Welcome to Hank’s Place
Did you know that most people are unsure of who God is and what He thinks of them? In other words, they do not know the Gospel is.
YOU can know the Bible from cover to cover and still not know the Gospel! Imagine: theologians knowing ancient Hebrew and Greek and bible history, but missing the Gospel. It is positively possible!
Do YOU know what the Gospel is? Remember that angel at the time of Jesus’ birth? He said, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY which will be for ALL the people; for today in the city of David there has been born FOR YOU a SAVIOR, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-11.
Good News, or ‘the GOSPEL,’ for EVERYONE: a Savior, born FOR US. News of GREAT JOY.
JOY then, is the KEY EVIDENCE that you know the true Gospel. Got JOY? Do you feel like a fraud on Sundays with a plastic smile in church? Smiling on the outside, but inside a pit of depression, anxiety, fear, condemnation? If so, I submit to you that you have not really heard the GOSPEL.
Are the 4 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John “the Gospel?” NO. They are eye witness accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. Totally awesome. The Gospel can be found in each of them but they include much more than ‘the Gospel.’ And people can get confused at just what is the Gospel within them.
The words of Jesus — are they the Gospel? Not necessarily. He lived before the Cross. He lived under the LAW and preached LAW to those who lived under it. Grace abounded around Him, but His words may or may not have been ‘the Gospel’ depending. Think of His words to the hypocritical Pharisees and lawyers.
“You must turn from sin” is not the Gospel. It is what Moses and John the Baptist preached.
Nor is just believing real hard about something the Gospel – ‘Just have faith, man,’ is not the Gospel. These both focus on you and your capability. Not the Gospel! The Gospel is about a Savior—the angel just told us!
How about: Ro 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The CROSS shows us He loved us while we were yet sinners. THAT’s GOOD NEWS! That’s a GOSPEL message.
There’s more to the Gospel, but that’s for next time. Today, I urge you, BELIEVE this much of the GOOD NEWS: God loves us – enough to die FOR us. Yes, it’s true. Believe it, let JOY explode in your heart, and — COME ALIVE!
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