THE GOOD NEWS: WHO, WHAT & WHY
With all the competing ideas about God and what it means to be right with Him, do you know and understand what the Bible really says about salvation? Speaking to the ruling Jews of his day, as recorded by the physician and historian Luke, the Apostle Peter said this: This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:11–12) His claim, which we now stand on, is clear: salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, we must consider the Good News of Who He is, What He did, and Why He did it.
WHO JESUS IS
Matthew 16:13–18
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The Messiah
Jesus is God’s chosen, anointed One to represent Him and rule His one people as Lord and Savior.
The Son of the living God
Jesus is not an angel-man or a mere, special man, but the God-man. He is God’s Son in fully sharing His divine nature while being distinct from God the Father as a unique Person—God the Son as a man. (See Psalm 2 for God’s Son as Messiah of God’s people.) As the Master-Builder of His own church, He is building His church on the rock of the truth of Who He is. Any “church” not built on this truth is not built by Him and not His church at all.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The Messiah
Jesus is God’s chosen, anointed One to represent Him and rule His one people as Lord and Savior.
The Son of the living God
Jesus is not an angel-man or a mere, special man, but the God-man. He is God’s Son in fully sharing His divine nature while being distinct from God the Father as a unique Person—God the Son as a man. (See Psalm 2 for God’s Son as Messiah of God’s people.) As the Master-Builder of His own church, He is building His church on the rock of the truth of Who He is. Any “church” not built on this truth is not built by Him and not His church at all.
WHAT JESUS DID
1 Corinthians 15:1–8
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
He died...
...for our sins, in our place, making the only payment God will accept for sin against His holiness: For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23). He took God’s wrath on Himself, as predicted over 700 years before by the prophet Isaiah: …But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5–6)
He was buried...
...placed in a tomb, truly dead, as ensured and confirmed by a Roman soldier who shoved his spear into His heart (John 19:34), at the cost of his own life if he was wrong. The tomb was shut with a large stone, then sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:57-66).
He was raised...
...from the dead on the third day and walked out of the tomb, on the third day after His crucifixion and burial, appearing to hundreds of people in the days following, proving His return from the grave. After His fatal suffering, He presented Himself alive to them with many convincing proofs in His glorified body, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
He died...
...for our sins, in our place, making the only payment God will accept for sin against His holiness: For the wages of sin is death… (Romans 6:23). He took God’s wrath on Himself, as predicted over 700 years before by the prophet Isaiah: …But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5–6)
He was buried...
...placed in a tomb, truly dead, as ensured and confirmed by a Roman soldier who shoved his spear into His heart (John 19:34), at the cost of his own life if he was wrong. The tomb was shut with a large stone, then sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:57-66).
He was raised...
...from the dead on the third day and walked out of the tomb, on the third day after His crucifixion and burial, appearing to hundreds of people in the days following, proving His return from the grave. After His fatal suffering, He presented Himself alive to them with many convincing proofs in His glorified body, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
WHY JESUS DID IT
2 Corinthians 5:14–21
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
That we would live for Him...
...in the drive of original sin being reversed. The prophet Isaiah summed up all sin, from the Garden of Eden to now, this way: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way... (Isaiah 53:6) Sin is living for ourselves rather than for God—by our ideas, priorities, and plans, rather than by His—not just murder, molestation, and mayhem. Sin is not doing anything and everything for God’s glory (Romans 3:23), in love for Him with our whole beings (Mark 12:30). The breaking of God's Law does not create sinfulness, but reveals sinfulness that is already in our hearts as self-determined rebellion (Mark 7:20-23). Jesus died and rose again to turn that around—to turn us around in remorseful repentance.
But it’s not that old sinners are trying to live a different life.
That we would live for Him as new creations in a new life...
...as the Spirit of God would make us new from the inside out with spiritual heart transplants (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
That we would live for Him in being reconciled to God through Him...
...with Him bringing us out of separation from God into relationship with God. Jesus is not an added perk to an already good thing with God. Sin puts us under God's wrath as Holy Judge. Jesus died on the cross in our place to take our punishment for our sin on Himself, clearing the way for God to bring us under His grace as Holy Father, living the life of the risen Son of God as children of God.
That we would live for Him as ambassadors for Him...
...representing Him with the call to others to be reconciled to God by coming to Him in turning from self and trusting in Him. (What I am doing now with you.)
That we would live for Him as the righteousness of God...
...being made righteous by His righteousness, by faith, having His own rightness with God in place of our sinfulness before God. He took our sin in dying and came back to life so that we could take His righteousness in living. He took our sin on Himself to the extent that it was like He was our sin, so that, in turn, we could take on His righteousness to the extent that we are the righteousness of God.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
That we would live for Him...
...in the drive of original sin being reversed. The prophet Isaiah summed up all sin, from the Garden of Eden to now, this way: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way... (Isaiah 53:6) Sin is living for ourselves rather than for God—by our ideas, priorities, and plans, rather than by His—not just murder, molestation, and mayhem. Sin is not doing anything and everything for God’s glory (Romans 3:23), in love for Him with our whole beings (Mark 12:30). The breaking of God's Law does not create sinfulness, but reveals sinfulness that is already in our hearts as self-determined rebellion (Mark 7:20-23). Jesus died and rose again to turn that around—to turn us around in remorseful repentance.
But it’s not that old sinners are trying to live a different life.
That we would live for Him as new creations in a new life...
...as the Spirit of God would make us new from the inside out with spiritual heart transplants (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
That we would live for Him in being reconciled to God through Him...
...with Him bringing us out of separation from God into relationship with God. Jesus is not an added perk to an already good thing with God. Sin puts us under God's wrath as Holy Judge. Jesus died on the cross in our place to take our punishment for our sin on Himself, clearing the way for God to bring us under His grace as Holy Father, living the life of the risen Son of God as children of God.
That we would live for Him as ambassadors for Him...
...representing Him with the call to others to be reconciled to God by coming to Him in turning from self and trusting in Him. (What I am doing now with you.)
That we would live for Him as the righteousness of God...
...being made righteous by His righteousness, by faith, having His own rightness with God in place of our sinfulness before God. He took our sin in dying and came back to life so that we could take His righteousness in living. He took our sin on Himself to the extent that it was like He was our sin, so that, in turn, we could take on His righteousness to the extent that we are the righteousness of God.
THE GOOD NEWS
The truth about Jesus is the Gospel (meaning "good news") for our salvation. Will you neglect such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3) or gladly stop living for yourself and live for Him?
Be reconciled to God.
Look to Jesus for who He is. See His excellence as He is crowned with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:9) and know that nothing compares to the greatness of knowing Him.
Ask His forgiveness for your sins against God and trust in what He has done for you to save you from His judgment to come, surrendering to follow Him in love for Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, all your life. Pursue His will for you above all, in all.
If you do, you can be assured that He has made all things new for you, including you, now and forever.
Be reconciled to God.
Look to Jesus for who He is. See His excellence as He is crowned with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:9) and know that nothing compares to the greatness of knowing Him.
Ask His forgiveness for your sins against God and trust in what He has done for you to save you from His judgment to come, surrendering to follow Him in love for Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, all your life. Pursue His will for you above all, in all.
If you do, you can be assured that He has made all things new for you, including you, now and forever.