The GOOD News -- The Gospel of GOD

What is the GOOD News -- the Gospel of GOD? The definition, according to John MacArthur's Study Bible, is this: "GOD will forgive sins, deliver from sin's power, and give eternal hope." (Page 1691, Note on Romans 1:1)

Those who believe and follow the writings of the Bible, the Torah, the Qur'an (where all three books include the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses) -- understand that GOD, as a holy and righteous Judge, hates sin, cannot and will not tolerate sin; and therefore, must judge the doer of sin. Because of man's gift of free will, sin abounds today as it has throughout history. Sin created enmity between GOD, the Creator, and His creation, man.

But GOD, in His omniscience and loving wisdom, provided a substitutionary payment to atone for the sinner through the blood of the sinless Person of CHRIST JESUS. In 739 B.C., the prophet Isaiah foretold this act of grace from GOD. (Isaiah 9:6,7 and 53:1-12) In A.D. 30, the Reality of the Gospel of GOD became Actuality -- payment was made for all mankind, on the cross, by the blood of the promised Substitute -- JESUS, the CHRIST... the MESSIAH.

GOD, the ultimate Judge, in His holiness and righteousness, requires justice for sin. JESUS, the GOD-Man, GOD's own only Son, was the ultimate payment that satisfied the Holy One's wrathful vengeance against sin. JESUS took upon Himself all of mankind's sins -- past, present and future -- and incurred the full brunt of GOD's unfathomable wrath against sin.

Can i even grasp this thought: the excruciating agony at the cross -- yet physical torture was "less painful" compared to the emotional, mental, soulful, spiritual anguish of total separation from the fellowship of One-ness which the Father and Son shared before time began. That moment when the Father executed His own Son at the cross -- venting His holy anger at the sinless One who became sin -- could that moment have been like a thousand years to JESUS? (With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 2 Peter 3:8)

This is why believers in CHRIST throughout history have died for their faith and others have left all to do GOD's will -- their faithful allegiance to JESUS as the crucified CHRIST who took on Himself the sin of the world and as the risen Savior who has promised eternal life to those who trust in Him.

No other leader in all the world's major religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese and African traditional religions), has died and risen -- yes, risen!

Secular scholars and researchers who have diligently investigated JESUS' history and the Bible's accuracy have concluded to the veracity of the Bible and it's sacred writings about JESUS. (i.e., Simon Greenleaf, Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, considered by many to be the greatest authority on legal evidences; Josh McDowell, who wrote Evidence That Demands a Verdict to disprove the resurrection of CHRIST believed the evidence he found and converted; Frank Morrison, a British lawyer who went to Palestine to disprove the resurrection ended up writing the book, Who Moved the Stone? to prove the resurrection; Lew Wallace, wrote Ben Hur, to prove the reality of the resurrection of CHRIST -- from Faith Bible Institute workbook; C. S. Lewis, author, who questioned his own religious roots, re-embraced CHRISTianity after fully examining and taking it apart.)

No other Person has fulfilled GOD's Word as prophesied in the Holy Scriptures. No other Man has performed the countless (witnessed and documented) miracles that confirmed His deity... and the most outright visible sign from GOD to authenticate JESUS as His Son -- was the empty tomb... the fact of the resurrection.

CHRIST JESUS is the only way to receive GOD's forgiveness of sin -- to make peace with GOD -- to be justified before the holy Judge's blinding purity.

JESUS Himself said plainly, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

Only JESUS' own pure righteousness can withstand GOD's laser beam scrutiny. Only the CHRIST can stand between GOD's holy wrath against a sinner on Judgment Day. JESUS is the reason for the confidence of peace before GOD's holy and righteous judgment -- He is the believer's personal Defender -- the holy Advocate.

No religious leader, teacher or prophet -- past or present -- no man, can survive GOD's righteous and holy and perfect judgment. Only the totally pure and perfect, holy and righteous GOD-Man, CHRIST JESUS, has accomplished what no mortal ever could -- victory over death... salvation... redemption... atonement for the sinner -- so that all who believe in Him may receive His gift of eternal life and peace with GOD, the Almighty Creator.

