The Gospel Message....

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

"Gospel" means "Good News"

By, Aaron Bernau, God-is-real.org
January 2006

Even in this world, there is "GOOD NEWS".  The good news I refer to is in the true understanding that life is NOT about this place.  The primary reason life was created is not to maximize our experience on Earth, but rather to begin the process of what we will be doing -- not for 80 years as we know it, but for eternity.  

Many people look around at what has become of our world: terrorist attacks, murder, lying, deceit, theft, etc. and begin to feel pretty depressed.  We wonder if it will ever get any better.  We are born into a world that we can "sort of" enjoy for a few decades, and then we begin to deteriorate toward death.  We live, at times, with such heartache-- pain from things we just don't fully understand: sickness, death of those we love, financial woes...all things, painful, nonetheless.   

There is a reason we have been created to live through this life.  There is more to it than meets the eye.  We have a Heavenly Father who is real, who loves us and is looking forward to spending an eternity with us in Heaven.  He is more powerful and good than anything we could imagine, and He wants a real relationship with each one of us.

God created time.  He is not subject to it, we are, here on earth.  We are only part of His creation, and all of His creation is subject to time.  So only from the perspective of His creation, is there a "beginning".  Pretty confusing to comprehend at first, but open your heart and He will help you to learn about all of this.  So, from the perspective of His "creation", there was a "beginning", and at that point, all things He made were "good".  (Genesis 1)

It wasn't very long (Genesis 3) before mankind (Adam) began to demonstrate our selfish desire to exist outside the direction of our very maker/ creator.  As you may already know, Adam sinned alongside of his companion, Eve, in the Garden of Eden by eating fruit from a tree from which they were told to avoid directly by God.  In the form of a serpent snake, Satan provoked Adam to act against God's wishes and intentions.

In this world, we have grown so comfortable to only accepting what we can see and hear.  Our senses, designed by God, help us navigate our way through our daily, worldly, lives; however, our traditional five senses do not aid us in detecting the world that exists around us, and IT IS REAL and INTENSE.  The bible tells us that there exists simultaneously to our lives, a spiritual world with angels.  This, as it is, is  a world also originally created by God.  Within this world exists one particular angel that has grown to appreciate His own value and existence more than that of God's: he is Satan.

Our sin causes a separation from God, essentially putting us in a position of poor standing with Him.  He is perfect, and the bible tells of a day of judgment in which we will all be accountable for our deviations from His commands.  He provided a list of commandments in His original scriptures, Old Testament -- most notably the "Ten Commandments" (Exodus 20), for His people to follow.  

While the list of the 10 commandments seems simple to some, the bible tells us that, truthfully, none of us are fully compliant.  (Romans 3:23 -> "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God").  Have you kept the 10 commandments in your life?  Do you even know what they are?  Well, biblically, no one has...except Jesus.  In Jesus' words, "Has not Moses given you the law? (10 commandments), Yet not one of you keeps the law." - John 7:19.

The Old Testament including the Ten Commandments, often referred to as "the Law", are essentially God's means to show us how much we, in fact, NEED Him in our lives.  We cannot be fully reconciled with Him until we have identified, repented (confessed and turned away from), and come to terms with the sins of our own lives.  We cannot be fully reconciled with Him until we have accepted our portion of responsibility for the fall of mankind.  Without God and the spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit, which He provides (John 14:15), any man is capable of any sin.

God has a purpose for allowing us to go through all of this.  He wants us in perfect reconciliation and fellowship with Him.  It's a process Jesus has promised.  (Philippians 1:6 -> "..being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus).  Essentially, God is in the business of transforming lives and shaping and molding hearts to the point of perfect fellowship with Him.  While that fellowship will not be "perfect" until we are eternally in His presence in Heaven, we can do much to live an enjoyable, reconciled life with Him now.  We can achieve victory from sin, one temptation at a time.

Incidentally, I have always enjoyed the fact that Jesus, while on earth carried the vocation of a carpenter.  This was something He was taught by His earthly father, Joseph.  A carpenter, someone who uses a variety of crafting tools to shape hardened wood into something of beautiful value.  How wonderful and similar is it that Jesus became the One to shape our hardened hearts into something of beautiful value? 

