What is the Gospel?

    I got asked a question I think most Christians believe they know the answer to, but just don't quite get it. I don't say that to demean anyone or seem like I'm attacking anybody! I was in that same group of people not a year ago myself.

The question I was asked was "What is the Gospel?" The traditional "church" answer always goes back to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 which appears to lay it all out. It gives us the perfect answer, Christ came, lived a perfect life, was crucified for our sins and resurrected on the third day and is now sitting at the right hand of God. Sounds good right? It's the perfect thing to write in the little 3 page tract we pass out at supermarkets and restaurants. But is that all it is? Is that all there is to the "good news"? There are those that would say absolutely not, and I am one of them. 

    Yes Christ died on the cross for the sin of the world, was buried and raised from the dead three days later. But there's so much more! We are free! Every person in this world is free from the bondage of sin! All we have to do is believe it! The only action on our part is faith! Belief that God has made us a new creation! Acquaint ourselves with the new! 

"We have to tell people how wretched and sinful they are or they won't know what they need saving from." I don't see any evidence in scripture to support this argument..anywhere! People inherently know they are worthless. We are born searching for that thing that defines us. We grow up trying to create who we think we are or who we want to be..we have a desire to be accepted and wanted..when someone approaches you and says "you're a sinner, you need God!" Whether in those words or others, that is a complete turn off. People don't want to hear how horrible they are, that only confirms that lie in their heart. 

You want to truly speak to a persons soul? Tell them how loved they are..tell them how absolutely accepted they are! Tell them that there is nothing they can do that will make God hate them! Tell them that God desires them, that God is passionately pursuing their soul because they ARE WORTH IT! I bet the "conversion rate" will dramatically change. When you speak truth to the soul it allows the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to confirm that and draw them to Christ..once they believe that, they see what God has saved them FROM. It's only afterward that they can appreciate just how wretched they were and that God loved them enough to rescue them, To make them sons and daughters!

Romans 5:1-2 "1. Concluding then that our righteousness has absolutely nothing to do with our ability to keep moral laws, but that it is the immediate result of what Jesus accomplished on mankinds behalf. This gave context to faith and finds expression in unhindered friendship with God! Jesus Christ is the head of this union! 2. Jesus is God's grace embrace of the entire human race. So here we are standing tall in the joyous bliss of our redeemed innocence! We are God's dream come true! This was God's idea all along!" 
The Mirror Translation

When we become so focused on our failures and disappointments, we miss just how wonderful and freeing the Grace of God truly is! It releases us from ever having to worry about sin again! It absolves us from all responsibility of having to deal with it, Christ already did!

So what is the Gospel? The Gospel is that we have all been accepted! We have all been forgiven through Jesus Christ and we are all loved, and when we believe that, when we have faith that all of this is true, we live from the truth of our adoption, as sons and daughters of the living God!

Praise God for His immeasurable, wonderful, passionate Grace!

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you (:

The Other Guy