GOD so loved the world, His creation, that He sent His only Son to be killed, as the Lamb to the slaughter -- and all that GOD asks of each sinner is acceptance of His most precious gift -- His very own Son.

GOD's promise is this: whosoever believes in CHRIST JESUS will be saved. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. (John 3:36)

Here is the $1,000,000 question: Will you go to Heaven when you die? Your fate is in your own hands. It's not your sin that closes up the gates of Heaven for you, but your rejection of the GOOD News -- the Gospel of GOD, which is the Revelation of CHRIST JESUS.

i have claimed the promise of the GOOD News from the GOD who cannot lie, who never ever breaks promises, who is ever faithful and true to His Word. i am saved...Hallelujah!

Have you claimed GOD's promise of the GOOD News of JESUS CHRIST?

Jews and Gentiles -- Children of Almighty GOD

The longing of my heart and my prayer to GOD is that the Jewish people might be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for GOD, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don't understand GOD's way of making people right with Himself. Instead, they are clinging to their own way of getting right with GOD by trying to keep the Law. They won't go along with GOD's way. For CHRIST has accomplished the whole purpose of the Law. All who believe in Him are made right with GOD.

For Moses wrote that the Law's way of making a person right with GOD requires obedience to all of its commands. But the way of getting right with GOD through faith says, "You don't need to go to heaven" (to find CHRIST and bring Him down to help you). And it says, "You don't need to go to the place of the dead" (to bring CHRIST back to life again). Salvation that comes from trusting CHRIST--which is the message we preach--is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, "The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart."

For if you confess with your mouth that JESUS is Lord and believe in your heart that GOD raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with GOD, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in Him will not be disappointed." Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They all have the same Lord, who generously gives His riches to all who ask for them. For "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, "Lord, who has believed our message?" Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news--the Good News about CHRIST.
But what about the Jews? Have they actually heard the message? Yes, they have: "The message of GOD's creation has gone out to everyone, and its words to all the world."

But did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, GOD had said, "I will rouse your jealousy by blessing other nations. I will make you angry by blessing the foolish Gentiles."

And later Isaiah spoke boldly for GOD: "I was found by people who were not looking for Me. I showed Myself to those who were not asking for Me."

But regarding Israel, GOD said, "All day long I opened my arms to them, but they kept disobeying Me and arguing with Me." (Romans 10:1-21)

Paul, the apostle, wrote the above about A.D. 57 to the CHRISTian church in Rome, which included mostly Jewish followers, but also many Gentiles (people of any nationality other than Jewish). This letter was intended for all believers of the GOOD News then, but also for everyone today who has ever sinned. For haven't we all sinned by breaking one (or four or five or ALL) of the Laws of GOD? Can any of us truthfully say that he/she has not broken a single one of the Ten Commandments, or any of the 613 mitzvot (commandments, ordinances, rules for life) contained in the Mosaic Law? (The Mosaic law begins with the Ten Commandments and includes the many rules of religious observance given in the first five books of the Old Testament.)

One may argue that since he/she is not of Jewish heritage, he/she is not under obligation to follow the Mosaic Law. True. But we are ALL under GOD, under His authority, for we are all His Creation...and ALL us have rebelled against GOD. (Whether you believe in GOD or not, it doesn't alter the fact that there is a Creator of the created; a Designer of the design. Can SOMEthing come from NOthing? Can the gazillion galaxies come about out of thin air? Even "thin air" had to have been created. Can a watch -- taken apart, with all its intricate parts jumbled in a box -- put itself together, even after a million years in the box?)

