What is the TRUE Gospel?

Please check out this link to “What is the TRUE Gospel?” at a friends blog. He says it all very well.

I suggest reading it several times. At least I did. Thinking I might know how to articulate the gospel myself, off the top of my head, I skimmed through it the first time or two. But in slowing down, trying to read it as though hearing it for the first time, or having no expectations as to what He was going to say, (stopping to smell the good news roses), I was increasingly blessed with the depth of the truth, the reality of the gift that has been given us in Christ.

Jesus is the Christ, the good news, the good news of the Kingdom, the good news of Grace, the good news of Hope, the good news of Peace, the good news of Mercy, the good news of Freedom, the good news of Love, He is the full Gospel, and He in us and we in Him.

Does it get any better than this? Apparently it does…

(1Cor 2:9) But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Amen

 

What if ….

What if the gospel (the good news) didn’t depend on our choosing to “accept Jesus as our personal saviour” in order to receive eternal life?

What if everyone will ultimately receive eternal life, but some just don’t know it… yet?

What if we didn’t have to “do” anything in our own strength and ability to keep our eternal life?

What if we didn’t feel obligated to go to church to prove we know and love God or gain His approval?

What if we could exchange our sinfulness, for a life that doesn’t sin, right now?

What if we could totally rely on the power of God to make us perfect, during our life on earth?

What if God, who is all knowing, could teach us all He knows… on a need-to-know basis?

What if His Spirit was with us, and in us, 100% of the time no matter what we did, even if we sinned?

What if God never sent anyone to eternal damnation in hellfire?

What if God loved everyone and made sure no one would be eternally lost?

What if we could overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, just like Jesus did?

What if, as the Holy Spirit transformed us to be more like Christ, we could forgive everyone and everything?

What if we didn’t feel obligated to read and memorize the scriptures in order to know God?

What if we didn’t feel guilty because we weren’t on our knees everyday for an hour or more in prayer?

What if we could actually trust God to keep us and love us unconditionally?

What if the Good News was Good News for EVERYONE, sinner and saint?

Wouldn’t it be ideal if this were possible? Practically heaven, (short of the golden harps, wedding cake and the smell of our friends and family burning in hell while we rejoice now that we are Christ-like and have unconditional, agape love)!

Seriously though, each and every one of these statements is possible. Not just possible, but in fact true. God is great. REALLY, REALLY GREAT! He really does have it all in His hands. He really is in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, He really will draw all men to Himself, He really can be trusted, He really does keep us, the Holy Spirit really does lead us into all truth, He really has overcome the enemy.

Some people believe the good news, some don’t. It would be all the more wonderful if more Christians did though, don’t you think?

 

The Truth

Jesus Christ, said He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. As Christians, do we believe He is the Truth or not?

Or do we look around the world and perceive the things and experiences of this world (which we are not to be of) as presenting to us truth? The Life of Christ is above all things in this earth and this world. His truth is also above (greater than) the truth`s we learn in this world.

There are absolutes/laws, such as gravity, in the world and also spiritual laws and absolutes. Things of God and the Spirit that can not be changed no matter our perspective or experience. They simply are. (He is the same yesterday, today and always). But Christ as our Truth is an absolute that rises above all other `truths` (ie:true-isms).

If we call truth whatever someone believes or thinks, then that alone will cause division. I don’t consider what someone else holds to be truth as THE TRUTH. What they believe is a true-ism. So I don’t let it get in the way of a friendship or fellowship. We all have true-isms. If we make the mistake of building any part of our lives around a true-ism we begin to separate ourselves from others.

The Truth that Jesus said He is, is from the tree of Life, not the tree of knowledge of good and evil. So I know that when I am struggling to understand something as good or bad (an experience, a philosophy, or a doctrine, etc) ultimately my decision is still a fruit of the wrong tree, death.

So I seek to know (what only the Holy Spirit can teach) what is greater than good or bad, and is Life instead. Just like Love covers a multitude of sins. We can debate the sin but it still isn’t Love. We need to rise higher.

I am open to hearing what others have to say about truth, but in the context of Christ. (ie: Don’t try to tell me the truth you know is the world is flat, because I know it isn’t.) Truth is not arbitrary. We can not decide what truth is. It already IS, we just need to know it (Him).

The Truth, that is Christ, will ALWAYS set us free, to be who we are and to love others, regardless of our differences.

Wouldn’t you agree?