The Gospel

Have you heard the Gospel?

The “gospel” literally means a “good message.” Have you heard the good message of God from His Word? Have you heard the bad message? The Gospel is better news if you understand the bad news.

Here’s the bad news:

The Bible says that all men are sinners
Ecclesiastes 7:20
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Sin is a transgression against God's law, this is a serious offense
1 John 3:4
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

You have lied, you have stolen, you have lusted in your heart, and you have hated. This is a small list of sins and yet there is not one person who hasn’t committed one of them; you have disobeyed God.

God, who is holy, righteous, and just, has told us that the punishment for sin is the Lake of Fire
Ezekiel 18:4
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death...
Revelation 20:14-15
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

You will die and you will face judgment; if you die in your sin then you will receive the just punishment for your sins
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

This is the bad news. The bad news is that EVERYONE has sinned against God, and that God has said, “the wages of sin is death;” and that “all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death”.

Here’s the Gospel, the good message:

Eternal life is the gift of God
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Notice that the wages of sin is death, however the last half of this verse says that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Gospel is the message of that free gift found in the person of Jesus Christ.

Blood must be shed for sins to be forgiven
In the Old Testament, the blood of animals was shed so that the sins of man could be atoned for (covered, but not removed)
Leviticus 17:11
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
We read too in Hebrews 9:22, “...without shedding of blood is no remission.” Remission means pardon. In the Old Testament, they had to continually make these blood sacrifices because the blood of bulls and goats was not sufficient to take their sins away. The blood of Jesus Christ had to be shed for our sins to be taken away.
Hebrews 10:4
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Sin truly is a bloody business.
John the Baptist was the “forerunner” for the Lord Jesus Christ; he prepared the way for the personal work of Jesus. Here’s what he said,
John 1:29
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Similar to the Old Testament sacrifices, the Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect Lamb of God.

Jesus Christ would make the perfect blood sacrifice for man.
Colossians 1:14
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
1 John 1:7
... the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Revelation 1:5
...washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Acts 20:28
...the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-19
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Remember, God is holy and righteous but man is unholy, sinful, and unrighteous
Isaiah 6:3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Psalm 145:17
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
Ecclesiastes 7:20
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

The only way we could ever escape the Lake of Fire (the just punishment for our sins) is to be made completely righteous, and you can’t do that by your own works
Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...

You have a problem. Your sin is ever present before God who knows all and sees all, and you cannot get rid of it on your merit; my friend, when you die and face the judgment you will be guilty and you will receive the punishment for your sins
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Jeremiah 2:22
For though thou wash thee with niter, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

However, you can be made righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God...

Jesus Christ shed His blood for you; He died on the cross, was buried, and resurrected the third day
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures:

The Lord Jesus Christ is your only hope of ever going to Heaven
Matthew 1:21
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1 John 3:5
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Matthew 7:14
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Did you hear the Gospel? The “good message” is this:
Romans 3:23
...the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Even though the Lake of Fire is the just punishment for your sins, Jesus Christ died in your place and He now offers eternal life to all who will come; that is the best news that anyone ever told me.

If you want to receive this gift, here's how you do that:

You can be saved today, and only by faith. Repent. Repent means to turn or change; that means you need to turn in your heart and in your mind from rejecting (disbelief in) the Lord Jesus Christ to trust (belief) in Him alone to be your Savior.

Here’s what the Bible says you have to do:
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:36
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Acts 16:31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Act 10:43
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Romans 3:24-26
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 10:9-10
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You must pray in faith, believing that Jesus shed His blood for you, was buried, and rose from the dead. Trusting only Jesus, ask God to forgive you of your sins. I echo Paul and Silas in Acts 16:31 when they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”.

If you prayed and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, I want to hear about it. Please email me! If you have any questions, I want to try to answer them with the Bible. Here’s my email:
kylepsheridan@aol.com

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