If a person is Jewish but still an UNbeliever (not trusting that JESUS is the Messiah), then that person is a Gentile at heart. And if a person is a Gentile (male or female, black or white or brown or yellow or pink, Bolivian or American, Chinese or Aborigine, Maori or Filipino; whether homosexual "gone straight" or adulterer "gone monogamous" or ex-addict "gone clean" -- raised as Buddhist or Catholic or Baptist or Mormon or Jew or Muslim or atheist or just confused), but has trusted JESUS as LORD of his/her life, REPENTED of his/her sins (TRUE repentance is confessing/agreeing with GOD about his/her sins, asking for forgiveness and turning away from sin and turning to GOD) and made a conscious decision of the WILL to COMMIT and SURRENDER his/her life to JESUS -- then he/she is "of the circumcision"...a Jew at heart...adopted into the family of GOD's chosen people.

Some of the branches from Abraham's tree, some of the Jews, have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, were grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing GOD has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in GOD's rich nourishment of His special olive tree. But you must be careful not to brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. Remember, you are just a branch, not the root. (Romans 11:17-18.GOD is indeed abundant in grace. To everyone on earth, whether Jew or Gentile, He gives the free gift of salvation... redemption... freedom from sin's wage of death -- out of His infinite store of abundant grace. And what is grace? Unearned, unmerited, undeserved favor or good will of GOD. So that no one may boast of his good works, so that no one may say he/she was good enough. No one ever was, ever is, or ever will be good enough in the sight of GOD. GOD is so beyond our finite concept of what is good -- GOD is holy -- perfectly and infinitely holy! Can we ever measure up to His standard of goodness and holiness? Of course not...and if you are honest with yourself, you'll agree -- not with what i say, but with the Truth, which is written in your heart -- your GOD-given conscience.

GOD only gave us Ten Commandments, us Gentiles, that is. The Jews were given the whole 613, given to Moses to give to the Jewish people. But even with "just" ten laws, we've utterly failed. Who has not stolen (a pen at work, a candy from the store bin, time off the clock at work), or not lied ("white," 99% of the truth, or kept silent about a truth, are all lies in GOD's sight), or not committed adultery in his/her heart (anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart -- Matthew 5:28); or not coveted (his neighbor's wife, or car, or Blackberry); or not cussed or blasphemed; or not honored his/her parents; or not killed in actuality or in our thoughts (abortion; whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment -- the same judgment due a murderer -- Matthew 5:22); or not guilty of idolatry (You shall have no other gods before Me -- the number one commandment of GOD's Top Ten, as written in Exodus 20:3-17 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5:7-21 for all of us slow learners).

Who has not broken the number one commandment? Who has not set up himself or herself as his or her own personal god? Who has not given a tea party for me, myself and i? Who has not allowed husband/wife/lover, job, money, addiction, pride, or personal agenda to become even more important than GOD -- the Source of all that a person is, the Source of all that a person has -- including life itself?

We are all guilty. We are all under the condemnation of our sins. We will all face judgment. Believe it or not. Just as the laws of nature have been set -- that for every action, there is an equal re-action ; that whatever a person plants, that he/she will also harvest. There's a consequence for each choice made...not just in the physical realm, but also in the spiritual.

WHAT then is the answer? The REMEDY to our man-made dilemma? Read again Romans 10:9-13. For those who are still yearning to be filled with abundant LIFE! here in the NOW and in the inevitable HEREAFTER of Death; for those who are still searching for that indescribable JOY that is far beyond all the fleeting emotional highs of happiness found in the things of this world; for those who long to be loved just as they are, to be accepted as is, in all his/her unsightly warts and scars -- here is the key to PEACE...peace and security and confidence and joy and contentment and yes...the HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER ending of your story here on earth.For IF you CONFESS with your mouth that JESUS is The LORD and BELIEVE in your HEART that GOD raised Him from the Dead, you will be SAVED. For it is by BELIEVING in your HEART that you are made right with GOD, and it is by CONFESSING with your mouth that you are SAVED. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in Him will not be disappointed." Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They ALL have the same LORD, who generously gives His riches to ALL who ask for them. For "Anyone who calls on the Name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST will be SAVED."