+ The Bad News

Maybe you’ve heard it said, “I’ve got bad news and I’ve got good news. Which one do you want to hear first?” When it comes to Christianity, you need to hear the bad news first. If we don’t understand the bad news, we won’t even begin to appreciate the good news. So what’s this bad news?

Before we get into the specifics of the bad news, We’d like you to think about bad news that you are already aware of. Wars, famine, corrupt governments, violence, sexual exploitation. We don’t have to look far to find things that we would consider “bad”. But what makes them bad in the first place?

The Bible teaches that these things are all in a category called “sin”. Sin is an archery term that refers to the distance between the bull’s eye and the place where your arrow hit (or rather missed!) the target. It literally means “missing the mark”. All these bad things in the world are manifestations of sin and are a result of missing the target.

So what is this target? The target is God himself. God exemplifies this perfect standard (known as holiness) in both his character and his commands. Most human beings walk around with a sense that things like lying, murdering, and exploitation are wrong (i.e. failing to meet a standard), but we rarely reflect on why we think that. The reason we have this sense of a standard is because we have been created by a God who tells the truth, values life, and gives sacrificially. We were created by him to reflect these characteristics (among others) which the Bible describes as being created in God’s image (see Genesis 1:26,27)

So why is missing the mark or sin such bad news? The reason is because sin has consequences. Again, most of us understand this concept. When we “do the crime, we have to do the time.” This is an unimaginable tragedy when it comes to sin because there is no way to serve enough time to “pay your debt” to an infinitely holy God. This results in a predicament of cosmic proportions leaving all humans worthy of eternal punishment.

The Bible sums this predicament up in the first part of Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death”

The wages or earnings that every human being deserves for their sin is death. This includes physical death, but also an eternal death known as hell. Some people make light of hell or dismiss it completely, but the Bible teaches that it is a real place and is reserved for sinners who are justly condemned to live out an eternal existence there separated from God who is the source of all that is good. The Apostle Paul gives a brief description of the essence of hell in 2 Thessalonians 1:9:

”They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,”

All of this is VERY bad news. Worse than a war or a famine or anything we could think of on this planet. Because human beings are sinners, they are separated from God and are doomed to spend an eternity apart from him.

Which is why we need The Good News!

+ The Good News

The other half of the Christian message is some VERY Good News known as the “gospel” which literally means good news. This good news is about Jesus - who Jesus is and what he has done.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Divine Son of God. He is God and he is the Son of God. That’s his person. He was sent by God the Father to save us from our sin. That’s his work. This combination of who Jesus is and what he has done is the central message of the Christian Faith. His person AND work must be believed upon in order to be saved or rescued from our sin. This is the second part of Romans 6:23 that was mentioned earlier. Look at the verse in its entirety:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Consider what the second half of this verse is saying. There is a free gift of eternal life being given to those who are under the condemnation of eternal death because of their sin. This life is a FREE GIFT from God (that’s God the Father) who is making this possible through “Christ, Jesus, our Lord”. These names being given to Jesus are significant. He is Christ which means he is King over all things. He is Jesus which means that he is a Savior from sin. He is Lord which means he is God.

The writer of the New Testament book of Romans (The Apostle Paul) is using the word picture of gift to illustrate what one does when they “believe” in Jesus’ person and work. The way that one receives a gift is similar to how one receives what Jesus did for them. They merely receive it. They don’t try to pay for it or work for it. It is a gift. It’s a gift because we could never afford it or work our way into a state of deservedness. If salvation from sin is ever going to happen, it has to be given by God freely and received humbly by us. (see John 1:12,13 & John 6:28,29 & Ephesians 2:8,9)

+ The Response

So how do does one respond to this good news? Here are some questions to help you discern where you are in the process of becoming a Christian:

Do I believe that these Christian truth claims that are recorded in the Bible are true?

If you don’t believe that the Bible is true in its depiction of Jesus’ person and work then you are just beginning your journey toward becoming a Christian. We would recommend that you start by reading the Bible, especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These books of the Bible are known as the Gospels and are specifically focused on who Jesus is and what he has done. We would also encourage you to reach out and request a meet-up with one of our staff team to talk more about what kinds of obstacles are preventing you from believing in what the Bible says about Jesus. We also recommend the book, “Why Trust the Bible” by Greg Gilbert that we’d be happy to send you a copy of. You can request a meet-up with a staff member or copy of this book by emailing our office at contact@mercyhouse365.org.

Do I believe that I need the saving that Jesus has provided for me at the cross?

Once you come to the conclusion that you do believe intellectually what the Bible is teaching about Jesus, you need to decide whether you personally believe that you are a sinner and in need of salvation from Jesus. It’s one thing to think that the world is full of bad stuff and in need of saving. It’s a whole other thing to believe that you yourself are a sinner and in need of a Savior. If you don’t see this need, then we would recommend reading the book of 1 John to better understand God’s standard for holiness and our need for saving from our sin. In addition to your study of the Bible, we would recommend the book “The Gospel” and “Who is Jesus” by Greg Gilbert that we’d be happy to send you a copy of. You can request a copy by emailing our office at contact@mercyhouse365.org.

Am I willing to turn from my sin and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and new life?

Once you are willing to be honest about your sin and need for a Savior, you now need to turn from that sin and turn toward Jesus for forgiveness of that sin. The Bible is clear that those who have truly received the free gift of forgiveness will also repent from their sins and submit to Jesus as their King (see Acts 2:37,38 & Luke 9:18-24). This doesn’t mean that you’ll never sin again, but it does mean that God has placed a new desire in you to grow in holiness in order to emulate the character of your God who has created you and saved you from your sin. If this is you, we encourage you to turn to God right now in prayer and ask him to save you. Here’s a suggested prayer that can help guide you in this very important step of faith:

Father, I believe that you love me and that you sent your Son to die for my sin. I confess to you that I have sinned against you and others and am worthy of eternal punishment for my sin. I also confess that I need your Son’s death that he died for me on the cross so my sin could be paid for in full. I receive this gift now by faith and turn from my old life of living independently from you. I now seek to respond to this great gift of salvation by following you with all of my body, mind, and soul. Thank you for this wondrous gift of new life now and forever more.

If you prayed that prayer today, we would love to help you take your first steps as a new Christian. Our church is dedicated to assisting you in learning what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Please reach out and let us know by filling out the form below!