WHAT IS THE GOSPEL & WHY DOES IT MATTER?
The other day, I read an incredible summary of world history and the Gospel: “God creates the world, the world gets lost, and God seeks to restore the world to the glory for which he created it” (Dempster, 21). There it is. That is the gospel and why it matters. Unfortunately, it does not offer much to propel us into redemption. But it does give us the headings we need in order to understand what the gospel is and why it matters.
God created the world. Many people today have been so distracted by the theory of evolution that the fact that God created the world comes off as unintellectual or simply unknown. And while there are many questions which follow the assertion God created the world, it is still true. God created the world. God created the world out of nothing and he holds all things together by the word of his power. God created the world in six literal twenty-four hour days and rested on the seventh day. Now, if you are like many who have assumed the theory of evolution to be true, you should have no problem believing God created the world because both assertions are a plea for the miraculous. Evolution is a plea to believe that everything came from nothing. Creation is a plea to believe that everything comes from God. The very first chapters of the Bible and a slew of others teach us that God created the world.
Not only did God create the world. God created the world for a reason. That is to glorify him and enjoy him forever. The Bible says that God created the world and mankind in particular for the purpose of enjoying a reciprocal relationship of love and fellowship between him and his image bearers. Yes. You read that correctly. IMAGE BEARERS! You, me and all people have been created in the image of God. We are not animals. We are not angels. We are human beings. And the number one feature which distinguishes us from all other things is the fact that God has made you and me in his very own image. Just like God is Ruler over the universe, so he created us to be rulers over this world. And the way in which we would accomplish our rulership over the created order is through our relationship of perfect loving fellowship with our creator God. Unfortunately, that relationship came to a tragic and abrupt halt.
The world got lost. Genesis chapters one, two and three are some of the most important chapters of the entire Bible. I encourage you to read right now. Genesis 3 is the linchpin for why the gospel is important.
When God created Adam and Eve, he placed them in a garden. That garden contained everything Adam and Eve needed in order to live life to its fullest. They truly experienced the good life. They experienced perfect fellowship with God. They had the perfect work. They had a perfect marriage. They had perfect bodies, minds and desires.
Yet, relationships are worthless without boundaries. Boundaries are the beautiful parameters which make our relationships worthwhile and fulfilling. Fulfilling marriages are fulfilling because of monogamy. Friendships bring joy because there is a special exclusivity. Adam and Eve’s relationship to one another and God was fulfilling because of an exclusive loyalty they had with their creator.
That exclusive loyalty was demonstrated in a very simple way. It was contingent upon a tree. God had placed Adam in the garden to tend the garden. That was his work. Eve was his prime time wing-man. Together, they would take over the world. Because Adam’s duty was to keep the garden, God permitted them to eat from the fruit which grew in the garden. There was one boundary. Adam and Eve could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God promised Adam “in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” Death was God’s promised penalty for breaking his covenant.
Death is exactly what happened. Adam and Eve eventually did break God’s covenant. They broke the boundary of their relationship. And in that very moment, they did not drop dead. Rather, their relationship with their creator ended. It was a death of a relationship. It was the death of the most important relationship in human history. When God came looking for them, Adam and Eve hid themselves from God. Now even the very footsteps of God struck fear in their hearts. God then slaughtered an animal to provide clothing for them even though they had already been clothed with fig leaves. And then he kicked them out of the garden so that they would not eat from the tree of life and live forever in sin. Death would eventually ravish their bodies.
Interestingly, Adam is not only a name. Adam is the Hebrew word for man and mankind. This is a helpful note. The Bible teaches us that when Adam sinned, we all sinned in Adam since Adam and Eve are the first man and women from whom everyone comes. Adam was our head. He represented the entire human race. Thus, “In Adam, all die.” And all die because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
All mankind is brought into this sin cursed world as sinners. “There is not a righteous man on earth who continuously does God and who never sins.” God’s standard is his own perfection. In other words, the Bible teaches us that God demands that you perfectly keep his law if you are never to see death. You and I both know the truth. We are guilty. We are guilty of breaking the Ten Words. You have not always made God first in your life. That fact knocks out the first four commandments. We are guilty of breaking the first four commandments because they teach us to always put God first. Here are the last six.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.
