for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3:23, 24 ESV)
After spending considerable time in explaining the Bad News which prefaces the Good News, Paul gets to the good part, and is it good. In What is the Gospel, the authors summarize beautifully:
We are accountable to the God who created us. We have sinned against that God and will be judged. But God has acted in Jesus Christ to save us, and we take hold of that salvation by repentance from sin and faith in Jesus. God. Man. Christ. Response. What Is the Gospel? Gilbert, Greg; D. A. Carson page 31-32 Kindle version.
It’s important to remember that there are two parts to the Good News part of the Good News. Jesus is God’s answer to the problem, but the solution is not applied universally (as so many now seem to believe). There is something we must do. We appropriate that salvation by repentance from sin and faith in Jesus. It is popular today to focus on the faith portion and to skip over the repentance part. If the “bad news” part hasn’t been presented, it’s understable that it might appear that repentance can also be eliminated.
Having been presented the face of sin with which all struggle and understanding the consequences of that sin, the Holy Spirit draws us to the conclusion that we must turn away from it and put our faith in the only hope we have. What a hope Jesus is. He offers much more than a key to heaven, but a relationship with the One who made us and who loved us enough to die for us. That’s the kind of Good News everyone should be overjoyed to receive and respond to.
Be Blessed
Nick
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