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The Best News Ever:
Level 1 explanation
When we consider the sins that all humans
do (commission) and sins of all because of what we don't do (commission), did
you know that the Bible never records Jesus telling a specific sinner that, "You are
going to hell!"? The truth is that God doesn't send anyone to Hell. We are all born
headed for "darkness" as part of the consequences of "The Fall" of Adam & Eve. Even when
divinely saved in this world, Jesus promised (John 16:33), "I have told you these things, so
that you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world." There is one true God who is spotlessly Holy and who cannot be surrounded for
eternity by stained, sinful souls. You can't be there for eternity spotted
and dirty with sin...unless you get washed or cleansed (get sins forgiven & nullified).
You can't save yourself; and you can't transform your heart yourself!!
Guess what! God devised a way out of this
downward spiral to spiritual darkness. And He has no limit on the number who can escape this otherwise inevitable darkness. Here is that
"good news":
Problem & solution
summary:
Axiom: Eternity in general is from prior
infinity to future infinity. The smaller sub-segment of eternity involving earth is from creation on to the end of future time. Your
personal segment of eternity is from your biological conception
through future infinity. We all are sinful & not naturally able to have
truly "right relationships" (live righteously...right relationships CHART here) and cannot cleanse ourselves. But
the price for that cleanser has already been paid...your free ticket to eternal
salvation (the saved life) is reserved for you, & that ticket "buys" TWO
"eternal salvation" components:
- salvation on earth (and true potential for a
fulfilled life while on earth)
- eternity in Heaven
where God is waiting...guaranteed.
The "cleanser" just needs
to be realized...applied...by claiming the ticket. Please don't resist...don't choose to
refuse...accepting & claiming the "ticket". That cleansing process requires a savior who stands for
(paid for) immediate eternal salvation (complete = earthly plus afterlife), followed by His work in
you (which can transform you...a changed heart..."heart transplant"...into a new life) and give you
peace (Philippians 4:6-7) on earth.
That Savior will accept YOU exactly like you are right this minute!! Because of
Jesus alone, there is NO unpardonable sin any longer (while Jesus was a man on earth...and only
then...He noted that speaking against the Holy Spirit was an unpardonable sin [Jesus speaking, Matthew 12:32]). The
good news...the Gospel (from Jesus) of God's Love & Grace is As
follows:
Bible summary of
situation:
God had/has purpose for His creation and,
therefore, for each human being. The rules and commandments of the Old Testament of the
Bible serve as a mirror to us to make us realize what is negative ("bad")...what is wrong...in our
lives. These wrong things impair/damage/destroy right relationships! It
recounts...over & over & over... God's chosen people trying & failing to be
righteous (to justify their worthiness before God by obeying...and then failing to
obey...commands & rules). The New Testament of the Bible recounts details of the
fact...the Gospel (the "good news")...that our worthiness before God is on
the coat-tails of the already-finished work of our Savior and Lord (boss...master...the one
whose directions we intend to follow), Jesus Christ...by His Love & Grace only!! Jesus
gives many hard sayings in parables & elsewhere that further
serve to let us know that not a single human can can be worthy before God without a savior.
And the story of all of this contains those fundamental, Holy-Spirit-inspired, handwritten
directions which constitute God's word (the Bible)...His Holy
Scripture.
Man needs God:
Blaise Pascal, an amazing man in the 1600s, is credited with
the statement that all humans have a God-shaped vacuum in their hearts. So, essentially all
societies in the history of mankind have tried to fill that vacuum with a "god" or "gods".
Think of the myriad religions and sub-religions of the world with billions of members. The good news is that
there actually is one true, holy, and perfect God! And, this God created and loves you and
wants an on-going earthly relationship with you that makes you whole, joy filled, at peace,
and fully involved in "right relationships". He has a kingdom in Heaven (Mark 1:14) and wants you to be there in optimally right relationship with
Him for the entire rest of eternity. He wants you satisfied and joyful during all of your
life...not fearful, not uncertain, not sad and discouraged and of negative attitude . He
wants to strengthen you with the indwelling of His Holy Spirit so that you "can do all
things" (Philippians
4:13)...God supplies all that you need to "do all things". It is a lifelong process of
growing in capability.