Many people who have not prayed for God's help in understanding the bible, believe that because God is good, he will spare His people from the dark outcome of judgment.  The contradiction in this thought is significant.  God is good.  And for that reason, He is just.  Would it be "just" for a person in the role of judgment to avoid imposing a penalty to someone who clearly deserves it?  In our world, would it be a "just" or a "good" judge who allowed a murderer to leave the courtroom without his penalty?  The obvious answer is clearly "no".

But God is faithful.  In His infinite wisdom, His plan has not abandoned us.  In a time, 2000 years ago, that "religious" people and leaders were seen as hypocrites and judgmental- predominantly avoiding the identification of sin in their own lives, God sent His own son to earth, in the flesh-- and this changed the world forever.  

In a development of the message (The New Testament, sometimes referred to as "grace"), God revealed Himself to us through Jesus, His son.  He came to the world, not to change the law, but rather to offer a means in which that law could be fulfilled.  To their own surprise, those who proclaimed their own favor in God's eyes were shown that they, too, need forgiveness of their sins or they would be condemned to an eternity of Hell and separation from God.

After 33 years of life, the bible tells us that Jesus brutally suffered the penalty for our sins.  This was a move I don't believe Satan anticipated at all.  God is so faithful.  It has essentially put Satan in "check-mate" forever.  It is written that Jesus will destroy the enemy.  (Revelation 20:10 -> "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur...they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.")  Satan is doomed.  It will happen.  It is written.  It is final.  In the meantime, it is Satan's intentions to destroy our lives and sway as many people from discovering God as possible, before that ultimate time of judgment. 

Jesus death on the cross makes it possible for a righteous judgment to take place and for us, the culprits, to be spared.  Because Jesus paid the penalty for our deviance, our tab is paid in full, and we are free to advance to Heaven upon His divine call.  However, we must accept the gift and turn, as best we can, genuinely, from the sin that got us in trouble in the first place.  We must live our lives with love for one another and with reverence of Him-- which, incidentally, were the two commands that Jesus told us God prioritizes the most.  In essence, he told the religious leaders of that time-- if we can't get anything else straight, we must love God with all of our hearts and love our neighbors.

God's design allows for the ultimately perfect balance between free-will and obedience to exist.  A tilt either direction would yield our hearts to compliance due to fear, essentially we would function like robots, or destruction and eternal separation.  It is our developed heart that God seeks to be with Him in Heaven.  One that responds out of love and appropriate fear.  We should fear the consequences resulting from disobedience to God, for this is the definition of "reverence".  However, we should fear Him, in LOVE.  "Fear, in Love" is only a biblical thought.  Only in God could those emotions/ feelings function together.  We should desire to be God-fearing and God-loving people at the same time.  We fear the consequences of God's judgment, and we love the grace He has provided.  That is the complete picture.

The "good news" is centered around the following.  This is what you need to know: "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17)

Are you ready to accept and deal with the sin in your life?  Are you prepared to accept your share of the burden of the fall of man in our world today?  Are you ready to be reconciled with our father, the creator and the most powerful being of the universe?  It is a bumpy road, but the promises could not be better.

If you are ready, I encourage you to kneel quietly and talk to Him.  Don't worry about the formality of the words, but concentrate on Him and tell Him what is on your heart.  The Holy Spirit is already in you and it will help you find the words.  Ask God into your life, ask Him for forgiveness of your sins and ask Him to lead you to Him and to lead you away from your sin and to a new biblical life.  From that point on it, will be a journey like none other you have ever experienced.  God IS real and God IS faithful.

From that point, get connected in three primary areas:

1.  Christian fellowship:  Find a church, one that does not let tradition or specific rituals get in the way of the true understanding of the bible.

2.  Prayer:  Pray everyday, several times a day.  Begin a lifestyle that includes as much conversation (confession, prayer, and praise) with God as much as possible.  He is all powerful; you will never be a burden to Him or over-consume His resources.  He has enough time and resources for all of His children.

3.  Get a bible and begin reading it.  Pray to God that the Holy Spirit lead your understanding of the Word.  There are many translations, none of which has different or contradicting meaning or effect on the biblical principles/ scripture.  I would suggest the "NIV" version for ease of reading.

I truly wish you well on your pursuit of God.  

Click here for a list of additional books that may help on your pursuit.

Not convinced?

If you think that you might be in good standing for judgment, essentially because you feel you are a "good person", and you do not believe that you NEED God's forgiveness, or more particularly Jesus' payment of your penalty, I encourage you to consider to take this test:  

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"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise"
Luke 23:43

Reverence Ministries
Lake Villa, IL