The Good News
February 1, 2012Alfred Tennyson said, “Man is man and master of his fate”
If by fate he means chance, he is dead wrong.
If by fate he means destiny, he is right that man has a destiny.
If you’re interested in your destiny, I hope you will continue reading.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God also created man with a body and soul. The body will die, but the soul will live forever. A man of great wisdom once said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28)
Most people work hard to save the body, which will eventually die. We should ask ourselves a very hard question. How much interest do we have for the soul that will live forever?
We can be sure that since we did not create the body or the soul, we cannot save the body and the soul.
Is there any hope? Yes, the Bible has the answers to the difficult questions of life.
God made a covenant with the first man. This man named Adam was God’s chosen representative for the human race. Adam broke God’s covenant. Then Adam sinned against God by worshipping other gods. Breaking that covenant provoked God’s anger against the human race. The Bible explains, “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).
God is holy. Man is a sinner. The Bible says, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.”
The favorable peaceful relationship between God and man was broken when our father Adam rebelled against God, which provoked God’s wrath against sinful man. Since man did not create himself, man cannot save himself from the wrath of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ said, “He who believes the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36)
Let it be clearly understood that God is not merely angry with people because they are human beings. God pours out His wrath on the ungodliness and the unrighteousness of men. King David was a man after God’s own heart, yet King David confessed that he was sinful at birth, from the day his mother conceived him.
The bad news is that God is just and He must punish sin. The bad news is that you cannot save yourself.
The Bible says, “If by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
The good news is that Jesus Christ, the 2nd person of the trinity, came in the form of bondservant, in the likeness of men, found in the appearance as a man, yet he humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Bible says Jesus will save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21).
The good news is that sin may be forgiven and a favorable relationship may be restored with the one true and living God. Would you like to end the war and have peace with God?
The good news is that Jesus Christ purchased not only reconciliation with God, but also an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father has given to Him.
Would you like to have peace with God? Would you like to have an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven?
Then ask God the Holy Spirit to make you willing and able to believe that Christ died for your sins. Ask God the Holy Spirit to enable you to receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation. Ask your Christian friends to pray for you. Study the Word of God and seek counsel from godly competent men who “hold fast the pattern of sound words” from the full counsel of God.
Posted by Martin Murphy. Posted In : Church Growth
My first priority in life is spending time with my wife and enjoying life together. Next on the list is writing books. After spending nearly 30 years in the class room, the pulpit, the lectern, the study, and the library, I now devote most of my time consolidating my academic and practical gains by writing books. My web site is titled "Writing My Books" because last year my wife kept insisting that I start writing before it was too late. Every day counts when most of life is in the past. I starting writing my books last summer and my wife would often ask "what are you doing?" My answer was "writing my book." When I proposed the idea of a web site about my writing project I asked my wife "what should I name it?" Without a second thought she said "writing my books."
I have a B.A. in Bible from Columbia International University and a Master of Divinity from Reformed Theological Seminary.