Getting to Heaven with
God:
You may not see the value in this unless you
contemplate where you will be for your personal segments of eternity (an average life
on earth lasts for less than 100 years...eternity is endless)! The good news is that
He has a Way...His guaranteed way...for you to qualify. That Way is a free
gift from God (Ephesians
2:8-9)...free so no one can boast of what they did to earn it. God seeks you. There is a
Way to make you "clean". And that Way just requires what seems like a decision ("coming to
belief") by you...though God enables & promotes the entire process. Some believe that
scripture indicates that, for practical purposes, such a decision of "the Elect" (more on
this later) is implanted or essentially the destiny (predestined) of those who
will go to Heaven. Or, you could have spent eternity some place other than Heaven...endlessly
separated from the true God, except for the work of Jesus. You (we all do)
need that cleanser (a transforming savior)...we need a Savior who can get us
presentable for eternity before this righteous & holy God. [see deeper link,
below, which leads to deeper links for more thorough
understanding]
The
Savior:
God sent the prophecy of the good news that
He would provide a Savior to mankind...to His then-chosen people, the Jews of Israel (Isaiah 53:4-12). Many hundreds of years
later, He sent the angel Gabriel to tell an imperfect, engaged (but unwed) woman &
betrothed of a righteous man (Joseph), Mary of Nazareth, that she would give birth to the Way
of the good news, the Messiah...the Christ, Jesus (Luke 1:26-38). Months later the
announcement that the birth had happened earlier that day came FIRST to the lowest-class humans in
Israel, the shepherds (Luke
2:8-20). That announcement had been heralded by a "star" which the "Magi" saw "in
the east"...Matthew 2:1-2 (this was
a "star" that moved north to south down the Damascus road...the end of the route from "the
east"...down to Bethlehem). NOTE: all celestial stars & the sun and the moon rise in the east
and "move" westward (BUT, check this)! The Savior, Jesus, was born to average-class Jews of Judea, but He
became a resident of the insignificant town of Nazareth at about age 2-3 (Matthew 2:21-23), his
mother...Mary...being a lowly Nazarene (Luke 1:26-27) Jew. And He was born in an
animal stall and cradled in a feed trough (manger...Luke 2:7)) in that stall in
Bethlehem...born a Jew. Jesus was put to death about 32+ years later in the worst way
possible (by scourging followed by crucifixion...a death customarily reserved for the very
worst criminals) and shed His cleansing blood on the cross...always being a Jew. He
was resurrected from the dead. And the first two humans (Matthew 28:1-10) to literally see
this great news (the absence of Jesus' body in the tomb [John 20:2]) were women (the female gender
being highly respected but very socially inferior to the male gender in 1st century AD Israel
[and everywhere else in the world in those days]). One of the women was a Jesus benefactor,
Mary of Magdala (Mary Magdalene); and she saw him crucified & buried (Luke 23:50-56) and was also the first
to whom the resurrected Jesus spoke & appeared (Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-9 & John 20:10-17).
The strategic
location for the Savior to appear:
God deposited this Savior...Jesus...south of the
very North, East, South, and West crossroads of the known world, where the Via Mare
road from Europe, Italy (Rome), and Greece caught the trade route from the far east
(Mesopotamia, China, etc.), and then passed southward around the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
and formed a funnel passing through Israel southward-bound to Egypt.
About your lifetime on this
planet:
Is life perfect for you? Life on this earth is not perfect for
any human! In fact, there is a lot of divinely promised (John 16:33) difficulty in life. Life doesn't have to be the way that
it is...with you depending on your skills and luck, with or without the help
& advice of other people...even whether you are a failure or success. Is your heart perfectly
joyful? The good news is that He can heal your heart (Luke 4:18-19)! You can truly relate to God...now. You can have divine
empowerment (Philippians
4:13..."God help") and a peace-filled, fulfilled life (as you go
through all that "life" brings or presses onto you) if you'll only accept/realize the free
gift from the one true God...a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) available to anyone
who will accept/realize it. Jesus died to pay the human penalty owed (death...eternity apart
from God) for the past, present, and future sins of all of mankind. Jesus arose from the
grave as proof that He could conquer death for us. Jesus is available now as your
personal, living Savior! There is personal, divine help for YOU to realize your
purpose in life.
Please know that there is spiritual warfare
(forces of Satan, the devil, versus the forces of God) always ongoing in the world and that,
if you become a Jesus believer, a personal "civil war" will commence as demonic forces try to pull you back to the
"old life". Jesus is the Commander-in-chief of the forces of God...call on Him to help you!
Good news!...you'll have help against such forces as you endeavor to do God's purpose in your
life. Satan is commander-in-chief of the worldly forces, the forces of
evil.
About your
death:
No human is able to live a sin-free life either
justifying (1) eternal living with our spotlessly holy God in Heaven or
(2) the saved life on earth & into eternity. In essence, all humans are living lives that
would place them on "death row"; and most just don't realize it! So, humans needed a Savior.
Therefore, the wonderful news is what God (in His perfect love
& grace) did...and He did it for every human...He provided the free gift
of that Savior! Though not a single human deserved it, the love of God and the grace (giving
of undeserved favor) of God caused Him to devise the Way to satisfy all aspects of His
(God's) character. We have been delivered from detailed-rules legalism: obeying rules
perfectly in order to get the prize!
It matters greatly that you can
know that:
- forgiveness: the penalty for
your sins has already been paid by the death of Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb.
And,
- freedom: you don't have to
work for it; eternal salvation is there for you as a free gift & the Savior,
Jesus, is always available to you (just as you are right this second...no matter what you
have done or not done in your life) and is always willing to become your personal Savior
(if you'll just ask/realize & believe); and,
- security: that salvation,
once obtained/realized, is secure...it can't be lost; and,
- union with God: even here on
earth, you will be in an actual relationship with God, indwelt by God in the person of
the mentoring & empowering Holy Spirit; and,
- eternal life: that, upon
becoming saved, there will be (1) a new beginning with life on earth
forever after with Jesus (God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit) and (2) a happy
ending to your earthly life as you subsequently dwell in a perfectly right relationship with God in Heaven!!! See the concept of
"The Elect" in Level 3 link, below.
By the way, do you already say that you are
Christian? If so, which of these
are you talking about (what do you mean by "I am a Christian?)?
***A gift hidden away in the attic has no actual
use unless it is actually obtained/realized by the receiver. How can you get
this gift (explained later)? On obtaining the gift, we are urged to be always ready to
explain our hope (I Peter
3:15-16). First, check out a little more deeply &
thoroughly:
[go to slightly deeper...Level 2...explanation & that page will
link to another with additional depth of discussion]...
[back to lead-in
page]
***give me your comments about this
page***
check out the Highest
TRUTH
(posted 20 June 2003; latest addition 31 December 2016)
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