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THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST The Gospel which is also known as the good news of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the focal point of Love Divine Church. Our main goal is to worship and serve God. The center point of our service to God is the preaching and teaching of the gospel to the world. You may have come across the phrase “the gospel of Jesus Christ” before, or it may be completely new to you. Whatever the case may be, I hope what you find here would draw you closer to God Almighty the creator of heaven and earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ could be best described as the good news of Jesus Christ. I would endeavor to explain it in a moment. However, before I go into details, let me highlight a very profound truth. The gospel of Jesus Christ did not come to accuse or to condemn anyone. It is not a message of death; it is a message of hope and life. It is what it has been rightly called, good news. It is a message deep rooted in love—God’s Divine Love to be exact. So as you continue to read, I want you to have that fact in your heart and in your mind. The Gospel is described as the power of God unto salvation by Apostle Paul. Romans 1:16-17 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” To fully understand the wisdom in the statement of Apostle Paul we need to explain salvation, and why we ought to have it. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition): defines salvation as: a : deliverance from the power and effects of sin b : preservation from destruction or failure c : deliverance from danger or difficulty Salvation rights what was wronged. Salvation preserves a person from the power that wants to destroy that person. Salvation delivers a person from condemnation. Salvation reconciles a person to God. Salvation brings man in line with the purpose of God for that man. The gospel is the massage of salvation through Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Now the question is why does anyone need to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ? The scriptures tell us that a day is coming when God will judge all sinners and ascribe to them everlasting condemnation which they brought upon themselves because they shunned the love and grace of God. Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. The book of life mentioned in the passage is a book kept in the presence of God which lists the name of everyone who has salvation. Who are the sinners who need salvation? The scriptures clearly say that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. So the answer is everyone. However, God does not want us to perish that is the reason He sent us the gospel of Jesus Christ. John 3:16-18 16 “For 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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. To be right in the sight of God, a man must be liberated from the power of sin. Sin is that spirit which causes a person to rebel against God, and when a person turns away from God, a door for evil to come into that person’s life automatically opens. Once sin comes into a person’s life, that person becomes incapacitated. The result is a life completely separated from the plan God. Such was the story of the first man on earth, Adam. Adam sinned against God and through him we all received the sin spirit which makes humans rebel against God. We all became captives of the sin spirit which makes human desire do evil. The good news is God sent us the Gospel of Jesus Christ to deliver and liberate us from the stronghold of sin. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, God offered us salvation. We accept God’s salvation when we accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe we must understand what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is before we can truly accept it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a factual and truthful message which when proclaimed reveals the covenant God made to bring salvation to a condemned world. What does this mean? Simply put, man is hopelessly unable to save himself from the wrath of God that awaits every sinner. Without God’s intervention and provision we all will be doomed for eternity. Religions of the world tried to bring salvation to man and failed. Since the days of Adam and Eve, the first humans on earth, humans have tried through all kinds of religions and ritual to reconcile themselves to God, and they have failed. Through His Divine Love, God sent His son to come and reconcile a sinful world back to God. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. This work of reconciliation is a very costly one. It is a work that demanded that sin be paid for in totality. The bible tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. In other words, the sin of the world must be paid for with blood. So if you choose to reconcile yourself to God you must pay with blood. You must die and offer your blood as payment for your sin to God. The problem with that idea is you are already a sinner. Your blood will not do. Your blood is already contaminated with sin. God will not accept contaminated offering. God is Holly. Everyone born of man is contaminated by sin and therefore is unholy before God. The scriptures also tell us that the blood of an animal is not adequate to fully pay for the sin of man. Hebrews 10:1-4 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Since we can not save ourselves, God sent us salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. He gave His Son because He loves us. The blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God paid for the sin of the world because it is the only blood without blemish. It is pure and perfect blood of the Son of God who is without sin. Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,aJesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Simply put, Jesus the Son of God who is without sin gave His life to save you and me from the wrath of God which awaits every sinner. He did this by dying on the cross for the sin He did not commit. Jesus Christ the Son of God is truly our High Priest and our salvation. How did Jesus pay for the sin of the world? He was born by a virgin, Mary—a woman not by a man He Lived a life without sin He was falsely accused, judge and crucified by sinful men He died on the cross a righteous man He paid for the sin of the world with His blood He rose from the dead on the third day He ascended to heaven to be with His Father God He promised to return before the end of the world for those who accepted His free gift of Salvation The scriptures tells us that accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that will save us from a life of sin and from eternal damnation. So do you want to receive the Salvation of God? You must accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is how to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ You must admit that you are a sinner. You must be willingly to repent of your sins before God. You must accept Jesus Christ into your life. Are you ready to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? It is really simple. The bible says that if you would confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and would believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. Here is a scripture to guide you with your acceptance of Jesus Christ into your life Romans 10:8-13 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”e that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If you are ready to give your life to Jesus Christ pray this prayer. Dear Lord Jesus I admit that I am a sinner I know that there is no salvation for me without You Jesus Forgive my sin I believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Son of God. I believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is my Lord. I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the only savior of the world. I believe that Jesus Christ of Nazareth died for my sin. I believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and on the third day God raised Him up from the dead. I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior I receive my salvation from God through Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Amen. Giving thanks to the Lord for your salvation. Thank you for the gift of salvation Thank you for saving me from sin and from eternal damnation. Amen. If you have just accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior the scriptures says you are born again in the eye of God. All your sins have been forgiven by God Almighty. You now have the Holy Spirit of God living in you and the power of God working on your behalf. Please contact me and I will give you more information on how to grow stronger in your new relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you. Amen. Chinedu Obed |