The Good News

The Good News

Introduction

It’s obvious that billions of human beings exist today, and that each one is equipped with a powerful and potentially dangerous free will. As of mid-2011, the total number of humans born on earth is estimated to be about 108 billion [pdf].

Humans are equipped with power to exercise their will anywhere in the range from extreme malevolence to extreme benevolence. In other words, we can choose sin or righteousness, and we can choose to love God or hate God.

The creator could be nothing less than the greatest conceivable being in all categories, including benevolence, omnipotence, omnipresence, and justice. The enabler of free will must also be the punisher of sin. Eventually every evildoer MUST face their just desserts.

As the epitome of benevolence and mercy, the creator has personally provided a pardon for malevolent exercise of free will. To qualify for this pardon, the creature must willfully and humbly abandon their obsession with all malevolence, subordinate and align their will with the creator’s, and begin the process of developing a personal relationship with Him.

At this point the creature ceases to be a threat to others, and as such becomes a child and heir of the creator, one who He eternally supports, develops, and blesses. As for the others, a dreadful permanent quarantine awaits.

Analysis

The English word “gospel” comes from the Greek word euangelion meaning “good news”

Many view the gospel as the four biographies of Jesus, when it actually spans the entire Bible as God’s overall revelation to mankind about the universe, His nature, our nature, and His divine loving plan for mankind, past, present, and future.

Here’s a review of some of the Bible’s core revelations to mankind:

  • The physical universe and its millions of species of living inhabitants came about through willful design and effort by a supreme intellect — not by chance, the gravitational force, the multiverse, or any other speculation.
  • There is one true Author of the universe and He is personal and very much alive and orchestrating a sublimely wonderful divine plan designed specifically to benefit mankind and all created life. We are indeed not alone.
  • His attributes are clearly revealed in the physical universe, so that all men are without excuse to doubt His existence and character. He is the most powerful living being, and tenderly cares for you, willing that you should not perish, but have eternal life, knowing Him forever on a deeper and deeper tender personal level.
  • He created mankind in his image as eternal spirits and free will moral agents, and adopted them into his family as his children and heirs. We are destined to be righteous kings and queens, intimates of the Creator.
  • He is all powerful and perfect, worthy of awe and worship, being the fountainhead of pure love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
  • He likens Himself to a good father who deeply cares for each of His children and wants to be intimately involved with their lives, desiring only the best for them.
  • Like an earthly parent that equally loves each child, and would gladly die for them, He patiently waits on us, knocking on the door of our hearts, extending open arms to embrace us and richly bless us both in this life, and the next.
  • True love requires true freedom, and true freedom permits the practice of evil, thus evil is the price for true love. He does not force His love on us, or force us to love Him — He is neither a rapist or a puppeteer.
  • As the author of perfect justice, He is faithful to fiercely punish the perpetrator, and fully restore the victim, thus assuring that justice is served.
  • As the author of perfect mercy, He lovingly provides a conditional full pardon. To qualify, we must abandon our evil natures, and obey His perfect will by honoring and serving the living Jesus.
  • Grace is unmerited blessing. Mercy is unmerited pardon.
  • Jesus is the exclusive bridge to God, available to all. Any other path is a spiritual fraud. For all those honestly searching for the one, true God, this will not be a problem in the least.
  • All attempts at self-improvement or earning merit are futile, even evil, as they brazenly dismiss His precious work and great gift.
  • All mankind is evil at heart, and will ultimately divide into two camps: the righteous and the wicked. The Revelation of John refers to these camps as the sheep, zealous for good works, and the goats, zealous for evil works.
  • The road to Heaven is steep and narrow. The road to destruction is level and wide. God is not deceived and knows our heart, mind, and spirit. Apprehending the perfect exposes sin. The righteous abhor sin because their Creator is good, and they are His good children. All human opinions are irrelevant — His is the only opinion that matters. We may object and complain because we are fallen and love the darkness — but indeed we only kick against the pricks.
  • One fine day the righteous will freely choose to be eternally joined with God in His transcendent paradise, empowered anew in a beautiful immortal body, poised to do new and greater things.
  • One sad day the wicked will freely elect to eternally reject God and His Kingdom, choosing eternal separation and quarantine in Hell — a spiritual “supermax” prison, powerless to do further damage. God honors any choice of true free will — preserving His hateful child even though they reject Him — thus hell exists as a necessary accommodation for the depraved.
  • In the distant future, as the righteous reflect back on their life on Earth, they will compare their fulfilled destiny of eternal intimacy with God in paradise with the totality of their earthly suffering, and deem it as trivial — a momentary light affliction!

For now the righteous eagerly obey His will in this fallen world, patiently serving while waiting for the rescuers to arrive. They are urged to be “salt and light” to those around them — as an antiseptic to the infected, and as illuminating beacons of truth. Some view living this way as silly self-delusion, when indeed it is the fountainhead of joy, power, peace, and love.

Conclusion

If you are moved to stop resisting and reach out to Him, try honestly praying the following prayer by the brilliant Charles Spurgeon:

“Lord, I am guilty. I deserve your wrath.
Lord I cannot save myself.
Lord, I want to have a new heart
and a right spirit,
but what can I do?
Lord, I can do nothing,
come and work in me
to will and to do
your good pleasure.
You alone have power, I know,
To save a wretch like me;
To whom, or where should I go
If I should run from you?
But I now do from my very soul
call upon your name.
Trembling, yet believing,
I cast myself wholly upon you, O Lord.
I trust the blood and righteousness
of your dear Son.
Lord, save me now,
for Jesus’ sake.”

 

If you honestly and sincerely prayed this prayer, then welcome, friend, to the Kingdom of Heaven — each day will be a new adventure as you walk with Him — and one day closer to knowing Him as He knows you — and meeting Him face to face!

Your decision will enrage Satan and his allies, and they will redouble their efforts to attack you. Keep your eyes on the future prize, and remember always that God’s allies enjoy His potent protection — far superior to enemy forces. You now have full access to God’s inexhaustible arsenal, which we all, as soldiers, are commanded to continuously direct at the enemy, destroying their evil works.

As a Christian, new or seasoned, it is critical that you join a local church with sound Biblical teaching and missions, attend regularly, and get involved — lone wolves are easy prey. I pray the greatest blessings upon you!

One such church is Church of the Apostles in Atlanta Georgia.