Tuesday, August 16, 2005
The Gospel, in a nutshell
gracEmail (GOD'S LOVE EXPERIENCED)
Edward Fudge
Aug 16, 2005
God loved human beings so much that he gave his one-and-only Son to bring our alienated world back to himself (John 3:16). That Son, whom we know as Jesus of Nazareth, also loved us so much that he laid down his life to restore us to healthy relationship with the Father (John 10:17-18). By his life and death, Jesus brought into being an objective reality that did not exist before -- a state of friendship between God and the estranged world. The gospel (which means a "happy announcement") is the good news of this restored relationship between the Creator and his human creatures everywhere. Just as the Father loved us before he gave his Son, the Son restored our friendship with the Father before we heard about it or believed that it was true.
With the gospel announcement comes the promise that all who trust in Jesus will immediately experience the reality of the renewed relationship with God which Jesus has brought into being. Because this seems too simple to be true, Jesus points to God's equally unbelievable promise given long ago to the Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 21). When the venomous complaining of the rebellious people finally wore out God's patience, God punished them with a plague of poisonous snakes. In mercy, God then instructed Moses to mount a brass snake up on a pole, and to promise the people that every snake-bitten person who looked at that brass snake would live. In that same way, promises Jesus, once he has been lifted up on the cross, whoever believes in him will experience life that is out-of-this-world in quality and that will never end (John 3:14-15).
This story of God's incredible promise to the snake-bitten Israelites provides the setting for the familiar words recorded in John 3:16, which is why verse 16 begins with the connecting word "for." The ancient promise points us to the present promise, as each clause in verse 16 drives us to the clause that follows. "FOR God so loved the world, THAT he gave his only begotten Son, THAT whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." God's love resulted in his giving us Jesus. Jesus' "lifting up" resulted in every believer experiencing eternal life.
The alternative to believing is to disbelieve, to deny that God's happy announcement is true, to reject the reality of Jesus as God's Son and of the restored relationship that Jesus has brought about between God and the human world. Just as believers enjoy eternal life, those who persistently reject God's love will finally perish. The ultimate cause of perishing is rejecting God (notice the "because" in verse 18). Although believing in Jesus in response to the good news results in enjoying eternal life, the ultimate cause of eternal life is not our believing, but the inexplicable, unbounded love of God. Those who experience eternal life must give God all the credit. Those who finally perish must themselves take all the blame.
___________________
© 2005 by Edward Fudge. Unlimited permission to copy without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice. For encouragement and spiritual food any time, visit our multimedia website at http://www.edwardfudge.com/.
END
Edward Fudge
Aug 16, 2005
God loved human beings so much that he gave his one-and-only Son to bring our alienated world back to himself (John 3:16). That Son, whom we know as Jesus of Nazareth, also loved us so much that he laid down his life to restore us to healthy relationship with the Father (John 10:17-18). By his life and death, Jesus brought into being an objective reality that did not exist before -- a state of friendship between God and the estranged world. The gospel (which means a "happy announcement") is the good news of this restored relationship between the Creator and his human creatures everywhere. Just as the Father loved us before he gave his Son, the Son restored our friendship with the Father before we heard about it or believed that it was true.
With the gospel announcement comes the promise that all who trust in Jesus will immediately experience the reality of the renewed relationship with God which Jesus has brought into being. Because this seems too simple to be true, Jesus points to God's equally unbelievable promise given long ago to the Israelites in the wilderness (Numbers 21). When the venomous complaining of the rebellious people finally wore out God's patience, God punished them with a plague of poisonous snakes. In mercy, God then instructed Moses to mount a brass snake up on a pole, and to promise the people that every snake-bitten person who looked at that brass snake would live. In that same way, promises Jesus, once he has been lifted up on the cross, whoever believes in him will experience life that is out-of-this-world in quality and that will never end (John 3:14-15).
This story of God's incredible promise to the snake-bitten Israelites provides the setting for the familiar words recorded in John 3:16, which is why verse 16 begins with the connecting word "for." The ancient promise points us to the present promise, as each clause in verse 16 drives us to the clause that follows. "FOR God so loved the world, THAT he gave his only begotten Son, THAT whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." God's love resulted in his giving us Jesus. Jesus' "lifting up" resulted in every believer experiencing eternal life.
