What is the Good News?

Hear the Good News about Christ from Christ Himself. He says in John 3:14-17:

"14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

Christ says we get to not perish but have everlasting life (we are saved from sin and death, including death in hell) the same way that the Israelites who sinned and were bitten by snakes in the wilderness got to escape the effects of the snake sting (sins, sickness, lack, all earthly ills) and the death that followed.

We are saved by looking expectantly at Christ lifted up for our salvation from sin and death and not by rushing up and down looking for how to cure symptoms of snakebite(acts of sin that lead to earthly ills and death.)

Just imagine what would have happened if the Israelites had tried to save themselves by rushing off to confess sins, offer sin offerings to God, promised to be more obedient and so on. The snake sting within would have had time to spread and wreak more havoc in their bodies- human effort at obedience or human striving towards attaining godliness aka law-keeping only gives sin dominion (Romans 6:14) and brings death too. The letter (law) kills but the Spirit gives life, and with the Spirit of the Lord, it is neither by (human) power nor might.

So, as Christians, we share the Good News about Christ (John 3:16) to our non-believing friends. You can imagine their surprise when they follow us to church/listen to sermons online and hear something totally different from our original pitch of "Jesus saves." Pastor gets everyone started with "God is good" and then proceeds to unfold a list of rules and regulations containing what God is against:

Don't lie. Don't steal. Don't covet. Don't fornicate. Don't be a debtor. Don't waste food. Don't wear wig. Don't eat Èwà Àgòyìn (a Nigerian delicacy) because it is idol food and those who do are cursed (meanwhile, some people had it for breakfast that same day!) Don't carve your beard. Don't. Don't. Don't do a milion and one things so that you will "not perish but have everlasting life."

Where does Christ's work in John 3:16 fit into all of this? This false doctrine is nothing but a watered-down version of Judaism (part-Law) with a bit of Jesus Christ (part-Grace) Who is found only in the "in Jesus' name" at the end of each prayer point aka "neither cold nor hot." Christ's true position as "Saviour from sins" is reduced to a footnote in the sermons of such false doctrine preachers.

The poor sheep are already weakened by the yoke of the law that they are trying to keep and are being crushed by the burden of their guilt. They go to church looking for the Way out of sin but instead receive an additional load of rules and regulations to be kept in order to “not perish but have everlasting life.” They are told to go and figure out how to extricate themselves from their sins and be godly by their own power (obey the law) or else the wrath of God beckons. Believer, this is not the Good News. Following these cosmetic recommendations is as useless as the Israelites that were bitten by snakes looking to themselves for salvation from the sting of death (root of sin) and its deathly effects (acts of sin that lead to death.) 1 Corinthians 15:56 says:

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."

All of mankind have sinned. In Christ alone do we stand justified and have freedom from our sins. To think that all sinners enjoy their sins and don't want to give them up is akin to thinking that Peter enjoyed denying Jesus and could not wait for another opportunity to deny Jesus. But hypocrites think that they are the only ones who want to be good.

Beloved of God, this is the truth of how acts of sin are committed: Many people are like Peter- beginning with good intentions and failing; never thinking that they could do what they did and afterwards, feeling great remorse.

Others are like Judas whom "Satan entered." See Luke 22-

“3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.”

When the scales of Satan's grip and deceit falls from the eyes of many (whether through their being caught in the act or via their conscience,) they realise their sin, are remorseful and want to make things right. Many churchgoers fall into this category. The worst thing that any pastor can do is tell such to go and try to stop sinning or do anything at all by human effort in order to rectify themselves before God aka be godly. The arm of flesh will fail. The result is always the same as it was with Judas who looked to himself to make things right- depression followed by death.

What do we think is the major cause of depression and suicide even among unbelievers? It is guilt for sins, fear, anxiety, hopelessness and sorrow in the heart for sins aka not measuring up to particular standards - no different from what happened to Judas who was full of remorse and blamed himself for his sin.

No matter how it got to go astray, whether like Peter or like Judas, what the lost sheep who are living under accusation and the guilt of sins need is not more dos and don'ts aka the Law that kills but super(hyper)-abounding Grace: Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd who saves from sins. Beloved of God, Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him:

"God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone."

