Part One
We are endeavoring to ascertain “What is the Gospel”, a fundamental question to the identity of man. All those who deny the necessity of this question are either intellectually dishonest or at least devoid of understanding. This is going to be a four-part series, so stay focused on the task at hand as we begin our discussion.
Every American has heard the phrase “Gospel”, but few have actually experienced the Gospel. Today, modern evangelical churches have adulterated the Gospel and watered it down to the point that it truly is “the opium for the masses”. Instead of preaching a white-hot Gospel that purifies, they preach a bathtub Gospel that soothes. What differentiates a purifying Gospel from a soothing, cathartic Gospel? The Truth. Truth has always been the dividing line between reality and fiction, and make no mistake, reality is what the Gospel shows, that’s why people hate it so.
Now hear me plainly, a purifying Gospel offers more rest to the weak and shelter to the wanderer than any luke-warm Gospel. To soothe one’s flesh is not to find comfort but to find damnation. When the created has real fellowship with their Creator, there a joy unspeakable to life, a love unknown to the heart, and a fire unquenched by the sea, that forever changes them. This is why the Gospel is called what it is, as I am sure you know, Gospel means “Good News”.
To preface these three sections, I will say this; The Gospel, when preached truthfully, is radical. The Gospel makes sinners scream and saints sing, it brings you face-to-face with who you are, and sinners hate that. We will begin with Our Problem, because you don’t need to give a blind man a flashlight.
Our Problem
I am sure everyone has their opinions on what the problem with humanity is, or the problem with the universe, or however else you want to phrase the statement. Ultimately, what is important is that humans have a proclivity to think existentially. It is innate in us and many a brave man have spent entire lives searching for truth in all the wrong places. Our problem is also innate in us, and the solution is not. Humanity’s problem is sin, the Bible tells us “For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” (Psalms 14:2-3). More so than just sin, it is the fact that we are slaves to our sin, as Christ Jesus tells us in John 8:34, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave[a] to sin”. What makes this problem so egregious to God is that He is Just. Justice is not only an attribute of His, but Justice is of Him, from Him. Psalm 89:14 tells us, about God, “Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of your throne.”
Practically, what does that mean for us. The Bible tells us that as sinner, stuck in our sins, we are at enmity with God. By our sins we have been separated from God, not in fellowship with Him as we were created to be. Due to the justice of God, He must punish the wickedness of man, for if He does not punish the sins of man then He would not be Just. What is the punishment for our sins, the Bible tells us “Death” in Romans 6:23. So specifically, death is the wage of the work of sin. We have been doing our work of sin and have accrued a payment due to us for our work, God in His justice has guaranteed payment. This ultimately means we must die for our sins to be punished.
Right about now, I am sure you are saying, “wait, my squishy church taught me God is love and only forgives sin” or you could be saying “I am a good person, I am not really that bad”. To answer the first qualm, your church opines a gospel that fills pews and makes people feel good but completely lacks the teeth of the Bible, these churches don’t preach the Word. They preach good feelings and parts of the Bible that sinners like to hear but you need to ask yourself, why aren’t people’s lives changing. The Gospel changes lives, men who live the Gospel are wholly dedicated to the Lord their God. To answer the second qualm, you’re not a good person, Biblically the only thing that is Good is God and if the Holy Spirit isn’t indwelling than your “goodness” is nothing but dirt to a Holy God. How can I prove this too you, I can’t but you can prove it too yourself. If there was a video of every thought you thought, every action you committed, and every word you spoke, would you let someone watch it? No, you wouldn’t because you are wicked, as am I, as we all are. We are dead in our sins and trespasses. Now, hear me, this doesn’t mean you are as wicked as you could be, just that you are wicked. There is a reason we don’t have a new Hitler every day, but we all have the capacity to be that and worse.
In summation, we are slaves to our sin, separated from God and at enmity with Him. He will repay our sins with the due punishment as He is a righteous Judge. So how can there ever be hope if we are separated from Him and deserve the punishment we will receive? Well, my friend, there is a reason God in His infinity wisdom saw fit to call it the “Good News”.
Part Two will focus on “God’s Answer”, how we can come to understand the provisions God has made in redemptive history for the salvation of His’ elect people.
To Christ be the Glory.
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