Good News

If you spend much time attending church or listening to religious programs, you will soon hear someone talk about Salvation or the Gospel. The term “Gospel” means good news. “Salvation” means rescue or deliverance. Before you can welcome the good news or appreciate the rescue it is important to hear the bad news and consider the problem every person faces.

Everyone sins. Yes some people lie, cheat, or steal more than others, but all sin to some degree. In Romans 3:23 the Bible states that, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Few people claim that they have never sinned, they just don’t think they sin as badly as others.

All children have to be taught to behave properly. Somehow they learn to lie, cheat, and steal on their own. Misbehaving comes naturally. The Scriptures state in Romans 5:12 “…through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The “one man” the Bible was talking about is Adam. You see Adam sinned and thus caused all his posterity to be born with a sin nature. People are born to sin. Dogs bark, cats meow, and people sin. It comes naturally.

God made Adam perfect, he was good. Everything was good.[1] Adam freely chose to disobey God and his actions corrupted the nature of mankind.[2] In some sense we were in Adam when he made that choice. Adam represented mankind when he freely made the choice to sin. If you or I were to switch places with Adam we would have done the same thing, perhaps sooner.

The bad news is that sin is antithetical to the nature of God. The mere fact that men are by nature sinners and actually do sin, puts mankind in a hostile and rebellious relationship with God. The Bible states that the “…wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). As light is opposed to darkness so God quite naturally is opposed to sin. Sin against God is a capitol offense because of the person that is transgressed.

But most people think that in the end God will overlook their sin because they are not that bad. They never murdered, raped, or committed burglaries. Somehow perhaps many think that God’s judgment is for the really bad people, not for people that just lie on rare occasions. Unfortunately, that is not true. God’s standard is not being good, it is being perfect.[3]

God is perfectly Holy perfectly without sin and will not permit sin to defile His eternal kingdom. James said that if you break one law you are guilty of all.[4] The smallest infraction carries the same penalty, because as previously mentioned really all sin is ultimately a rebellion against God. God will not tolerate treason.

Well, so much for the bad news. Are you ready for some good news, the gospel? Salvation or rescue from your predicament; condemnation in suffering God’s eternal wrath in Hell.[5] The good news is that God will give you the righteousness that His perfect law demands. Those who call on God in repentance and faith will receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9-10 “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Jesus lived a perfect life. He obeyed every law of God perfectly. Jesus will exchange His life for yours. Romans 5:18-19 “…through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

Would you like to exchange your sin for Christ’s righteousness? Call on the name of the Lord and God will grant you that request.

Confess your sin and turn to Christ. Romans 10:13 states that, “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

The next step is to confirm your salvation.[6] Jesus said in Matthew 10:32 that, “…whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.” Your confession of faith begins in a community of faith confirmed by believers baptism.[7] Baptism symbolizes your confession and commitment to Christ. Find a Bible-believing church in your community, confess your faith, and begin to worship with other Christians who will help build you up in the faith.[8]

Please send me an e-mail if you have any additional questions or need help in finding a Bible believing church in your community, and would like to share with us your profession of faith..

Wayne Layton, Pastor
wayne@lyndonavenuebaptist.com
Lyndon Avenue Baptist Church
2624 Lyndon Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403
423-875-3054

[1] Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

[2] Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

[3] 1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

[4] James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

[5] John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

[6] 2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

[7] Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

[8] Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.