Misunderstanding The Gospel

One cannot talk with atheists, anti-theists, anti-deists, agnostics, or the just plain average Joe on the street, for very long without encountering a severe misunderstanding of just what the Gospel is, and what it means.  For many it means that a person must bow and scrape before a tyrant God or they will be punished by burning in hell.  Personally, I think this is a willfully adopted position to deliberately misstate the Gospel and portray it in the worst possible light.  But for the sake of argument, let’s answer this very specific, and very specifically wrong interpretation.

Who is God?

First off, God is not a tyrant.  God did not take or acquire His power or position from another.  God’s power and position is inherent in His nature and belongs to Him by right.  So what exactly is His position and His nature?

God as Sovereign

God position is that of Supreme Sovereign of everything.  The lawful ruler, chief justice, commander in chief, of everything.  This is the part that most people either casually or willfully forget.  He rules by right of who He is.  His authority is bestowed upon Him by no one, it also is His by right.

In His position of ultimate authority and ruler, God is the final arbiter of Law and Order.  Not just physical laws which govern the universe, but moral and ethical law as well.

Who is Man?

Man is the creation of God.  Created to have an interactive relationship with God.  God’s creation, God’s property, under God’s authority and rule.

The Problem

The name of the problem is rebellion against rightful ownership and authority.

God created mankind innocent.  Giving man free will by providing the opportunity for choice is the form of a fruit bearing tree, of which man was forbidden to eat from lest he die.  Man was completely free but for one law, don’t eat from that tree.

Many people think this wasn’t fair.  They forget that it provided the existence of free will.  There were two choices possible here, not just one.  They could have chosen to obey.

I called this a rebellion, because that is what it was.  Man was presented by Satan with the question “Is God really good?”  That was the question.  Would man really die if He ate from the tree, or was God lying and keeping something from man that was good and God wanted it all for Himself.  Man decided the answer to that question was no, that God was not good and a liar, that God was not Just, removing himself from open interaction with God, thereby joining Satan in his rebellion.

The Price

There was only one law, the penalty for breaking it was death.  Not just physical death but the spiritual death of being apart from God.  The absence of life that is being out of harmony and connection with God.

God being perfect in Justice had no choice and could not go against either His nature or His position as Sovereign.  Man had to die for being a traitor and in rebellion.

The God of Love

But God is not only a God of perfect justice, God is also perfect and infinite love.  God the Father, the moniker paints pictures of life, love, nurturing, provision, and protection.  And even though mankind rebelled and broke the law, like a father we are told – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son to die in it’s place.

The Solution

Just as the rebellion and lawlessness of one man brought death to all of mankind, why could not the penalty be paid by just one man?  That man would have to be perfect, obey the law of God perfectly, and not deserve the penalty.  A man of infinite worth.  So by one man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the price that satisfies the perfect justice of God, wipes the slate clean.  And it is the free gift of God.

What does that mean?  If it’s the free gift, why do I have to bow and scrape and stuff?

You don’t understand.  What the gift does is eliminates the wall that separated man from interacting with God.  That’s all.  It’s free.  And it’s for anyone who wants it.  You may now interact with God.  You are still a creature made by Him and still subject to Him.  Or you can choose to go back into rebellion and face the God of perfect Justice.

God Does One Better

God in His infinite wisdom shows a new thing to the universe, not only does He provide a way for man to be able to approach Him again, in John 1:12 we learn – However, he gave the right to become God’s children to everyone who believed in him.

So man can go from being just a creature to being a Child of God.  Sons and Daughters of God.  Heirs of God.

Well how is that done and what does it mean?

We are given the choice again.  Free will.  As it says in Romans 6:16 – Don’t you know that if you choose rebellion, you are the servant of rebellion, and sin, and that means death; or you can choose to be the servant of righteousness?

We call it sanctification.  Also the free gift of God.  The ability to no longer act in rebellion by trusting and relying on God.  Allowing God to bring us back into harmony with Himself.

Romans 6:22-23 – But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruits to holiness, and the result everlasting life.  For the reward of sin is death; but what God freely gives is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

That is the Gospel.  Jesus opened the door for us to approach God.  And not just approach Him, but to be adopted into the family of God, with Jesus being our elder brother.

You have the ability to approach God and interact with Him.  It’s free.  You have it.  Believer and unbeliever alike.  It is the gift of God.

You have the free gift to come back into harmony with God.

Eternal life is also the free gift of God.  For His sons and daughters.  Heirs.

Image via Wikipedia

Heirs of God

What does it mean to be an heir of God?  Obviously God isn’t going to die and we’ll inherit everything so what does it mean?

Romans 8:10-17 explains that we are owe a debt to God as children.  It’s debt we cannot repay.  God is the giver, just as we are indebted to our own physical parents that we cannot repay.  It also explains that we are children of God, not fearful slaves.  The debt is love.  Like loving our parents, and living in such a way as is worthy of being their children.  We call Him Father, we have a relationship, we are no longer property.

And heirs, what does that mean.  What would it mean right now to be an heir of Warren Buffet?  Privilege, power, perks, even though the man himself isn’t dead yet.  Possibly some authority to make decisions.

We will share in the nature of God.  The first gift of that heir-ship being eternal life.

Think about it in terms from medieval history.  An heir shared some of the wealth, some of the power, some of the authority, of the person they were related to, if that person were say a king or a duke or something.  A prince was not the king, but he still wielded incredible power and authority and wealth.

We will share in the nature of God.

The nature of God.

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.  wherefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.  For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,  because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of son-ship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Some who loves their family and treats them with respect and lives a life of dignity worthy of that family…well I don’t call that bowing and scraping.  I can’t imagine why anyone would.

I call it love.