The Gospel of Jesus Christ

But at the beginning of creation, mankind was deceived by Satan.  Satan is the enemy of God and seeks to corrupt and destroy His creation.  Satan is NOT all powerful and all knowing like God.  Rather, he only has influence over creation and to this day, continues to deceive people into believing God's order is not natural. 

 

When mankind was first deceived and believed the enemy in place of God,  this brought sin into the world.  Like a virus, sin has infected everyone.  Sin is any behavior, action or way of thinking that misaligns with God's will.  Following a path controlled by sin can only lead to great suffering and destruction.  The Bible says the punishment for sin is death, eternal.  But that's not all.  Sin has also removed us from God's presence and that is why our world is filled with disease, famine, poverty, great evil, pain, and death. (John 3:19, John 10:10, Genesis 3:1, Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23)

 

Enter Jesus Christ - But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

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The only way back to God is to make atonement (payment) for sin.  Before Christ, God commanded Israel to shed the innocent blood of animals to make atonement for their sins.  But for human beings made in God's image, animal sacrifices were not equitable and never meant to make final atonement for sin.  Mankind would need a Savior, one that is both fully God and fully man, to permanently pay the price for their sin - He is the Son of God and His name is Jesus Christ.  God's plan was always to glorify His Son and Jesus will forever remain the only way back to God the Father. (Hebrews 10:4, Hebrews 9:15, John 3:16, Philippians 2:5-8, Ephesians 3:10-11)

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Christ entered this world clothed in humility and was tempted to sin just like us, but Christ never gave in to sin.  He lived among us and therefore, had the same basic needs, faced the same elements of this world, and encountered the same challenges of life that we go through.  He was rejected, despised, hated, and ridiculed.  The friends He kept we know as His disciples.  Many followed Him, but few stayed with Him to the end. (Hebrews 4:15, Isaiah 53:3, John 6:66-68)

 

The people of His nation, ancient Israel, believed their Messiah (Savior) would come to lead a rebellion against the Roman Empire (ancient Israel was subject to Roman oppression).  However, Christ came leading a rebellion against sin and death.  He did not come as Savior for the Jews alone, but for the Gentiles too (all nations).  He taught with wisdom (of God the Father), performed miracles (by the Holy Spirit), and fulfilled the ancient law (of Moses, given by God). (Romans 1:16, John 5:19, Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4:18-19, Matthew 5:17)

 

But ultimately, because He was not the military warrior they expected, and instead proclaimed to be God, Jesus would be sought for execution by the religious leaders of that time.  Jesus Christ would be betrayed by one of His disciples (Judas Iscariot), rejected by His own people, and delivered up to the Romans to be nailed to a Cross where He suffered and died.  Words cannot express how brutal a punishment this was.  Not only did He suffer physically, He suffered spiritually as well having the weight of sin nailed to the Cross with Him.  That Cross served a purpose - it was on that Cross that God poured out all His wrath on mankind.  Jesus' sacrifice would make final atonement for sins.  Despite having knowledge that He would suffer and die, Jesus knew this was the will of the Father.  He knew that only His blood and sacrifice could break the chains of sin and death.  And most of all, He loved us too much to let us remain in bondage to sin. (Matthew 26:47-50, Luke 22:42, John 15:13)

 

Jesus did not remain in bondage either.  Jesus rose to life after three days in the tomb and afterwards, many witnesses would see Him.  First, Jesus appeared unto a few of his female disciples, including His mother, Mary.  He would then be seen by the rest of the disciples.  The Sanhedrin (religious leaders) even tried to "cover up" the resurrection. (Mark 16, Matthew 28:11-15)

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Jesus ascended to be with His Father in Heaven where He is seated at His right side.  Jesus promised He will come again to "harvest" the earth.  Like a farmer returns to his crops to pick out the good fruit, Jesus too will return to a broken world to rescue those that have placed their faith and trust in Jesus and His blood shed at the Cross. (Colossians 3:1, Matthew 7:16-22, Revelation 14:15, Revelation 22:12-14, Romans 5:9, Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8)

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My friend reading this, have you repented of your sin and chosen to receive this free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ?  If you have not yet done so, today is YOUR day of salvation should you choose it to be.  The Bible is clear that we have to consciously make a choice to repent, believe Jesus is the Son of God, and make following Christ our priority.  Your life on earth is not forever, but your eternity will be spent somewhere - will it be Heaven or Hell?  Will you return to the presence of God or will you choose to remain trapped in sin, separated from God forever? (Acts 3:19, Luke 13:3)

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The choice is yours to make.  Are you ready to repent of your sin and commit your life to Jesus Christ and the Gospel?