The Only Gospel

 

January 2024

THE ONLY GOSPEL (“Good News”)

To Junior:

Junior, I wanted you to have a letter that shares my Christian faith in a way that will hopefully bring encouragement to you and answer your questions regarding Faith in Jesus Christ.  This is the Faith Barbara and I hold to firmly and is the only hope any of us have of enjoying eternity with God in Heaven forever.   I hope you will keep this letter somewhere safe and reread it again and again when you have a desire to.    I entitled this letter, ‘The Only Gospel’ because there is truly no other Gospel by which mankind can be saved.

The word Gospel is translated, ‘Good News”. 

There are many false religions on Earth, but there is only one Gospel.   Millions of people on this planet are deceived and ignorant of this truth and I don’t want you to be one of them.   You may be thinking; how can you claim to believe the right religion when there are so many others?  What makes the Christian Faith the right religion?   I hope to answer these questions for you but before I do, I will start from the beginning.  

Out of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the only Faith that teaches God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3 vs. 16) The life God gives through His Son Jesus Christ is Eternal Life (never-ending).   In fact, Jesus Christ is the author of life.   He created you and I.

Why is this important for you to know?  

I believe the Bible is Gods written word for mankind.   The Bible is made up of 66 Books.   A total of 39 Books make up the Old Testament and a total of 27 Books make up the New Testament.   God spoke through the Biblical writers spanning centuries.  Every word of scripture is God-breathed, inspired and without error.   This means that every author of a book in the Bible was inspired to write down exactly (verbatim) what the Spirit of God led them to say.   The Bible has been tested over the centuries and can be trusted.  God uses His word to teach us, encourage us, and save us.   God tells us in scripture that Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10 vs. 17).

In the Book of Genesis, the Bible teaches us that God created the Earth in six-days and on the seventh day He rested.   God created the first human (Adam) on the sixth day and He placed him in a garden that was truly paradise on Earth called the Garden of Eden.  It was Adams role to maintain the Garden and to name all the animals that God created.  This was a big task for sure (imagine having to name all of the animals God created), but no animal created was found suitable as a helper for Adam.  God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone.  Adam needed a helper that was suitable for him, so God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep.  While he was sleeping, God took out one of Adams ribs and fashioned it into a woman.  God closed up the wound and after Adam awoke He brought the woman to Adam.  The woman was named Eve because through her would come the human race.    The union of Adam and Eve is the first marriage ordained by God Himself.

God created only two genders, male and female.   There is no such thing as another gender.  There is much deception in the world today between homosexuality, transgenderism, people born gay and lesbianism.    I do not want you to be deceived, Junior.  There are only two genders.  God’s word confirms this truth and science can back up this claim.

Genesis 3

In the Garden of Eden there were many beautiful fruit trees for consumption, but in the center of the garden were two trees.  One tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the other was the tree of life.   God gave the following commandment to Adam and Eve: “You may eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of that tree you will surely die.

At this time, Adam and Eve were perfectly innocent and naked.  They walked in communion with God and with each other and felt no shame in doing so.   The most cunning and crafty out of all the creatures God made was the serpent. 

One day, in the Garden, Satan took on the form of a serpent.   The serpent came to Eve and tempted her by saying, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”  “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  After being tempted by the serpent, Eve took some of the forbidden fruit and ate it, she then gave some to Adam and he ate it.  Immediately their eyes were opened and they became aware that they were naked.  They were embarrassed by their nakedness and for the first time felt shame.  As a result of their shame they hid from God in the bushes.  

God was walking through the garden and called out to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” Adam said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” After finding them, God asked them how did you know that you are naked? Who told you this?   And he said, Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

So, the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals!  You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.   By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken;
    for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”  So, the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.  After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.   

Junior, the SIN committed in the Garden of Eden is called original sin.   As a result of Adam and Eves sin, separation from God occurred and the curse of SIN has since been passed down to all mankind.   It is SIN that separates us from God.   The one thing you need to know about God is that He is HOLY.  There is no sin found in God.

God is perfect, blameless, loving, merciful, and righteous.   

Nothing sinful can even be in His presence.   This is how majestic and beautiful God is.   Not only is God our creator, He has always existed.  There is no beginning or end with God.

Even after Adam and Eve sinned, God was merciful by not killing them immediately and by clothing them in their nakedness.    But sin brought a curse of death to all mankind and separation from God.   The reason why our bodies grow old, wear out, feel pain, and die are all due to original sin.

Who is Satan?

