A Call To The "Religious"
You may have heard the word Gospel in many contexts. We have Gospel music, Gospel Churches and the Gospel of the bible. The Gospel really means “Good News” or defined in the verb tense- to speak as a messenger of gladness; to proclaim good news. However, today we have what I call “Nice News” as opposed to good. Jesus is said to: “Give me my best life, find me a better job or fix my failing marriage..” This is not the “Good News” of the bible but “Nice News” to add to a fallen life in a fallen world. The reality is you can’t get to the Good News without first understanding the “Bad News”. The Gospel will only be Good news to a terrified and needy man who’s come to terms with the “Bad News” of his Sin and the current state and predicament he finds himself in before God. Again, with no “Bad News” the Gospel becomes “Nice News”.
If we just look to Jesus, He sought to bring this to light to His audience and hearers in every context we find. Thus, we need to follow His example to rightly divide His Gospel message which should be our message. The fact is until a true diagnosis is brought to bear upon the sinner, there will be no true need for Christ ever developed; Hence, No desire to repent and turn from the World and Sin and as a result a non-saving commitment will be made. One of the most important truths Jesus ever said was “Those who are well have no need of a Physician, but those who are sick (Sin-sick). (Matthew 9:12)
The “Modern” Church
What the modern superficial church (in the US) needs to know is what the Lord Jesus told the last church in His 7 letters found in the book of Revelation to which similarly looks like the so-called “Church” today. Christ says to the Church of Laodicea: “Because you say I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing—and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked—So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16-17). This happens to every church and church goer who is lukewarm/shallow, who’s given the “Nice News” of Salvation without ever being preached a true message of Sin, Righteousness and Judgement. This is why we read “How will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). And without a true message being preached there’s no platform to which the Holy Spirit can come to convict of Sin (John 16:8) and consequently no saving faith can be received.
The True Gospel
The bottom line is the True Gospel of Christ crucified is offensive to the natural man as the Apostle Paul alludes to in Galatians 5:11. Yet it is this Gospel of Christ that’s the power of God to Salvation to everyone who believes. For He has made Him who knew no Sin to be Sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of those things the Wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 5:6).
The Gospel of Love
Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). And that love was shown on the Cross over 2000 yrs ago at Calvary where the sinless God-man Jesus Christ willingly gave His life as a ransom for many. By God’s predetermined plan and will Christ was crucified by men, forsaken and crushed by God His Father’s hand to satisfy His justice and appease His wrath for sin. As Jesus declared “It is finished”—which was the work that he came for was accomplished having paid the penalty to atone for the sins of His people; God being satisfied with the perfect life/death of His Son raised Him from the dead declaring publicly His triumph over Sin, death and hell once-for-all who would ever believe in Him.
Without embracing this message and repenting of your sins there is no other hope for salvation. You will die in your sins and pay the eternal consequence in hell because you have rejected the only way out—the Lord Jesus Christ
I implore you on this day to heed this message, Repent and Believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the only “Good News” for your eternal soul.
