God's narrative

 What is the message that Christians so desperately want the world to know? What is the most important narrative ever told?

Here is that message from the Bible in an acronym of the word gospel made by Dare2Share ministries. 

-God created us to be with Him. 

We see this in Genesis 1:31, After God creates man, woman, animals and nature, He declares that it was all good in His eyes.

"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31 NASB)

-Our sins separate us from God.

Adam and Eve were deceived by the serpent in the Garden of Eden to eat the forbidden fruit. From this point on, every descendant of Adam and Eve are declared sinners. 

Paul states in his letter to the Roman Christians,

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23 NASB)

What defines what sin is? The ten commandments. These commandments were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20). 

Moses taught the Israelites these commandments to make them distinct from the other surrounding nations, since God had adopted them as His own, He wanted them to glorify Him by obeying these commandments. 

The ten commandments state simply: 

Do not worship anything in life except God. 

Do not create anything for yourself to worship.

Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. 

Keep the sabbath day holy.

Honor your father and mother.

Do not murder. 

Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal.

Do not lie.

Do not be jealous of others.

So if you have done at least one of those things, you are a sinner. Join the club! we are all sinners! 

-Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.

The writer in the book of Hebrews states, 

"Every priest stands daily ministering and offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins" (Hebrews 10:11 NASB)

In Gods equation, Committing Sin = Eternal separation from Him. This is because we are not holy, but God is! So there must be separation between God and mankind, He cannot be around us in our sinful state. 

The greatest work you could ever achieve spiritually or physically would not get you into heaven. Me and you are completely dead in our sins.

Certain religions and even certain Christian dominations preach a doctrine that it takes works for you to achieve salvation. This is not biblical! It is an interpretation of scripture grounded in our own power. But the true interpretation is, as the apostle Paul states, 

"because by the works of the Law (ten commandments) no flesh (humans) will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20 NASB).

The Law explains what sin is, but it does not cover them. Thankfully though,

-Paying the price for sin, Jesus Christ died and rose again.

Jesus told Nicodemus that, 

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NASB).

God came to earth as a man in flesh (still God!) for the sole purpose of dying in our place. When Jesus carried the cross to be executed, He carried our sins and shame upon his back. When he breathed His last dying breath hanging upon the cross and then raised from the dead three days later (Matthew 28:6), our sins were covered for eternity, wiped away.

The Apostle Paul puts it like this in the Book of Colossians, 

"having canceled out the certificate of debt (our sins) consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14 NASB).

Jesus fulfilled the prophecies that spoke of Him in the book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah said,

"Surely our griefs (sins) He Himself bore, and Our sorrows He carried..." (Isaiah 53:4 NASB)

"...By His knowledge the Righteous One, My servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities" (Isaiah 53:11 NASB)

Here is a beautiful piece of the gospel, Since God is holy, we must be holy to be in His presence (Matthew 5:8). On our own, we cannot do this! But Jesus can, Jesus has justified our standing before God, Jesus stands as our righteousness before The holy one. The wrath that we sinners all deserve to have poured out onto us has been instead, poured out onto Gods son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:9, 1 John 2:2).

-Everyone who trusts in Him alone has eternal life. 

Paul states in his letter to the romans,

"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9 NASB).

John states in his letter,

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NASB)

and Jesus says Himself, 

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15 NASB)

I pray that those reading this would seek God today, Who can stir your heart into a conviction of sins, that results in a repentance of old ways to be reborn into a believer of Christ. 

-Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.

Paul tells the Christians in Philippi,

"for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13 NASB). 

From believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Justifier, you are now in a relationship with God, This relationship does not require a check-box to be completed to seek Him. He is the shepherd who has saved you in your dead state (Romans 5:8 NASB). His grace triumphs over your sins.

 Conviction without repentance is not from God. It is a lie that God desires you to sit in shame. God wants you to run to Him, embrace Him and taste his grace and mercy. You can rest from your sin and shame!

Now with the promise of eternal life, given to those whom He has justified and is now sanctifying (John 10: 27-28). Jesus calls you to, 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20 NASB).

Dare2Share Ministries: https://www.dare2share.org/