Today I’m kicking off a series of messages on the gospel of Jesus.  When we talk about the gospel, the good news of God in Jesus Christ, there is a simple message – We’re sinners.  The right judgment for sin is eternal punishment and separation from God.  In love, God sent His only Son Jesus to die in our place for our sins.  Jesus rose again from the dead, triumphing over sin and death, and everyone who places their hope and trust in Christ alone for salvation, will be saved.

This is no other way to be reconciled to God, except through faith in Jesus Christ.  So I hope in your heart, you are trusting in Him and believe the gospel above.  The gospel above is the tree of life, bearing fruit for all who believe, yet it does not answer every question that is implied within the gospel, and my hope is the next few messages will build out a more robust view of the gospel, that it will edify your love for Jesus and the gospel, and strengthen your faith.

Genesis 1:26-27 – “God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Why are we accountable to God?  Who is He, that we have to answer to him for our morality or anything?  Our accountability to God stems from His being our Creator.  Now, in our post-modern society where any idea that self, or independence must be shunned is horrific, this fundamental truth is where we must begin.  Life is not about you.  It is about God.

In speaking about God, Colossians 1:16 says – “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

We were created in the image of God, for the purpose of being God’s image bearers to reflect His glory and goodness, and live in perfect relationship with Him.  If you want to know the answer to the question “what is the meaning of life?”, there it is.

Instead of living out this perfect harmony of relationship with God, man (Adam and Eve)chose to ignore the commandment of God in the Garden of Eden, eat what they were told not to, and thus man sinned against God.  (Genesis 3) The first sin of man was to directly reject God’s authority over their lives, and that same sin is present in all people.  In the same passage as man’s sin, God provides hope to man.  He preaches the first gospel, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

Though man was accountable to God as their Creator, and had sinned against Him.  God foretold the coming of Christ, the offspring of man, who would endure the wrath of God for sin against Him in a horrible death, but would be victorious over sin and satan evidenced in the resurrection.

Before someone can come to God, He must bring them to an end of themselves.  The gospel of Jesus is not merely a means to avoid hell, but it is a redeeming and righting of the sin of Adam – that we put down the banners of self, and take up the banner of adopted sons and daughters of our Creator and King.

Grace and Peace,

Adam