The Gospel

Answer these questions in your head:

Do you think that you are a good person? Have you ever told a lie? What does that make you? (a liar) Have you ever stolen anything? What does that make you? (a thief) Have you ever committed murder or adultery? Jesus said that if you think of someone with hate or call them a fool, then you have murdered them in your heart. Jesus also said if you lust after someone else you have committed adultery in your heart with them. What does that make you? (a murderer and adulterer)

If your honest with yourself, you will admit that you have done all of these, everyone has.  That makes you a lying, thieving, murderous, adulterer at heart and you have to face God on judgment day. Do you think that he will judge you innocent or guilty? Based on that do you think he will send you to heaven or hell? Just like a judge in our civil law has to punish lawbreakers, God in his moral law (the 10 commandments) has to judge those who break his law. The reason that we as humans were given the 10 commandments was to show us our need for a savior.

I cannot plead with you enough to repent and turn from your sins and strive after Christ, because if you do not, then on judgment day you will be thrown into hell, forever. The very goodness of God that you think will save you on judgment day will be the very thing that compels him to put his wrath on you by sending you to hell. Understand this: God became a man, in Jesus, the God who created all things, the God who is invisible became visible in Jesus, he suffered and absorbed the wrath of God that was meant for humanity. If you have not repented and sought salvation in Christ, then that wrath is coming your way, and you do not know when it will get to you. Repent and trust in Him who can save you from the wrath to come.

There is more to it than this. Forgiveness is not the end goal of the gospel! Imputation of Christ’s righteousness is not the end goal of the gospel! Christ died on the cross to give us what we needed most, God! 1 Peter 3:18 says, “Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…” Jesus died so that you would have God. In God, is the fullness of joy and pleasure forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Therefore Jesus died to bring you to that infinite pleasure! If you do not receive this pleasure, then you are like a person dying of thirst in the desert who comes across a beautiful oasis, only to eat a mouthful of sand thinking it will satisfy you. Stop eating sand, come to the waters, come to Jesus! Infinite joy is waiting!