The Necessity of the Gospel
God is our Creator. As our Creator some very simple observations can be made.
First, since he made us, we are under obligation to obey him. He has given us directions for life. These directions are his laws.
We find God’s laws in two places. He has written his laws on the conscience of every person. Every person already knows in their heart:
- that it is wrong to steal.
- It is wrong to cheat on your husband or wife
- It is wrong to murder
- It is wrong to harm another person without cause
- It is wrong to disobey your parents when you are a child
- It is wrong to cheat on tests at school
We do not need a written code. Everyone knows these things so we do not need a written code to tell us. But, God gave us that also. He has given mankind the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, which reveal these laws and many others, so that all people are without excuse for their disobedience when they violate God’s commands.
Violations of God’s commands are called sins.
So, because God created us we must obey him.
Second, because God made us, he knows us. He knows what we need. He knows what we desire. He knows these things better than we know them.
Third, because he knows us better then we know ourselves, we need his guidance. We make poor decisions. We make bad decisions. We make decisions that harm us either emotionally, physically, or financially. This is why we need the guidance and direction of God. Because he cares about us, he guides us in the ways that are best for us. The ways that are most fulfilling. The ways that bring us enjoyment.
Fourth, because God created us, he created us with a purpose. This purpose is to love him and to experience his love for us.
See then, these four things:
- We ought to obey God.
- We recognize that God knows us.
- We need guidance. In other words, we need a Lord in our life.
- And, we ought to love God.
Every person should ask themselves these questions:
- Have I obeyed God? (Not, “have I obeyed him some of the time?” nor, “have a obeyed him most of the time?”) If you have sinned one time then you have not obeyed God.
- Do I realize that “God knows me and knows what is best for me?” Maybe a better question is, “Do I appreciate that God knows me and knows what is best for me?”
- Do I have a Lord in my life? Or, am I my own lord?
- Do I love God?
What are your answers? In their natural state (the way a person has been born), if a person answers these questions honestly, everyone will see that their answer is no to each one. Even if you think that you can answer some with a yes, if any response is no this means that you have spurned God. You have rejected him. Maybe you have not rejected him verbally, but you have rejected him with your life.
It is not a small thing to rebel against God. It has eternal consequences. Jesus taught that if anyone should die in this condition, as a self-willed rejecter of God, then they will go to the Lake of Fire, commonly called hell, for eternity! Yes, Jesus taught that many people will suffer for eternity! And, Jesus can be relied upon because he is the Son of God.
Remember the fourth question? “Do I love God?” You may have answered that question in the negative (if you are honest, you did), but the opposite is always affirmative: God loves people. Because he does love us, he has made a way that we may escape hell. The way that he has done this is by providing someone to take our place for the punishment of our sin. Our sins must be punished. If they were not punished, God would be unjust.
God the Father sent God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the earth to die in the place of all those who would place their faith in him. Jesus died on the cross and took the suffering that we deserve. Then he rose from the dead to prove that this divine transaction was true.
This message of God’s forgiveness through Christ is known as the gospel.
Not everyone receives this gift. God requires two simple things to receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
We must place our faith in Christ, believing that he died on the cross for our sins and that he rose from the dead. Do you believe these things? Placing our faith in him also means that we trust him with our lives.
The second thing we must do is repent. This simply means to turn away from our sins (renounce them) and commit to follow Jesus.
When we do these two things, believing in Christ and repenting of our sins, something amazing happens.
God breathes his Spirit into us and we are made alive! We will discover that:
- Whereas we used to disobey God, we now enjoy obeying him and trusting him.
- We appreciate his knowledge and care for us.
- We have a Lord now, the Lord Jesus Christ, who guides us to make good decisions.
- We start loving God and we begin experiencing his love for us!
God gives us a whole new life!
If you are ready for a new life then speak out your faith and repentance. That is, affirm Christ’s dying on your behalf and affirm his resurrection. Confess your sins and renounce them.
In the New Testament, those who did these things were immediately baptized, that is, dunked in a body of water to signify the putting to death of their old life (going down under the water) and their gaining of a new life (coming up out of the water). Do not delay being baptized if you have professed faith and repentance!
If you have believed, then know that your sins are forgiven and your destiny is heaven!
