Jesus Alone - What is the Gospel?

As we explored recently (See ‘A Firm Foundation’), Christianity is so radically different from every other religion in that our salvation is not dependent on us; on what we have done or what we can do. Rather, we are saved simply through what God has done in His great justice and love. We mentioned that there are 3 key beliefs which are central to Christianity:

1) Jesus is God

2) Jesus died on the cross for our sins

3) Jesus resurrected from the dead defeating death

And so today I just want to expand on that a little bit more by this scenario:

The Courtroom Scenario

Imagine a courtroom scenario where we have a man brought in for some crime such as shoplifting. Now, imagine that the judge recognises the defendant as a dear childhood friend. Because of the friendship, the judge doesn’t want to punish the defendant; however, because she is a judge she must. So what she does is that she sentences the man to a fine that his crime deserves (displaying her complete justice). But later, because of her love for her friend, she goes around to see the defendant and hands over a cheque for the exact amount of the fine. Thus, we see that the judge has displayed her total justice by sentencing the man to what he deserved but has also demonstrated her love and compassion by offering to pay the fine completely herself.

And this is exactly the same with God. Because we have done wrong against God (we have broken God’s Law) – we can all think about wrong things we have done even in this last week! – He has to sentence us to a life apart from Him (ie Hell) because of His total justice and holiness.

But, because of His great love, through the sacrifice of Jesus (God in flesh), the punishment that we deserve is taken on Himself. So our sin isn’t simply erased; it is dealt with justly. But it is God Himself who is on the receiving end of the punishment and not us. All that we have to do is accept Jesus’ sacrifice. This is the Gospel!

Just like in the courtroom scenario where it would be crazy for the defendant to refuse the judge’s gift of the cheque, so to it would be crazy for us not to accept Jesus’ sacrifice and His offer of eternal life for us.

Romans 6:23 sums up this situation perfectly: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So all that’s left for us to do is to believe in Jesus and accept His sacrifice for us.

This belief that we are saved not by what we have done or can do but simply and solely through what God has done and that all that we need to do is believe in Jesus and accept His sacrifice is both unique and absolutely central to Christianity. This is the Gospel! And it is mentioned time and time again in the bible. Below are just a handful of verses that simply sum up this message, the gospel, the good news of Jesus:

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Romans 3:22-25 “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.”

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

We do not deserve grace; it is an unmerited gift from God and to receive it we simply have to believe and turn to Him (repentance). This gift is amazing, and we hope you get a glimpse of just how amazing news the Gospel (the good news of Jesus) is!

*Other great verses: Galatians 2:16 1 John 4:9-10

Romans 3:28

1 Timothy 2:5-6

Isn't this just too easy?

There is something about human nature that means that we want to achieve success through our own effort and hard graft. So, it is counter-intuitive that Christianity tells us that there is nothing that we can do to gain salvation except to believe in Jesus. It doesn’t feel right; ironically, it just feels all too simple. But there is no other way. While other religions require its adherents to live by a set of rules to gain salvation, it just doesn’t make sense! If God is as perfect and holy and as great as we say He is (this is for anyone of faith; we all believe in a perfect god/gods), then it makes no sense that there is something that we could ever do to reach those levels of perfection required to be made right with God and to live with Him forever (eternal life). And because God is totally just, then it is not possible for God to simply brush our sins under the carpet (because of His love and grace) as He would not be remaining just. I hope that I haven’t lost you here, but what I am trying to demonstrate is that faith in Jesus is the only way possible for us to be saved with God maintaining His absolute love, mercy and grace as well as His absolute justice. So, while it feels ‘too easy’ that all we have to do is to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for us and believe in Him, this is actually the only way that our salvation is possible; it is not about us but it is about what Jesus has done and this is the beauty of Christianity.

How does this translate into everyday life?

As a result of being saved by Jesus’ sacrifice alone, that does not mean that we can live any way that we like. Because Jesus has saved us and because we believe in Jesus we are called to live for Him following the example that Jesus set on earth. (Romans 12:1-2, Acts 26:20, Philippians 2:12-13, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Galatians 5:6). So while every other religion tells its followers to live good lives to be saved, Christians should live good lives because we are saved; while other religions require righteous lives to gain acceptance, Christians aspire to live righteous lives because we are accepted. We are accepted by a holy, perfect, loving and just God who has given His own life as a sacrifice to save us. And this is Why We Believe!

