What is the Gospel and Why Does it Matter?

I am so glad you stopped by this blog. There is nothing more important I would like to share with you than the good news of Jesus Christ, but first let me ask you a few questions....Why are you here on this earth? What is the meaning/purpose for your existence? Have you ever thought about this? Have you ever asked yourself these questions before? They are really important questions to think about. I am happy to say there are answers to these questions; they are found in the Word of God, the Bible. Let me give you some answers.

Some Questions to ponder

1. Who made you? God did
2. What else did God make? God made all things
3. Why did God make you and all things? For His own glory
4. How can you glorify God? By loving Him and obeying ALL He commands
5.Why should you glorify God? Because He made you and takes care of you
6. Why do people suffer and die, and why do bad things happen? Because of sin
7. Are people good at heart, and can they do good? There is no one righteous, and no one who does good. All our "righteous" deed are like filthy rags to God.

The problem defined...We are NOT righteous.

The problem...is called sin - we are not righteous. Sin is disobeying God, either by not doing what God commands or by doing what He forbids. Sin entered into the world near the very beginning. Have you ever heard of Adam and Eve? They were real people. God created them. They were the first family, the first marriage on earth, and they were perfect. God gave them only one command to obey...God said do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( You can read about this in Genesis Chapter 2 and 3 in the Bible) But sadly, they disobeyed God and ate. This is called the fall of man. Everyone came from Adam and Eve; since we came from Adam (and Eve) in Adam we all sin and die. Everyone is born with a sin nature. You might be thinking that you don't sin, but let me show you from God's word that you do sin. Have you heard of the 10 commandments? (Exodus 20) The first commandment says you shall have no other God's before the one true creator God. None! Never! So have you obeyed that perfectly? Is the one true creator God #1 in your life every moment of every day? Commandment #5 says to honor your father and mother. Have you done that every moment of every day of your life? Have you honored them by perfectly obeying them with a cheerful, respectful attitude at all times? Commandment #9 says you shall not bear false witness, in other words you shall not lie. Have you ever told a lie? Have you always spoken the WHOLE truth every moment of every day? Commandment #6 says you shall not murder. Jesus said if you hate you have committed murder in your heart. Have you ever hated someone? Commandment #7 says you shall not commit adultery. Jesus said if you have lusted after another you have committed adultery in your heart. Have you ever looked at someone (who is not your spouse) with sexual desire? Commandment # 10 says that you shall not covet, that means you should not desire to have what someone else has. Have ever desired something your friend has, or something you have seen in a store or on TV? Perhaps you have even stolen something because you desired it so badly. Do you know that God says in commandment #8 that you shall not steal any thing. No matter what the value of the item is, whether it is big or small, stealing is stealing. Have you stolen? Have you coveted? We haven't even looked at all 10 of God's commandments, but I am certain that there is at least one of the above that you have disobeyed. God tells us in His word (James 2:10) that if we have disobeyed one of His commands we are guilty of disobeying all of them. If you are truly honest, you will see that you do not even desire to do as God says, you have disobeyed Him by disobeying His commands and that is sin. Do you see how the 10 commandments of God reveal the real you? They show you your true heart condition.[God knows all your thoughts, He sees your heart as well as your actions.] The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and that there is no one righteous, not eve one (Romans 3:10). We are all guilty before God, we all stand condemned. In fact, the Bible says that the wages of our sins is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore we must pay the penalty for our sins by dying and going to hell, to live under the terrifying wrath of God forever. Sin is really that horrible. So you might be wondering is there any hope? Is there any good news?

The solution to our sin problem is the gospel!

Yes, there is hope! There is good news! It is known as the gospel of Jesus Christ. God's word tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus, God's unique son stepped into His own created earth about 2000 years ago. You see, God is one God, but three persons, this is what the Bible teaches. So Jesus was not only God's son, but He was 100% God. Jesus came to earth born of a virgin, to accomplish God's wonderful plan to save us from our sins. The Bible puts it this way, the word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us. Wow! The creator God actually walked amongst His people in a [100%] human body. Amazing! Isn't it. He lived a perfect life. He NEVER sinned, He never disobeyed God. He did all that His Father God wanted Him to do which included dying on a cross for all our sins. God poured out His anger for our sins on Jesus while He was on the cross. Remember, Jesus hadn't done anything wrong. Jesus was dying for us. He loved us! (Read John 3 :16 in the Bible) He took our place on the cross! He was taking the punishment that we deserve. You see, someone must pay the penalty for sin; God is holy and just, He cannot let sin go unpunished. So Jesus took our sin; He took our punishment (God' wrath and eternal death) on Himself so that we could be saved. He paid for all our sin with His blood on the cross. He took our death. He died. But then guess what happened three days later? Jesus defeated death by rising from the dead. You see, in order to have victory over death He had to rise again to conquer death once and for all...and so He did! After He arose from the dead hundreds of people saw Him. Not long after His resurrection, Jesus went back to heaven to live with His Father, and that is where He is today. He is ruling and reigning from heaven, and preparing a place for His children to live forever. He has promised [in the Bible] that He will come again to gather His children to be with Him forever. This is exciting news for those who are His children [those He has saved], for they stand, and will forever stand before God covered in the righteous of Christ. But for those who will stand in their sin...this should be terrifying news, for when He comes again, He will come as a judge and sentence each unsaved person to hell, to experience the wrath of God and to pay the penalty for their own sins FOR ALL ETERNITY!

So you might be asking....how can I become God's child? How can I stand righteous before God on that day of judgment to come?

Run to Jesus today... repent (turn away from your sins to Christ) realize the terribleness of each and every sin committed against the holy, awesome creator God. Seek His forgiveness for your rebellious, disobedient heart. Understand that there is nothing good within you. Know that there is nothing that you can do to please God, nothing you can do to satisfy His wrath, and turn to Jesus, the only one who can deliver you from your sins, and the penalty of your sins (death and wrath of God) Trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you. When you trust in Jesus you are trusting that Jesus was the God man [100% God and 100% man] and that what He did on the cross for you has the power to save you, to deliver you from God's wrath, sin and eternal death. Trust that in Jesus God will declare you righteous, and that is the ONLY reason you will be allowed into His heaven. Trust that Jesus paid for your sins once and for all [your past, present, and future sins] and the punishment that you deserve has been paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross! Run to Jesus, Repent of your sins and Trust in Jesus to save you today! Cling to the FREE gift of salvation in Jesus Christ...you can do nothing to earn it, but only receive it.

The Bible says at the time you repent and trust in Jesus that He gives you a new heart and your are born again. You become a child of God. He makes you a new person inside. He puts His Holy Spirit within you to teach and guide you, and when you are a new person.......you will love and treasure Jesus Christ with gratitude and continual belief for what He has done for you and you will love others as yourself also. You will desire to live your life for His glory, by His strength. You will continue to repent of your sin as you grow in holiness/ you will hate your sin and desire righteousness. You will desire to talk with God in prayer and you will pray. You will desire to read His word [the Bible] and obey it, and you will read and you will obey it more and more. you will desire to be with His children, the church...the people of God. You will bring forth [fruit] good deeds by His strength. AND you will want to tell others this wonderful news! This, my friend, is why I made this blog. I pray, you too, will come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today. Please do not wait. Do it while you still have today!