, who creates us, to even begin with have no chance only to be destroyed in hell? What kind of evil God or mad God who could do such a thing? It's just simply irrational to create something then destroy us like were his puny playthings. Simple things to throw around. IF none can be saved, then why live our pathetic useless lives? Might as well live like the devil and do what we want, rape pillage and murder. We're all going down to the hellhole anyway, might as well go off with a bang.

Hence, in all religions, every religion can call God Great. They know his sovereignty and his judging hand or power. They FEAR God, the pharisees and the uber religious give their craziest best to God. Some even willing to strap bombs and sacrifice themselves thinking its Gods will, currying favor to enter into Heaven with the promise of 72 virgin wives. Some dedicating their lives to a cause, to ever abstain from sex and alcohol and work in a church the rest of their lives.

Only Christians, can call God love.

There is such a thing called, the transference of sin. In all cultures and ancient religion, there is always a sacrifice. It means, that something has to die in your place, your sins being transferred unto a innocent lamb. It sounds barbaric, but even in law, there is something called the law of double jeapordy, that no man can be punished twice for the same act.

And that is why to Christians, Jesus who is God himself manifested into flesh and died in our place. Hence Christians call him "The Lamb of God", The ultimate sacrifice to take our place. The final one and perfect sacrifice.

Romans 3:24 - "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

The Gospel or the Good news simply means, you don't have to work for your salvation anymore. Salvation is freely given. It is a gift from God, it is priceless, but not cheap, it is attainable to all and it cost the most expensive thing in the universe. Sounds like good news? Or rather "Too Good to be true news". But thats exactly what it means in the Greek. THE GOOD NEWS, the gospel.

Hence Christians are the only one who can say God is Good. And God is Love. When you have a God who is Righteous, judging, but at the same time Merciful. It is impossible for mercy to mix with Judgement. Because if you are fair, and God is fair, too fair. Every sin must be punished. And hence mercy came in the form of his Son to those who would believe.

All God is asking, is that you point at Jesus. He is the one who takes away the sin of the world. By faith you believe in Jesus, that you are forgiven from all your sins, and you are forgiven. Why did he do that for you?

"For God so Loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever would believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life" - John 3:16

That is the Gospel. It is the message that God loves you. He never meant it to be this way, but man chosed independence. He wanted to live his own way. But now he's offered you a way back. Which is through Christ Jesus. This is THE GOSPEL.

Hence, Christians is the only religion on this planet that can call God Love.

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"To know the heart of God, is to know the character of Christ."

John 8: 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said."Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

God is not angry at you anymore. He does not want to condemn you. But he has to. But you don't have to be if you would only hear the good news.

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