the gospel

What is the gospel? The gospel, the ‘good news’, is this…

In a world such as ours, full of people such as us – talented, beautiful, full of potential, and yet apart from our Creator, ultimately, broken, restless, self-absorbed, and lost – God took it upon himself to join in creation and put everything back to right. At a moment in time, God, full of love, looked upon the world and all that’s gone wrong, and instead of simply giving us instructions for how to do better, or how to merely improve our situation, our Creator did the unimaginable... God in Christ left heaven and entered into the middle of our brokenness - our pain, our frailty, our shame, our guilt, our regret, our sickness, our selfishness, our sin, and even death itself. God became mortal, and gave his life to rescue us. At a moment in time, Jesus hanging on a Roman cross, not only bore the pain of all our sin, but even received sin's penalty of death in his own humanity. Jesus, the sinless one, bore our sin and died.

On a Friday evening, nearly 2000 years ago, JESUS DIED FOR US.

Jesus, the One who knew nothing but love, freely suffered a loveless death, as he took into his own body the anguish of our pain, our frailty, our shame, our guilt, our regret, our sickness, our selfishness, our sin, and even death itself. And he did it for the glory of His Father and the good of us all. He died so that the world might know the life and the love of God that Jesus, from the outset of eternity, had always known.

However... His death was only just the start.

Three days later, JESUS ROSE BACK TO LIFE.

The Faithful One, the man who lived the life to which we have all only aspired, who died the death which God’s holy law inevitably required, did what we could not. Where humanity had previously failed, God in Christ - humanity's advocate - overcame the world for us. In faithful and fully living out God's vision for human life, Jesus ‘fulfilled all righteousness.’

Which means…  He not only suffered death for our sin, but he conquered it as well!

Stepping out of the tomb, JESUS TRIUMPHED OVER EVIL.

Having disarmed the enemy, Jesus left death and the devil to choke on dust, as he rose from the grave totally victorious. Which is really good news! And yet, it gets even better than that. Because in the wake of God’s victory, something else also began to happen… In the wake of death’s defeat, a new age began: the age of resurrection life! When Jesus exited the grave, the same Spirit who was at work then began to be ‘poured out.’ Like a tsunami of new life, the Holy Spirit came and began to flood hearts, and a new, beautiful kind of God-infused life began to go viral. A joyful life! A hope-filled life! A light-shining-out-of-darkness-life! The kind of life that announces to a world such as ours, full of people such as us: Heaven’s kingdom is beginning to break out!!! Now, for nearly 2000 years, wherever Jesus’ disciples have ventured, signs of His presence – in healing, generosity, mercy, freedom, joy, justice, rest, faith, hope, love and more – have followed! And like light peaking through the cracks from the inside of an old brittle bottle, the Spirit of God has continued to break out in and through the lives of every one of His bold and beloved followers. 

Because… JESUS HAS INVITED EACH ONE OF US TO GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED. 

Which brings us (perhaps) to the best part of all… The good news is that Jesus has not only died and vanquished evil for us all... And it's not only that He’s even invited us to partner with him in his great vision to redeem the world. The good news is that God has done all that, AND that he's done it in a way that we might experience it - new life - as his adopted sons and daughters. Not as employees, mercenaries, or some kind of paid professionals, but as family members, co-heirs, brothers and sisters, full-fledged members of the family of God! Ultimately, this is what it all builds up to – God’s love, our plight, and Jesus’ great rescue mission – our inclusion in God’s family is the height of God’s redemption story.

Because… God joined creation to restore all things THROUGH HIS FAMILY!

Imagine the implications! Jesus described it like this: While we were far-gone, lost, covered in filth, and still trying to figure out some way to make it all work out, the Creator of the universe left home to come and find us. Then one day, somehow, we finally come to our senses and admit that we’re lost, and that out there someplace there’s a home and a family that’s always been waiting for us. And so, with all the humility we can muster, we get up and turn around. Still covered in a lifetime of sin, we begin the long journey home. But then... All of sudden, to our utter astonishment, having barely even taken a single step forward, there in the distance, we see our Heavenly Father.  And we see that He’s not just waiting around - He’s running straight for us! With arms open and tears of joy filling His eyes, He embraces us, kisses us, takes our old worn out rags, and puts His own clean clothes on us. But then what happens next is truly unfathomable. As every angel in heaven holds their breath, the King of the universe gently takes our hand in his, and puts on our finger the royal family insignia, the ring that means we belong. And then He declares for all of the cosmos to hear, ‘My child... You're alive again! You're home! Let the celebration begin!!!’ And all of heaven erupts with joy!

 Such love! Such grace! Such passion! Such mercy! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL GOD!

 That is the gospel.