Jesus teaches us in the gospels that you and I have broken all of these laws in one way or another. And whoever is guilty of breaking one portion of the law is guilty of breaking all of the law in the eyes of God. The world got lost.
Maybe we can say it like this. The world died to God. Herein lies the center of all of your problems and woes of life. You are a guilty sinner before God. I am a guilty sinner before God. No one has any hope of forgiveness or salvation from God’s eternal wrath in Hell on their own. We have a debt of righteousness we could never pay.
Yet people make it to heaven. Guilty sinners make it to heaven. One day I will make it to heaven. And you can too.
God seeks to restore the world to the glory for which he created it. That is a nice summary of God’s solution to how you can be made right with God, receive the forgiveness of sins, and promise of a home in heaven with him one day for all eternity never to suffer the ravages again of sin. After we sinned in Adam in Genesis 3, God pronounced curses upon man, women and Satan. One of the curses pronounced upon Satan was that the woman would one day give birth to a Son who would crush the head of Satan at the expense of his own life.
That man was Jesus Christ. God the Son became a human being in the virgin conception. He was then born like all other people. Jesus is truly God and truly man. God is most certainly a God of miracles. His name is Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth came with a specific goal. His goal was to supply the needed payment for anyone willing to receive him as Lord. “But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name.” When Jesus Christ died on the cross, he did not merely die as a world history altering martyr. He died to save men from his own eternal wrath. The one we sinned against is the one who has made the payment for anyone willing to receive him as Lord.
Jesus’s death is the once for all eternally sufficient substitutionary payment for sins. This is for good reason. God demands a perfect life in order to be in relationship with him. Jesus is the only man who has ever lived a perfect life. Therefore, Jesus is the only eligible person who could ever be in a relationship with God.
That is where Jesus’s death comes into play. God demands a perfect life as payment for sin. But you and I cannot pay such a debt. We have sinful lives. So we are eternally condemned to Hell. Only a perfect life could pay our sin debt. Jesus’s life is that perfect life. Jesus paid it all when he gave his life in a bloody death on a cross, on the side of a road, and naked. Jesus gave his life in crucifixion so that you could believe in him for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.
Three days later, Jesus proved to be who he said he was. Truly God and truly man. Jesus actually rose from the grave in real, living bodily form. To prove it, Jesus ate food, people touched him and he even cooked.
John 3:16 is the most famous Bible verse in history for good reason. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Just like we became sinners through Adam, God promises that we can be made righteous in Christ Jesus. By receiving Christ as Lord he becomes your Savior. Jesus is indeed Lord. The question is, “Is Jesus your Lord?”. When you receive Christ as Lord, your insufficient righteousness is replaced with Jesus’s righteousness in the eyes of God. That is why the gospel matters.
The gospel is the good news that Jesus has died and risen from the grave to save any and all who would receive him as Lord. You and I need Jesus because he is the only way to receive the forgiveness of sins, salvation from Hell and a home in heaven with him one day. If you believe in Jesus to do that, you are a new creature in Christ with eternal life.
Your next step is Baptism. Baptism is important because it is the first public profession of faith the child of God is commanded to obey when he or she believes in Jesus for eternal life. It is a public profession of faith in Jesus. It is an outward expression of an inner reality. If you have received Jesus Christ today but have not received Baptism, I encourage you to find a church and receive believer’s baptism. Join that church and grow in grace and truth. You will be forever grateful to the Savior for it.
