The Gospel?

by | Jan 14, 2019

“He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21

What is the Gospel? It is a word we use a lot in the church but very few of us fully know or can explain what it means and the impact it has on our lives.

I am going to try and summarize it in less than a thousand words. Wish me luck! Which I guess is still easier than trying to teach the story of David and Bathsheba to kids, HAHA! but a daunting task nonetheless.

Jeff Vanderstelt describes the Gospel as:

The truths of God revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The message of the Gospel is a story; a sad story, but one with a happy ending.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth… God, by definition, is perfect. He created the world as a perfect place. He spent 6 days speaking nature into creation with the power of His life-giving words. There was no sin.

Adam and Eve were the first two humans on earth. Created in a perfect world, they knew nothing other than beauty and peace and would walk with God in the cool of the day.

God gave them one requirement. One act of obedience. Not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, Satan came to them with 4 deceiving words, “Did God really say…?” He tricked them into believing that God was holding out on them, he made them doubt the goodness of God and that they could have something good, outside of what God had provided.

Sin can be defined as anything we think, say or do that displeases God. Because of the rebellious act of one man, Adam, the disease of sin was imputed into the whole human race. To impute something is for something to be added, good or bad, to the account of another person. Adam’s choice imputed sin into the human race.

The Bible says that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory (or perfection) of God. (Romans 3:23) and that there is no one who is righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10) Even our good works are described as being like a “filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6) because our heart (or nature) is deceitful and desperately sick. (Jeremiah 17:9)

Sin is a consuming evil power that destroyed the relationship that we as mankind had with our Creator God, and sin ultimately brings death to all it touches.

The first blood that was shed on earth was in Genesis 3:21 when God Himself made garments of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them. The first blood ever shed in the world was an animal that was sacrificed to cover the shame of Adam and Eve’s sin before their Holy God.

It was a horrible sight, something they had never seen before and was a graphic lesson that sin brings death and that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin. But this sacrifice and the whole sacrificial system throughout the Old Testament was temporary and incomplete; something more was needed.

What was needed was a substitute, one with no sin of His own, who could take the punishment that was deserved. At that moment when Jesus was on the cross, all of our sin and every way we fall short of the standard of the perfection of God was placed on Jesus. At the cross, the wrath of God towards sin was satisfied. He was wounded so that we might be healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

“But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

The way of reconciliation to God was provided by God Himself.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

The remedy for the imputed sin of Adam is the imputed righteousness of Christ. The moment anyone chooses to believe in the person and work of Jesus, His righteousness is credited to that person. We don’t just need a zero balance in our sin account, we need a full balance in our righteousness account. And that is only possible through the work of Jesus on our behalf.

“Jesus became what He was not – namely sin – so that we might become what we are not – namely righteous.” Harold Willmington

His promise to us is that when we receive Him, confessing our sins, and believing in His name, He gives us the right to become His children. He is so faithful, promising to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all condemnation and shame. (John 1:12, 1 John 1:9, Romans 8:1-4)

He took on my sin, so I can take on His righteousness.

How do we know for sure that the power of sin and death were destroyed at the cross? Because Jesus didn’t stay dead. Death was put to death by Jesus when he rose again on the third day. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us who believe in the person and work of Jesus. That faith cleanses us from all unrighteousness and enables us to be declared in right standing with God.

“We now have the presence and power in us that spoke the world into existence, flooded the earth. Parted the Red Sea and empowered Jesus to preach, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons. We have the power that overcomes Satan, sin, and death…Jesus lived the perfect life of obedience so that we could be saved from striving to live that life on our own. God declares us to be righteous, not because of any work we have done, but because of the work Jesus did. We can rest from working to measure up to perfection. We can cease striving to be perfect by our own strength and efforts. We can rest in the life of Jesus, lived on our behalf.” Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt

Maybe you are reading this today and know the Gospel and have received it as your own. I challenge you to take this time to revisit and remind yourself of the truth of the power you are living from.

Perhaps, you are reading this today and have never heard this before. I believe you are here today for a reason and Jesus has something to say to you. If you want to talk more about what you have read or what comes next, email me. I’d love to talk more about it with you.

“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

(John 6:28-29)

Read More Articles From Reclaimed Story

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This may interest you…

Karla

Karla

Humans make terrible mistakes; we can deeply hurt the ones we love and leave scars. We don’t remember why, or the why is not important anymore, but the scars remain.  One of the most difficult, hurtful relationships in my life was with my...

Jenni

Jenni

I grew up as the only child of two very functional alcoholics/drug users. My early years consisted of tremendous uncertainty and many secrets. My dad was a very angry man and we never knew what kind of mood he...

Luz

Luz

After living a promiscuous life, wrecking relationships and trying drugs in my 20s, I was as empty as ever. I remember wanting to feel clean and being ashamed of the horrible reputation I had.  I was searching for my value in others. I wanted...

Become A Reclaimer Today

You are not alone. Join a supportive group of Reclaimers and let your healing journey begin.

 

Discover The Power of Reclaiming Your Story

Welcome to our community!