Lucifer is his real name and was originally created as the most beautiful angel in heaven with great power and authority, but not as powerful as God.   One day, SIN was found in Lucifer.  Isaiah 14 (referring to Lucifer): 

“You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly.

Lucifer deceived a 3^rd of the angels in heaven and they rebelled against God.   Lucifer lost and as punishment was cast out of heaven to roam the Earth.   In the Bible Lucifer is known by a few other names.  They are: Satan, Devil, Beelzebub.  The angels that fell with Satan are called Demons or more specifically, Fallen Angels.

It is Satan who blinds the minds and hearts of all those who hate God and hate the truth revealed in the Gospel.   Satan is a liar and the father of lies.  He hates God, hates the truth, and hates mankind who are created in the image of God.  His purpose is to destroy the works of God and lead the world in rebellion against God.   He also seeks to persecute all those who follow Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior.

From the moment sin entered the world through Adam, God had a plan in mind for the redemption of mankind and the ultimate defeat of Satan.   His plan is revealed in the person and work of His Son, Jesus Christ.   The word Sin is translated as LAWLESSNESS.   Sin is any breaking of God’s Holy Law.

God’s Holy Law was given to mankind through the prophet Moses when he led the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt to Mt. Sinai.  Read the book of Exodus in the Old Testament to get the full story.   The Law of God is described as the 10 commandments.  They are as follows:

SIN is the problem we all have.  All of us have sinned against God and broken the 10 commandments.    There is no one righteous and no one who does good.  We are all guilty and deserve to be punished for our sin(s).  The entire human race from birth stands condemned before Holy God as the result of its SIN.

Yes, Junior, YOU and I deserve God’s just punishment.  It is something that we must come to terms with.   In our humanity there is nothing good within us.  All of our good works or good deeds are evil to God and as a result of this, there is nothing we can do to make ourselves right with God.  

The punishment that you and I deserve is eternal separation from God in a place called Hell.  Hell is reserved for Satan, the Demons, and all those who join Satan in his rebellion against God.   The vast majority of the human race on Earth is on their way to Hell with Satan and his Demons.  Hell, according to the Bible, is described as a place of darkness, never ending fire, and unending torment.  It is a horrible truth to come to grasps with.    But, you need to know the bad news before you can rejoice in the good news.

The bible teaches us in John 3 vs. 16 that God so loved the world that He ‘gave’ His only Son, that whosoever Believes (Trusts) in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.  

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world through Him may be saved.  

Junior,.. the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John reveal the person and work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.   It is imperative that you read each Gospel in its entirety.   The following are a few passages of scripture in the Gospels and are the words of Jesus:

John 3

³ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

⁴ “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

⁵ Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. ⁷ So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

John 11

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.

 

Matthew 11 (Jesus Speaking)

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Junior, Jesus is speaking these words to you personally.   It is to you when he says, ‘you must be born again’ and ‘if you believe in me, you will never die’.   Jesus desires for you to come to Him and find rest for your soul.

Truths about Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God:

-          Jesus is the WAY.

-          Jesus is the TRUTH.

-          Jesus is the LIFE.

-          Jesus is MERCY.

-          Jesus is COMPASSION.

-          Jesus is LOVE.

-          Jesus is GOD.

John 14

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

My prayer for you, Junior, is that you believe in Jesus Christ as I do and surrender your life to Him.   My prayer for you is that you share in the gift of God’s Son, which is eternal life.

Jesus came to this world for one purpose and that purpose was to save sinners!  It was a great act of love that this happened.  We deserve nothing from God, and for Christ to save us is too wonderful to put into words.  It was a miraculous work of divine grace that Jesus was born into this world.   We celebrate Christmas because we remember the gift of Jesus birth. We celebrate Easter because we remember the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ, our savior.

In order to make sinners right with God, forgive their sins, and set them free from sin, read the following verse of scripture that describes what Jesus did for each of us who believe in Him.

2 Corinthians 5 - ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God accomplished three divine works. Each work was necessary to secure our redemption.  All of the following works no man can accomplish on their own.  It is impossible for us to be good enough or earn our way into Heaven by attempting to live a good life.  We can’t do it!

Divine Work #1 Jesus lived a sinless life on Earth.  From the moment he was born till the moment he died on the cross, he never sinned.  The Bible tells us he was very much human, but also very much God.   The Bible goes on to tell us that Jesus was tempted in everyway as we are, but without sin.   Jesus never sinned.   He lived a perfect life that you and I could never do in our own strength or by our own willpower.   Jesus accomplished the will of God by fulfilling the LAW of God on our behalf.  The only way a sinner like us can enter heaven is if we are perfect and sinless like Jesus.  This presents an impossible problem for us.   We are sinners and captive to sin.   We have failed at keeping all of the 10 commandments, haven’t we.  I know I have.  

