The Gospel

It was a cold, chilly day. Darkness hung over the land. Outside Jerusalem's gate could be seen a hill, and upon that hill were three crosses. Upon the cross hung three men, condemned to death by crucifixion.

Suddenly, the Man on the cross in the middle cried out 'It is finished!'. At this cry, the ground shook, the veil of the temple was ripped in two, and many saints rose from the dead and appeared to many.

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We all know this story. Do we not read the accounts of the crucifixion every Easter? Yet if we stop to consider the significance of what Jesus actually said, it would most surely deepen our gratefulness to him for what he did for us.

Allow me for a moment to explain why Jesus said “It is finished”. What is finished? His life on earth? Yes. But that is not what he meant.

Let us now look at Jeremiah 31:31 – 34. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to take them out of the land of Egypt; why my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I shall make with the house of Israel: after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and [I] shall be their God, and they shall be my people.

This prophecy found its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, who instituted the new covenant. When he cried 'It is finished', he was, in essence, saying that his redemptive work had been completed, and that man now had access to God by faith. The void was filled, and the curse of the Law was forever abolished.

What does this mean to us if we never understand the function of the law? Many times the Law is skipped over in one's presentation of the gospel, yet the Law is necessary, for it makes man realize their need for Christ. Galatians 3:24 states “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The law is there to convict us of our sin, and our overall inability to please God by works and apart from grace. Those who break even one point of the law are seen as if they broke the entire law (James 2:10). Hence, all men are guilty, completely depraved, and subject to the wrath of God Almighty.

The gospel, is good news to mankind, but you cannot skimp over the aforementioned 'bad news', namely that mankind is guilty before God. For if someone is not aware of that aspect, it is no use preaching to him that Jesus died on the cross. This, I believe, is a major problem among some evangelicals today. They preach a custom-made feel-good gospel. They say all the good-sounding stuff (God is for you, Jesus died for you, God just wants to lavish his love on you, etc.) How can anyone truly understand their need for Christ, lest we tell them that apart from Christ, they are lost? We must give the whole counsel of God.

The grace of God is simply amazing. The very thought that God would send His only begotten Son to earth to suffer and die for us should put us in awe. Did God not have a right to leave us to perish? After all, we are the ones who sinned against him. God could have said “There is no way I am sending my son to such a vile and wicked people”. But He had mercy on us! Praise his name!

To put things into perspective, imagine for a moment that God had not sent His Son. Imagine living every day, conscious of the fact that we messed up and God would send us to hell as soon as we died, and that we would burn there forever. Would that not be terrible, knowing that there was no atonement for our every trespass?

Our knowledge of the gospel should cause us to be extremely thankful to God, for he actually sent His son to die in our place. Jesus' blood cleanses our every sin (Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14). And not only do we have forgiveness of sins, but the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). God has shown amazing love to us, even though we deserved nothing better than the fires of hell.

If there is anything we should take from this, it is that we are to walk worthy of this glorious calling of the gospel (Eph. 4:1). We are not repaying Jesus from the cross, but rather, we are surrendering ourselves to Him who showed us so much love. Surrender is our worship (Rom. 12:1), not simply singing a hymn or praise song.

I hope you were all blessed by these thoughts. God bless you.