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 fiery serpents in the wilderness got to escape the effects of the serpents’ 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 get rid of the snake sting that is the sin nature inherited from Adam or 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 fiery serpents 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 3:14-17) with 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 and what we must do so that we do not “perish but have everlasting life":

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. No jewellery. No MCU movies and the like. 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 word and His 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.

Well meaning as these Endless Commandments seem, doing them cannot help anyone. Trying to keep them by human effort (arm of flesh) is an effort in futility that only causes the doer of the law (not the word) to see how sinful he is. See Romans 3:20-

“For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.”

Law and salvation by Grace through faith cannot mix. All who follow this approach get to be cut off from Christ- Galatians 5:4-

“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 way from God's grace.”

Due to false doctrines, 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 those cosmetic recommendations is as useless as the Israelites that were bitten by snakes applying iodine and plaster to their wounds or 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."

Running around trying to keep the law in order to be godly/whole has the same effect as the Israelites that were bitten by snakes rushing of to do good things and depending on their good behaviour to make them whole/have life. To try to obey the law in order to be right with God/godly, one must take his eyes off the bronze serpent: a picture of Jesus Christ. This is the effect of doing so-

“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.

The snake sting aka Sin gets more power when one tries to obey the law in order to be godly - 

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

But many preach this verse in reverse.

All of mankind have sinned. In Christ alone do we stand justified and have freedom from sin. 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. Or that Judas could not wait to splurge on a new horse with his betrayal money….until people saw his lifeless body hanging. Most sinners are depressed and even suicidal because of their imperfections. But self-righteous hypocrites think that they are the only ones who want to be good and that everybody else is just itching to commit/wallow in sins.

Beloved of God, this is the truth of how acts of sin are committed and it is no coincidence that both reasons are found in events thar happened during the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ—-

— 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 suicidal thoughts and 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 of perfection - no different from what happened to Judas who was full of remorse and blamed himself for his sin. 

The word “sin" is derived from the Greek word “Hamartia" which means to “miss the mark/target.” All have sinned. All have missed the mark. Anyone trying to hit the mark (be righteous even by a tiny bit) by himself is under law, whether he goes to church or not. Like the law of gravity which does not require you to believe that it exists before it impacts your life, the law of sin and death which governs ALL who depend on themselves (not Christ) to be called “good” (be like God) does not require belief in God to impact the lives of those who are under it. 

The law (the only weapon in the arsenal of Satan the Accuser/prosecutor at law) condemns the best of those who try to keep its demands and its penalty for sin is death preceded by all kinds of earthly ills— poverty, disease, stupid mistakes, depression, etc. This is why the world keeps on wondering why bad things happen to “good” people who seem to be checking all the boxes of what it means to be a good person. In this court of the law of sin and death which governs the world, anyone who does not have Christ as his Advocate, Bearer of sins and his Righteousness is open to being shot by Satan’s fiery darts of accusation and already stands condemned. HaSatan is literally “prosecutor at law” in Hebrew. Christ says —

“There is none good but God.” 

The only way to be free from the law of sin and death and be acquitted from its legal demands for punishment is by trusting in Christ ALONE as our Righteousness and stopping our silly efforts to obey the law in order to be right with God—

"26...for He himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

But we were talking about why people 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. Beware of religious people, even pastors who respond to God's saving Grace with questions such as:

“So because we are under Grace and the righteousness of God covers us, we should continue to commit sin as we like?”

How on earth can you have and utterly depend on Christ as your Saviour from sins and still continue to wallow in sins and be lacking in good deeds? Such pastors who try to deride Grace as license to sin only expose their unbelief in Christ as Saviour and their cluelessness about the message of Christ which is Grace and Grace alone. They also pridefully challenge Christ who says “There is none good but God” by claiming to have some good in themselves to not commit sin, not realising that the only reason why they are not consumed by sins and calamity is found in 1 Corinthians 10–

12 "So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall. 13 We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously."

But like Peter before his denials, many are yet to realise the above and think they are standing as a result of their high moral values and their determination to be good; beloved, that trust in self for being or doing good is the Bible’s definition of foolishness. See this definition in Galatians 3:1-5– it shows us that “foolishness” according to God’s word is beginning in Christ and then trying to be made perfect by human effort. For their efforts, those who do so become angry and begin to fret against the Father like the older brother of the prodigal son. Proverbs 19 talks about the effect of this foolishness— 

“The foolishness of man subverts his way [ruins his affairs]; then his heart is resentful and frets against the Lord.” Proverbs‬ ‭19:3‬ ‭

Beloved, let’s leave such “foolish” ground. It is what makes people ask questions such as—

“Why did God allow this to happen?” or “Why do bad things happen to good people?” 

Such questions justify man and subtly imply that God is unjust, beloved. Sometimes we even attribute to “God’s will” some terrible issues of life when we see from John 3:16 that He gave heaven’s best so that we should not perish but have eternal life— it is not God’s will for evil to befall man, beloved. Plus, eternal life does not begin when people die and go to heaven. It is simply the kind of life that God lives. It begins here on earth— Christ says in John 5:24–

“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.” John‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭

Notice “has” (possesses now) and not “will have when one dies and goes to heaven.” And this eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord is a GIFT of Grace- Christ Himself, not earned. People perish for trying to earn even a bit of it by their own obedience. People perish for lack of the knowledge of Christ— striving for godliness by human effort after God in His love gave us His own Son to make us godly and to free us from the clutches of the law of sin and death. 

Saviour from sins is Christ's key job description, beloved. 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 by their own strength as Eve was deceived into believing. 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: Righteousness by Faith. The gospel of the Grace (undeserved, unearned, unmerited favour) of God.

When your believing is right, right living will follow.