Commandment #1

Have I loved the LORD my God with all my heart at all times in my life?  - NO

Commandment #2

Have I ever had something in my life that I treasured more than God (idols)? – Yes

Commandment #3

Have I ever taken the LORDS name in vain by said…’God, Jesus’ and not in a reverent and Holy manner? – Yes

Commandment #4

Have I ever broken God’s law by not keeping the Sabbath Holy and honoring Him? – Yes

Commandment #5

Have I ever (at times) said things to my mom and dad that I shouldn’t have said.  Have there been times when I dishonored them?   - Yes

Commandment #6

Have I ever committed murder (hatred) in my heart toward someone by hating them? - Yes

Commandment #7

Have I ever committed adultery in my heart by thinking improper things towards other women? – Yes

Commandment #8

Have I ever stolen something?  - Yes

Commandment #9

Have I every not told the truth about someone or gossiped about someone to others? – Yes

Commandment #10

Have I ever coveted something or wanted what others have? – Yes

Junior, I have just announced before God and to you that I am guilty of breaking ALL of God’s commandments.   I am a lawbreaker (sinner), deserving of Hell and eternal separation from God. 

Jesus did what I have never been able to do.  He kept the LAW of God for me by His sinless life.  All those who believe and trust in Him have received the righteousness of Christ.  The righteous sinless life of Jesus Christ has been given to all who believe.   This is a wonderful work of divine grace, so undeserved.   In God’s eyes, I am declared perfect (innocent) because when He looks upon me, He sees the righteousness of His Son.  (Romans 8 vs. 1)  Amen!!!

Divine Work #2 It was necessary for Jesus to die on the Cross for the forgiveness of my sins.   There is no way we can forgive our sins.   SIN requires that someone die.  Someone had to die for my sin.  It should have been me, but Jesus died in my place and in the place of all who believe on Him.

Jesus willfully, lovingly, and obediently took my punishment that I deserved on that cross.   While on the cross He bore every sin ever committed by all those who would believe on Him.   This meant that while He hung on that tree, God’s wrath was being poured out on Him, and not me.   I deserved to be on the tree, but Christ’s blood that was shed covered my sins.   As a result, God, the Father accepted the death of His son as full payment for my sins.   Through the shedding of Christ’s blood, I have received forgiveness of sin.  I am forgiven, hallelujah!!

Only God can forgive your sins, Junior, and only by believing on His Son can your sins be forgiven.

Divine Work #3 It was necessary for Jesus not only to live a sinless life and die on the cross, but to rise from the dead, thereby conquering death.  After Jesus died, he was buried in a tomb for 3 days.  On the 3^rd day scripture tells us he arose from the dead.   Christ’s resurrection is proof that our sins are forgiven and that we will live forever.  Just as Christ was resurrected, we also (those who believe in Him) will be resurrected to eternal life.   The resurrection of Christ was seen and verified by many witnesses.

After His resurrection he walked among the disciples for over 30 days.  Then he was taken up to heaven, promising to return the way he was taken up.  His final words to us are:

Matthew 28 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20)

This is the only Gospel and it is the only plan of redemption for mankind.   Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us.   He lived, He died, He rose again.

I love you very much Junior.  I care very much for your salvation and for you to know, serve, and love Jesus Christ.  

Scripture tells us clearly in Romans 10 … -⁹That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. ¹¹As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

‘All who call on the name of the LORD will be saved’. (Romans 10 vs. 13)

Junior, I need you know that if I die before you, I will be in heaven, NOT because I was a perfect friend or a perfect Christian.   I will be in Heaven only because of what Jesus accomplished on my behalf.

He lived a sinless life, He died in my place, and He rose from the grave.   All acts of divine Grace.

Junior, the Gospel is Good News, but it is only Good News for those who receive Christ into their life as Savior and LORD.   For everyone else the Gospel is a death sentence because for those who die in their sins there is no hope for them.   The Bible tells us that it is appointed to all to die and then the judgement.   There are those who believe God will give people a second chance to believe after they die.   Do not believe this for a minute.  There are no second chances.   The Bible says, today is the day of your salvation.   We must believe while it is today!

The great SIN of this world is that people refuse to believe in God’s one and only Son.  They wish to continue believing and living a lie.   Do not let this be you.

John 14 vs. 6

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I love you!!

Happy New Year.

Carl. 😊