Please feel free to ask any questions or leave any feedback by messaging us at @whywebelieve_ on Instagram, email us at whywebelieve2020@gmail.com or leave us a message at the bottom of the page!

Is Jesus even relevant at uni?

Having spent a year at university, I have come to realise that, broadly speaking, there are two types of people. Firstly there is the person who spends their whole time studying and who is stingy with their money in order to put them in the best position possible for once they finish their time at university. The other person is the person who sees university as the time of their life – this is the person who has probably eaten into their overdraft already by spending all of their time, money and energy on clubbing, drinking and living the high life. Of course, these are two extremes and the majority of people lie somewhere on this spectrum. But wherever you are on this spectrum is more-or-less irrelevant – it is all extremely fragile.

The person who studies endlessly may forget that life here-and-now is life at all; they may be just so focussed on the future that life now just passes them by. The problem is, though, that this is never-ending; having gotten their first job, their time and energy will be put into a promotion or a pay-rise etc. so that, once again, life in the present could just pass them by. On the other extreme, people always talk about your time at uni finishing in the blink of an eye so, before they know it, the person who treats uni as one big party may find that they have nowhere to go once their three or four years of university are up. Once again, these are extremes that I am considering but I think that the last few months, living in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, have really helped to highlight the fragility and precarious nature of life at university and life in general.

This pandemic has demonstrated to us that, no matter how hard you work and how much time you pour into your future, nothing is certain and, in a flash, the world as we know it can suddenly change. There are countless numbers of students who will have spent a good 3 to 4 years at university all gearing up for a month-long slog of exams. Yet with no end result – the coronavirus has shown us that even these “normal” exams aren’t certain. Now, there are so many people awaiting what their future holds as we reach the start of the new academic year. “Where will I be working?” “Will I even get a job?” And so on. While I have just finished my first year, I have experienced this feeling somewhat with all of my final exams and assessments cancelled. The world is just so unpredictable.

Similarly, those who really thrive off the social side of university will have been having to socially distance for the past few months (along with the rest of us) and, with restaurants and bars and clubs only just starting to resume business, I cannot begin to imagine how tough these last few months have been for people who find all of their community and their sense of identity in these places.

But this is where God comes in.

At university, everyone seeks a purpose, and everyone craves identity and meaning to their life. But the things on this earth are just so fleeting, just so temporary and just so uncertain. Jesus is not. At my time at university and in my life in general, Jesus is the one that I look to for my meaning (Romans 8:31-39), for my identity (Psalm 23:1) and for my purpose (Matthew 28:18-20). And that takes the pressure off my shoulders. All of a sudden, my time at uni is not all about me, about getting good grades to make it to a good job or about trying to find identity and enjoyment in drinking and clubbing. My future is not down to me – it is down to God and I can just rest and know that God has the best plans for me (Romans 8:28). So instead of rushing around trying to find my identity in Spoons, Covid and Grades, I can just trust in God knowing that He has got my future sorted, that he is relevant to every step of my life and provides me with an unfailing hope. For me, Jeremiah 29:11 simply sums this up:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

A Firm Foundation - What do we even believe?

As we start ‘Why We Believe’, there is no better place to start than with Romans 10:9.

Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

As humans, it is so hard to keep focussed and motivated 24/7 and we all go through times where we struggle. As Christians, this is no different; there have been so many times in my life when I have doubted my own sense of identity and have questioned whether Christianity is even true and worth pursuing. During this coronavirus pandemic surely all of us are questioning life to some extent; nothing seems to make sense at the moment! But what I have found is that whenever I am going through a rocky time as far as my faith is concerned, Romans 10:9 is what really helps to reassert what it means to be a Christian.

This is my favourite bible verse and it sums up what it is to be a Christian; this is the firm foundation of the Christian faith and the Christian life. I just hope that if you are a Christian, you will find Romans 10:9 as helpful as I do to help to reground your faith when you are struggling; and if you are not a Christian then my hope is that you will look at this verse and you will reach some understanding of the simplicity and the beauty in what it means to be a Christian.

