I have been encouraged to include a “First Things” chapter in our latest writing project: A Christian Response to the Meaning Crisis. Here we offer our first attempt at a concise description of the Gospel, perhaps the first of all first things. Please comment with your opinion, suggestions, questions, etc.
The Creators of the Universe – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – desire to have an intimate, personal relationship with you, me, and every other human being. This is the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God and the Lord of all Creation. He is the Good King who would reign over us in love, peace, and grace. Indeed, in love, the Father would have us become His sons and daughters, disciples and friends of His Son, and vessels, students, and agents of the Holy Spirit. This is the Good News!
In the beginning, God formed man from the earth and breathed His life into him, purposefully creating us in His image. But like many of the angels, we rebelled against God, preferring to be our own god. That was a tragic mistake; one we have suffered from ever since. People like to call this tragedy, “The Fall of Man,” because we “fell” out of God’s grace. But frankly, it was straight up rebellion.
The angels who rebelled are collectively known as demons. They are led by the Devil, also known as Satan. Rebellious humankind – all being born into the same tragedy – are simply known as “The Lost,” because we lost the intimate relationship God desired to have with us.
God does not share thrones with rebellious subjects. But still, He desires intimate, personal relationship with you, me, and every other human being. To make that possible, He sent His Son – Jesus Christ – to die as a sacrifice for our reconciliation with His Father. We are reconciled by Jesus’ blood.
Our reconciliation with God the Father also includes our redemption, for He paid the price to buy us back from the spiritual slavery of our rebellious nature, also known as “our sin.” To receive the Father’s gift of reconciliation and redemption requires that we believe Jesus died for us, repent from our old rebellious nature, and be baptized. This act of belief and obedience begins a process called salvation, or our “being saved.”
Salvation, like much of our relationship with God, is one of God’s greatest mysteries. Having started the process, we live the rest of our lives learning about and enjoying its wonderful surprises and adventures. In the simplest terms, salvation is receiving, subjecting ourselves to, and participating in, the life of Jesus Christ.
That is right! Jesus Christ is no longer dead. He was resurrected from the dead by His Father, and soon thereafter rejoined Him in Heaven. Belief in the Resurrection and Ascension are necessary steps in the process of salvation. As you might imagine, many struggle to believe that a person could be raised from the dead. But Jesus and many before Him prophesied this would happen (including the manner of His death), and many people witnessed His mortal life after He died and rose again. After all, is it so hard to believe that the One who created the heavens and the earth, and all of life, could bring a man back to life? Indeed, Jesus is now one of many.
Everyone who is reconciled and redeemed has been spiritually born again in this life, and will be physically resurrected sometime in the future. God has given us a new heart and spirit in this life, and we will receive a glorified body in the next. We are promised to one day inhabit heaven with God the Father, God the Son, the angels, the rest of saved mankind, and the Holy Spirit.
Ah, the Holy Spirit – the third Person of the Godhead, the promised gift of God to all who are redeemed. The Holy Spirit was sent to us by Jesus upon His return to the Father to be our teacher, comforter, transformer, and so much more. It is His responsibility to teach us all there is to know about the kingdom of God, to comfort us when times get tough, and to transform us into the very image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Second only to the good news of our intimacy with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the good news of their promise to work in us and through us for our good and their glory. Jesus has promised to make us fishers of men, has commissioned us to make disciples for His kingdom, and baptizes us in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit desires to transform us by the renewing of our minds, to fill us with His presence and power, and to use us to bless the church with His supernatural gifts. Our Father in heaven, who works in us to will and to do to His good pleasure, uses us for good works which are exceedingly, abundantly beyond anything we can ask or think, according to His power.
This is the gospel – the good news – of the kingdom and its King.
God bless you with love and opportunity to share it with the lost in your spheres of influence.
Have a strong day in the Lord,
Rob