New Book Coming Soon
For too long, we have allowed a secular world to mold and shape our views of dating, marriage and sex. Song of Solomon for Singles is an immensely refreshing look at these topics from the Bible’s perspective. In beautiful and poetic language, it cuts through all of the perversions of the day and offers us God’s plan for your marriage, whether present or future.
Tim and Angela Little demonstrate in an eminently practical manner how turning to the Bible truly does address all of life. As Proverbs was written with young men in mind, so Song of Songs was written with young ladies in mind. It was written to teach young ladies how to find the right man. This is the perfect book to equip young people in finding the right spouse.
“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, That you do not arouse or awaken my love Until she pleases” (Song 2:7).
One of the best ways this book helped me is in reading the book of the Bible titled Song of Solomon. Various people have put their own twist on the book without keeping their eye to the kind of literature Song of Songs is. As found in the title, it is not a historical book. It is not a book prefiguring Jesus’s relationship with the New Testament Church. It is a song. Songs are poetry. Therefore, we ought to expect that while such a song focuses on risque but important topics is set in fairly advanced and cryptic poetry. But the answer is plain when you treat the book not as a narrative, or an allegory for the Church and Jesus–which at some point is blasphemous–but a book meant to provide God’s people with a Christ centered view of love and marriage.
A resounding theme throughout Song of Songs is the refrain, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, That you do not arouse or awaken my love Until she pleases” (Song 2:7 cf. 3:5; 8:4). This refrain not only focuses the reader’s attention on the originally intended audience. It also provides a great deal of wisdom for all on the topic of finding a soul mate. That is, “Do not awaken an agápē kind of love for a person of the opposite gender until you can go all the way with love.” Tim and Angela tease out for us how that can be done in real life.
There is no doubt. You will face problems in marriage. But the world tells us to wait to get married. The Bible does not. The Bible tells us to get married and face your problems together to the glory of God. I love the term that Song of Songs uses to describe problems in your marriage. Jackals. Your marital problems are small jackals and big jackals. And Song of Songs teaches us the importance of addressing the jackals in your marriage before they address you and your spouse.
The topic Song of Songs is most noted for is sex. And to my pleasant surprise, Song of Songs speaks to this topic on many levels. It addresses the topic from the man’s perspective, from the woman’s perspective, from the jackal’s perspective, and from the youth’s perspective. It will send you running away from what the secular world has told you about intimacy. It will cause you to rejoice in “God’s way of creation.” It will cause you to recreate Eden.
I Kissed Dating Goodby by Joshua Harris was all the rage when I was a freshman in college. I never felt a desire to read it after some people told me about how great they thought it was. Their promotion of it turned me off because it wreaked a mystical Christianity that leads nowhere good. Since then, my suspicions have unfortunately been vindicated. Joshua Harris eventually left his wife and left Christianity. Unlike the quasi Christian fantecies promoted by many people about marriage, Song of Songs portrays dating, marriage and sex in real and tangible terms. It provides on the ground answers to the questions you have. If you are like me, you are a sinner that will be convicted by Tim and Angela’s book. But this handle on God’s word will improve your walk with Christ and enable you to joyfully say, a Christ centered marriage is possible. I am convinced that you cannot properly handle dating, marriage or sex without understanding the Song of Solomon. Tim and Angela help us do just that. I am going to have each of my children read their book when each turns 16.
Song of Songs for Singles and Married People Too will be released on July 8th. It is currently available at a discounted rate at https://www.fbbcbooks.com/product/113513/Song-of-Songs-for-Singles-and-Married-People-Too-Lessons-on-Love-from-King-Solomon
Here is an excellent volume which I commend to each and every one of you if you are high school age or above. It will revolutionize your view of dating, marriage and intimacy. It is the answer to a pornographic culture which has corrupted the Church's view of dating, marriage and intimacy. Show your spouse and your children God's plan for remaining pure through the trials of life. Pre-order your copy now.
book of the week
My commendation of this work comes with great joy in that its author is my father-in-law. Cataclysm is a fresh look at Revelation 6:12-17. It is for that reason a great introduction to the doctrine of Eschatology (the study of the end times). Can you imagine what the world will be like when God causes the sun to become “black,” asteroid smashing into the earth and “every mountain and island were moved out of their places”? In short, the entire world will one day literally return to the dark ages. One effect will be that “the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man” (Rev. 6:15a). In other words, God’s punishment upon the entire world will place every person on the same level of influence before God.