This verse contains the 3 key elements of the Christian faith that all Christians believe:

1. Jesus is Lord

2. Jesus died on the cross for our sins

3. Jesus resurrected from the dead defeating death

1. JESUS IS LORD:

One of the most significant beliefs of a Christian and a belief that is unique to Christianity is that God Himself came down to earth; He did this in order to save us, experience life on earth and all the troubles and suffering that we all experience and to provide us with an example to live by. Jesus is a historical figure and, while on earth, He claimed countless times to be God (eg. Mark 14:61-62, John 19:7) so the question is, do you believe Him? Because of who He was and what He did to demonstrate that He is indeed God, I have no doubt in my mind that He was telling the truth.

2. JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR OUR SINS

More than just coming to earth, Jesus died to save us from our sins. This is where Christianity is so radically different from any other religion that exists. Whereas every other religion requires its followers to live a quote, unquote “good life” to gain the favour of God, get a golden ticket to heaven and make it to eternal life, Christianity is vastly different. God is powerful, holy and perfect and, consequently, it is impossible that humans could ever reach the levels of perfection of God. I know that there is nothing that I could ever do to even get close to the standards of God, but God knew this – and because of His abundant, remarkable, unconditional love, He made provision for this. Romans 5:8 says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God knew that every single one of us is broken but ultimately, He did something about it!

Because of His total justice, He cannot simply overlook our wrongs and allow us into eternal life with Him; the wrongs and imperfections that we carry around with us wouldn’t have been dealt with. So, God intends to deal with any imperfection justly. But, because of His great love, He doesn’t want to see us punished. This is where Jesus comes in. God came down to earth as Jesus and lived a human life and took the punishment that we deserved when He died on the cross for us all. Jesus is the sacrifice that saves us all, making us righteous and perfect in God’s sight. And all that we need to do is to accept His sacrifice and believe. God is just so good! And it always puts a smile on my face when I think about what Jesus has done for me!

“That Jesus was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be…” -John Dominic Crossan, non-Christian scholar

3. JESUS RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD DEFEATING DEATH

Such is the importance and central nature of the resurrection to Christianity, in the New Testament, Paul, says: “…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14). And he says in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” The reason that Jesus (God in flesh) came to earth was not simply to be a great moral teacher, to show us how to live and experience life on earth but it was to save us all from our sins to make everyone right with God.

By rising again from the dead, Jesus showed that He has power over death and is therefore able to be the substitute for us. If Jesus had just remained dead, then He wouldn’t have power over death, so us humans, when we die, would also just face eternal death (separation from God; Romans 6:4 says: “…Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, [in order that] we too may live a new life.”). This was the only way for God’s salvation plan (His plan to save us, humans, despite our wrongs because of His unconditional, unfathomable love for us) to make sense. Salvation is not dependent on us but solely on God and what He has done for us. The only thing that we have to do is accept Jesus’ sacrifice for us and repent of our sins.

In a couple of weeks on 'Why We Believe', we will be looking at the evidence for Jesus' resurrection in more depth so join with us then!

“The evidence for the resurrection is better than for claimed miracles in any other religion. It’s outstandingly different in quality and quantity.” -Antony Flew, atheist philosopher

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I love Romans 10:9 and, whenever I am feeling down, I always come back to this verse which is what I base my life on; simply Jesus and what he has done for me. As I hope I have explained, because of the historical evidence that Jesus’ claims about Himself being God, Jesus’ death and his resurrection is well evidenced, I am reminded that all it means to be a Christian is to believe these three aspects. These are, at the core, Christianity in a nutshell!

Jesus Christ is the culmination and expression of God’s unshakable, unconditional and overwhelming love for us. I can’t thank God enough for that and whenever I am struggling in my faith, it is Romans 10:9 which is the reminder of God’s love and His sacrifice which is the firm foundation upon which both Maddie and I are building our lives. If you are a Christian and reading this, then I hope that you have been encouraged for when you are feeling like your faith is on rocky ground and if you are a non-Christian, then I hope that I have been able to provide an insight into the beautiful, fundamental beliefs of Christianity and why it is a firm foundation to base your life on. This is what I believe, and this is Why We Believe!

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If you have any questions or would like to know more about Jesus, then please do email whywebelieve2020@gmail.com. Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think!