Verse 14 of the same Titus 2 says: "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

Also Matthew 1:21 says of Him: "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Beloved of God, this is what Christ came to do- to save us from our sins and cause us to live right. Even those sins that you struggle with and the ones in Revelation 21:8 which some "men of God" threaten the flock with hell for-

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Because He loves you and I so, God sent His only begotten Son to save us from even the vilest sins and the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; to cause us to "not perish but have everlasting life." No amount of human striving at curbing sins or doing anything can make a person godly or whole, just as it was with the Israelites that were bitten by snakes in the wilderness. If we are not committing particular sins, it is not because we are good by ourselves but because God did not allow us to get tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10:12-13.) Christ says - "There is none good but God."

The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how favourable circumstances make many boast that “I can never do that,” like Peter before he fell flat on his face…three times.

Telling the flock to go and depend on their own will-power/human effort in order to stop sinning and be good (be like God) is pointless. It is the same false doctrine that Satan preached to Eve in Eden: dependence on will-power/human effort at attaining godliness (be like God.) Sin and death reign over all who try.

Beloved of God, try to save yourself from your sins and be godly (be like God) with your puny attempts at obeying the Law as antichrist pastors teach and sin will have dominion-

"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under Law but under Grace." Romans 6:14.

But see how our heavenly Father in Christ sees all who, like the believing Israelites in the wilderness, trust wholly in Christ and what He has done to make us righteous in His sight (having no self-confidence in what we can do aka obeying the law to be righteous or to escape God's wrath):

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God." Romans 5:9.

Beloved of God, come to Christ believing, with your baggage of sins and addictions having absolutely no confidence in your own ability to live a godly life (be like God,)and He will free you from them all and cause you to live right.

Christ Himself says in John 15:5- “I am the sprouting vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless.”

We bear "much fruit" by utterly trusting in and depending on Christ, putting no confidence in our own human effort to live right or bear fruit (do good works.) But many branches (churchgoers) are trying to bear fruit by their own will-power (trying to obey the Law) in order to get the Vine Dresser (our heavenly Father in Christ) to bless them with the same fruit that they are struggling to produce by their own will-power. This is the sure way to get separated from Christ the True Vine-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the Law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's Grace." Galatians 5:4.

Being in Christ and not having works of faith to show for it is as impossible as jumping into the sea naked without getting wet. At different times, people have tried to give me credit for being a dedicated Christian, generous, a good parent or for being a hardworking employee and even tried to say that this is why God blesses me. But I know who I am of myself and apart from Christ in me- I am the worst of sinners! These fruits are evidences of salvation in Christ, not conditions. I would be wallowing in sins and utterly lacking in good deeds were it not for the Grace of God (undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour) - Christ Himself- working in me. God's goodness comes first. Then repentance (changing your mind about God.)

I cannot number the benefits that the Lord loads me with daily but by Grace and only by Grace, far be it from me to chalk His many benefits in my life down to money that I gave to the needy, my witnessing for Him, my (non-existent) self-effort at being a good person or my good deeds. None of these things would I be able to do by my own human effort (arm of flesh.)

Beloved of God, this is the way of the Lord: He works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13) and then He rewards us for the good deeds that He Himself gave us the desire to do and which He did in, through and for us. He makes us strong and able to do exploits. We see by Grace that of ourselves, our will-power to live right is utterly useless and that there is no good whatsoever in us as was Paul's experience in Romans 7:18.

“For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it."

Christ is our good. In Him, having Him wholly as our Righteousness and Strength, God sees us as righteous, "even though we are guilty of many sins." Romans 5:16-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins."

This is the Good News about Christ: Grace- undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour.

The self-righteous who still trust in their arm of flesh that will fail to get godly traits say He (Grace-Christ Himself) is blasphemy and "license to sin." Such push churchgoers to keep striving to deliver themselves from the snake sting that is sin and its effects; to be like God. But beloved of God, God's word says differently! His word says all who receive His abundance of Grace and His gift of Righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through Christ-

"And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:16-17.

This is the Good News: The gospel of the Grace (undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour) of God.