WHAT MAKES THE GOOD NEWS “GOOD”? (pg 2)
Wow! I hope that trip through BAD NEWS country didn’t ruffle your feathers too much, because from here it’s all GOOD NEWS. To give you a better picture of the essence of the Gospel (good news), I will use this iconic Bible verse below as a template to layout what makes the good news GOOD.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [John 3:16]
I. For God so loved the world…
God’s love for us is the core of the gospel. The reality of which surrounds us day by day, as revealed in the Bible. Scripture after scripture, His love is seen in the awe of creation. It shows His love is steadfast, unchanging and a great comfort to us. Even to those that reject Him, He shows His love.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. [2 Peter 3:9]
How could everyone come to repentance? God knew mankind was in trouble because of sin. He knew that mankind needed a bridge to span that great chasm that separates us from Him; a bridge that no ordinary human being could ever build.
Enter JESUS CHRIST.
II. That He gave His one and only Son…
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” [John 14:6]
This is a BOLD declaration. How do we take in this incredible statement? He is either a liar or a lunatic… Or He spoke TRUTH which, by the way, is undeniably supported by the Bible; most especially the four Gospel books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John).
How was Jesus to pave the way to God? What was He to do?
Do you recall this verse? For the wages of sin is death… [Romans 6:23]
Sin had to be paid!
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God… [1 Peter 3:18a]
By dying for us some 2000 years ago, Jesus COMPLETELY PAID the penalty of our sins.
But how could he, a man, do this? Because Jesus was the only man that walked the earth with no sin.
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. [1 John 3:5]
How could a man be with out sin? Jesus is also God!
In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:1,14]
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save… [Zephaniah 3:17]
What other proof do we need to know that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah and our only Savior? The final proof was His resurrection.
…regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 1:3-4]
So, Jesus is the BRIDGE that connects us to God. Where do we go from here?
III. That whoever believes in Him
I have reiterated time after time in this Gospel blog that there is nothing you can do to pay for the penalty of sin. However, we still have something to do. Good news is, it is not to pay for the penalty of sin. Our loving God took care of that.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” [Romans 5:8]
So, what is our part?
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. [John 20:31]
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” [John 14:1]
“We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved…” [Acts 15:11a]
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” [Acts 16:31]
The dictionary defines ‘BELIEVE’ as accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of. For myself, this is GOOD NEWS on a personal note. You see, the Lord made sure that our part was something that you and I are capable of doing easily. All God asked of us is to BELIEVE Him… to BELIEVE in what His Son did for us.
So, where do we go from here?
Well, where ever you are right now, know that God is listening for you. Talk to Him with no delay and express your faith in Jesus Christ and receive Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior. You only have to pray the prayer below once, but with sincerity, because when He enters your life, He will never leave you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you so much for loving me. I confess that I am a sinner worthy of eternal punishment. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for all of my sins. With your help, I am turning away from all my sins. Today, I put my trust in you as my Lord and Savior and I receive you into my heart. Thank you for forgiving my sins and for coming into my heart. I accept your free gift of eternal life. Thank you that one day, I will go home to be with you in heaven. From this day on, I will follow and obey you. Amen.
IV. Shall not perish, but have eternal life
What happens next? This next phase is in God’s court.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. [John 3:36]
What is eternal life?
When Scripture speaks of eternal life, it refers to the gift of God.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23]
The gift of eternal life comes to those who believe in Jesus Christ, who is Himself “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). The fact that this life is “eternal” indicates that it is perpetual life—it goes on and on and on, with no end.
It is a mistake, however, to view eternal life as simply an unending progression of years. (After all, in eternity, time has no meaning.) A common New Testament word for “eternal” is aiónios, which carries the idea of quality as well as quantity. In fact, eternal life is not really associated with “years” at all, as it is independent of time. Eternal life can function outside of and beyond time, as well as within time.
For this reason, eternal life can be thought of as something that Christians experience now. Believers don’t have to “wait” for eternal life, because it’s not something that starts when they die. Rather, eternal life begins the moment a person exercises faith in Christ. [www.gotquestions.org/what-is-eternal-life]
What makes the good news ‘GOOD’? The personal knowledge of being with God in eternity is by far fantastic.
Meanwhile, for as long as we are still walking this world, there is another effect to our lives that I know will astonish you. We will cover this in my next post. Until then, I offer you the verse below to analyze and meditate on.
Johann Quisumbing 