Gene takes a literal-grammatical approach to Revelation. This common sense reading of the text results in a very tangible picture of what God’s future punishment upon all mankind will look like. God will do more of what he has done in the past of salvation history.
These details are not merely interesting but stress the urgency to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus is Lord. One day, he will physically return, not as a suffering servant but as a victorious warrior king.
First Baptist Church has received thirty copies of this text. Come visit us soon to get your copy. If you would like to order one for $5 plus shipping, email us at fbperryia@gmail.com.
book of the week
January 2, 2022
This week I read Scott Aniol’s helpful little book on corporate worship. At just 121 pages, it packs a powerful punch full of biblical truth on what a biblical church service ought to look like. This is most certainly a topic that has been neglected and we would be well benefited by thinking seriously about it.
Scott writes this book in five east to read chapters. Each chapter builds on the prior chapter. Chapter one looks at the authority of corporate worship. It answers the question, who or what determines the kind of church service Christians ought to have? The answer is simple of imperative. The Bible. The Bible is our supreme authority for determining what our church services ought to look like. Scott uses good examples from Scripture of what Jesus calls “vain… worship” (Mark 7:6-9). He shows from the Bible how God rejects any worship that is not explicitly sanctioned by himself in the Bible. The Bible is our authority for determining how we are to worship in church.
Chapter two looks at the goal of our worship in church. The goal of our worship in church is communion with God. Our goal is not to attract the world to our church services. “Our primary goal is not evangelism, though a gospel-shaped service will be evangelistic; our primary goal is not expression, though we certainly express toward God in worship; our primary goal is not an emotional experience, though we certainly feel emotions. Our primary goal is to nurture and cultivate a life of communion with God” (44). When you go to church, everything should be centered on communion with God.
Chapter three focuses on the structure of a church service. All church services must be structured by the Word of God, viz., the Bible. Biblical church services begin and end with the Word of God. The Word of God must permeate our services. Scott calls this “dialogical worship” (62). A church service must consist of the people of God listening and responding to the Word of God. It is a back and forth event.
Chapter four then takes us to the question of who participates in a church service. That answer, “The Whole Congregation.” This reminds us of how easily history repeats itself. And like the Medieval period and the Roman Catholic Church, some churches today have become sacerdotal. They have relied so heavily on professionalism that the laity do not participate in corporate worship. Yet, “For our personal communion with God to deepen and mature as God intends, we must gather with the church” (75), and participate in worship as a church. The church must not cause a division by dimming the lights on the congregation giving the church the impression that they are only spectators. We must sing Scripture together, prayer Scripture together, read Scripture together, and respond to Scripture together.
Chapter five wraps up the book with a look at the essence of corporate worship. Corporate worship demands that we involve our entire body. It demands that we sing together and activate our vocal cords. It involves our hands, and ears, and minds. It demands that we worship as a church together. We nevertheless live in an age when “Christians expect to be able to tangibly feel the manifest presence of God when they worship” (98). Thus, they expect something from church music which God never intended and did not sanction in Scripture. Instead of worshiping together, music becomes individualistic. Music then and not the Word of God becomes the primary means through which people expect to get closer to God. The result is that Christian emotions are artificial intensified. Yet, when we worship, we worship by faith and not by sight. The Christian knows that he is not yet worshiping in heaven. But one day, we will worship God together in his physical presence. Until then, we worship by faith and not by sight with full confidence that we can come to the throne of grace in the spiritual realm.