Foundations Week 2 Good News

Last week, we looked at the bad news, and found out that we are sinners; we have all broken God’s law, and will be punished. We are under the death penalty as a result of our sin! We learned that we must admit our sins, turn from our wicked ways, and repent if we are to have any hope of being saved from perishing.

But the sins we have already done remain. They must be paid for, as well! “And no matter how good we are from now on, no matter how religious we are, nothing we do can erase the sins we have already committed.”1 They must be paid for, and the only thing that pays for sin is death. (The wages of sin is death, for Ezekiel 18:4 says, “…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”)

The good news of the gospel is that God sent a Savior to die in our place and rescue us from the punishment we deserve. Read John 3:16. What did God do? _______________________________________________________________________

God, in His great compassion, saw how hopeless we were to save ourselves. He saw our condition, had pity on us, and out of His great love and mercy, sent His Son to pay for our sins and to die in our place!

According to Acts 16:30-31, what must we do to be saved? ________________________________________________________________________

What exactly does it mean to “believe ”
or “have faith” in the Lord Jesus?

New Testament belief has three components: 1) Knowledge, 2) Understanding, and 3) Confession of Faith or Swearing of Allegiance.

1) KNOWLEDGE. 2 Timothy 1: 12 says, “…for I know whom I have believed…” First, we must know Whom we are to believe in, for it is impossible to have faith in and loyalty to someone you know nothing about!

Read Matthew 1:23. What does Jesus’ being called “Emmanuel” at His birth mean? _______________________________________________________________________

Read John 1:1-3 and John 1:14 (Keep in mind that “The Word” in these passages refers to Jesus.) Who does the Bible say Jesus is? _______________________________________________________________________

What does the Bible say Jesus did? _______________________________________________________________________

Do you see that the Bible proclaims that Jesus is God Himself? And that God Himself came to earth as Jesus? The Bible tells us that Jesus is not only God’s Son, but that Jesus is also God Himself. This is very hard to understand. Throughout Christian history, scholars have grappled with how this could be so. The fact is that the concept does not make sense in human terms. That reality is part of the mystery of Jesus. God came to earth, as Jesus, so that we would not have to perish! This is Whom we are to believe in!

2) UNDERSTANDING. Secondly, we must understand what Jesus (God Himself!) did for us. This includes understanding that we have sinned against a Holy God, that we deserve to die, and that He died in our place. New birth and the entering of the Spirit IS instantaneous, but the drawing of the Father is a process. And because the drawing is a process, full comprehension will probably take some time for most people.

When we are sinners, we are enemies of God. James 4:4 says, “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Essentially, we are at war with God. Our great need is to make peace with Him. Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death.” This means that to restore peace, God’s terms require the death penalty as payment for our rebellion against Him. But God loved us and had mercy upon us. While we were yet in our sin and rebellion, He made payment in the death of Jesus and provided a way for sinners to make peace and have a restored relationship with Him.

Jesus paid the price for us. My sins and your sins were laid on Jesus on the cross, where He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He did it all! He paid it all!…

I Corinthians 15:3-4 also tells us “…how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” And Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus “washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Because He shed His blood to pay for our sins, we can be washed clean!

Jesus’ death has made it possible for us to make our peace with God. But as the Holy Spirit brings us to an understanding of this great truth, God requires one thing of us: to respond to Him in love because of all He has done for us. God's foremost commandment has always been “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength…”(Mark 12:13), and love for Him remains His foremost requirement.

Read Deuteronomy 10:19. What does God require of us? __________________________________________________________________________

Read 2 Corinthians 5:15. What does this verse tell us we must do? __________________________________________________________________________

God’s requirement is not complicated, but simple. He only wants one thing. God wants our love in return for all He has done! God wants our hearts – He has always wanted our hearts! He reaches out to us in love, and He desires that we respond in love, not out of obligation. God does expects obedience, as most people think. But merely obeying Him by going through the motions will not do! What matters to God is that we obey Him from our hearts – because we love Him and want to please Him!

God’s terms are SIMPLE, but not EASY. For we must abandon the idols that our hearts hold dear...repent and turn from those things we have loved but that are not pleasing to the One who must reign supreme in our hearts. Whatever, whoever, we love more than Him must give place to our Lord who has loved us with an everlasting love. This is the baulking point for most people…"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

3) CONFESSION OF FAITH. “Faith” actually means “loyal love,” and “to be faithful” “implies unswerving adherence to a person or thing or to an oath or promise” (Merriam-Webster). Once the Holy Spirit has shown a person Who Jesus is, convicted them of their sins, and brought them to an understanding of what our Savior did, that person is at a crucial point. Do they love God enough to turn from their former ways and enter into covenant with Him, pledging love and allegiance to Him? Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” The word “confess” means “to agree to the terms of peace, to promise, or to covenant.” Our confession is our agreement to God’s terms. CONFESSION OF FAITH is a pledge of loyalty or swearing of allegiance (a solemn oath before the living God!).

Our Confession of Faith is a promise to love and be faithful to God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength. It is a swearing of allegiance, a solemn oath before the living God. Much like a marriage vow, Confession of Faith is a promise to forsake all other gods and to love and be faithful to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It must not be entered into lightly, but with full knowledge and understanding of Who God is and what His promises and requirements are.

These three components – Knowledge, Understanding, and Confession of Faith – together comprise the New Testament teaching of what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. And Jesus said in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

TO SUM UP WEEKS ONE AND TWO:

1. We have all sinned, and grossly offended God.

                2. He is righteous in judging me. I deserve the
                     punishment for my sins, which is death. I
                     deserve to die, just as a murderer
                     deserves his punishment.

               3. In God’s great mercy, He loved us so much that He
                    sent His Son to take our punishment and die in
                    our place.

4. He did it all. My part is to respond to Him in
love.

               5. When I repent and pledge my love and faithfulness
                    to God, I am born again. Jesus becomes Lord over
                    my life. He paid it ALL, and I owe Him my all. I
                    give my life to Him, to love and serve Him. 2

                                                                                          *All emphasis mine.
                                               Copyright ©2005 by Mae Shurow
                                                       Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution
                                                              provided proper citation of authorship is included.
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1) Ray Comfort. (n.d.) Evangelism Tract. God loves you..
2) John Franklin. (2001). Pastoral Prayer Ministries, Lifeway. Nashville, TN Personal
   communication.