Gospel of Reconciliation

Has the gospel message found a place in your heart or are you still shutting it out?  In the first chapter of Romans it says that none will have an excuse for not believing that God exists.  All must believe Jesus was crucified, died and buried and then rose again on the third day and that He was the Son of God and the only way to get to God, His Father.  Without these fundamental truths, there is no gospel.  Because Jesus was willing to die by humbling Himself to this extremely excruciating, painful death God exalted Him to sit at His right side in heaven.

It says this in Philippians 2:5-11, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Like I said in yesterday’s Tidbit, everyone will bow before Him and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in the end.  Crucifixion was reserved for notorious criminals.  It was a humiliating and painful death which could take several days and was usually caused by suffocation as the weakened body hung in exhaustion, not being able to push up and breathe any longer.  

Jesus died as one that was cursed.  This is what it says in Galatians 3:13, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’).”  Think about what Jesus did and the pain He suffered on our behalf, taking the curse and the sins on Him that we should have suffered.  He was made sin for us so that we could receive forgiveness and be cleansed and washed in His precious blood and be covered by His righteousness and be reconciled to God, if we would only truly believe.

It says this in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

When thinking about these things, I feel different emotions, one would be sadness over the pain and suffering Jesus experienced, another would be amazement over the resurrection of Christ being dead and being alive again, and the third being excitement, joy and gratitude when I realize what it all means for all who believe.  Think of this, at one time we were all walking dead in our trespasses and sins being totally separated from God with not one ounce of hope of breaking through that barrier, but God being the loving and compassionate God that He is, provided a way through the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile us to Him.

It says this in John 3:14-18, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

This is the good news that you can trust and believe in, and my prayer is that you will.  You can trust this God, He is true to His Word.  Those who put their trust in Him can rejoice in Him.  

If you want to read what Jesus said to a religious leader about eternal life please read all of John 3:1-21, “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”        

  

Now you have a choice to make and I hope you make the right one.  Something to think about!  May the Good Lord bless you and yours!!