The alternative to believing is to disbelieve, to deny that God's happy announcement is true, to reject the reality of Jesus as God's Son and of the restored relationship that Jesus has brought about between God and the human world. Just as believers enjoy eternal life, those who persistently reject God's love will finally perish. The ultimate cause of perishing is rejecting God (notice the "because" in verse 18). Although believing in Jesus in response to the good news results in enjoying eternal life, the ultimate cause of eternal life is not our believing, but the inexplicable, unbounded love of God. Those who experience eternal life must give God all the credit. Those who finally perish must themselves take all the blame.
___________________
© 2005 by Edward Fudge. Unlimited permission to copy without altering text or profiteering is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice. For encouragement and spiritual food any time, visit our multimedia website at http://www.edwardfudge.com/.
END
Comments:
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I like it, I love it, I want some more of it......... No I want all of it. GOOD GOOD GOOD.. NEWS..... not vibrations.
OK that was goofy enough!
OK that was goofy enough!
Are you SURE you are a Dem, ER?
I was raised in the home of a Southern Baptist Minister. My Dad pastored a Church as far back aas I can remember, but he actually was a preacher when he was a little child. I have believed the story of Jesus, as well as all of the other stories from the Bible all of my life.
As a result of the way that I was raised, in my late twenties, I had to consciously decide what I actually do believe, And I believe the Gospel of Jesus whole-heartedly.
I questioned EVERYTHING, and all of my studies brought me back to the truth that God had a plan for humanity, and the Death of Jesus sealed the new covenant between God and Man.
As a result of all of this, I enjoy a personal relationship with God that I cannot explain to anyone else. I give credit to God for the meeting between myself and my wife, Whom I genuinely consider to be a gift to me directly from Him.
I firmly believe that I would have been dead several times by now, if it were not for the intervention of Almighty God. (I have the photos to prove it. Maybe I will post some of them one day...)
I cannot understand why anyone would want to reject God, and deny themselves the joy that is realized by a relationship with Him, But some do. All I can say is, they just don't get it.
This was a great post, ER.
Thank you.
I was raised in the home of a Southern Baptist Minister. My Dad pastored a Church as far back aas I can remember, but he actually was a preacher when he was a little child. I have believed the story of Jesus, as well as all of the other stories from the Bible all of my life.
As a result of the way that I was raised, in my late twenties, I had to consciously decide what I actually do believe, And I believe the Gospel of Jesus whole-heartedly.
I questioned EVERYTHING, and all of my studies brought me back to the truth that God had a plan for humanity, and the Death of Jesus sealed the new covenant between God and Man.
As a result of all of this, I enjoy a personal relationship with God that I cannot explain to anyone else. I give credit to God for the meeting between myself and my wife, Whom I genuinely consider to be a gift to me directly from Him.
I firmly believe that I would have been dead several times by now, if it were not for the intervention of Almighty God. (I have the photos to prove it. Maybe I will post some of them one day...)
I cannot understand why anyone would want to reject God, and deny themselves the joy that is realized by a relationship with Him, But some do. All I can say is, they just don't get it.
This was a great post, ER.
Thank you.
Tugboatcapn, get serious. Surely you cannot possibly mean to imply that Democrats can't also be Christians who fully accept the Gospel and Christ's sacrifice for our redemption.
Trixie, I inferred a good-natured, invisible smiley in Tug's remark. Dems are no more anti-God than Repubs are "God's Own Party." But, judging from the rhetoric alone, someone who really didn't know much might make such an assumption. Mainstream Christian belief has pretty much been squoze out of the discussions among Dems at the national level. Thank God, so to speak, that national-level Dems, for all their heat and meanness, don't mean much here at Life Level. Same goes for the self-righteous righties on the national stage. What matters is what happens, not what is said on a TV show, talk show -- or a boog for that maytter. I don't think they check voter registration cards at the Jesus House (downtown OKC mission).
I'vebeen getting Edward Fudge's gracEmails for years now. They rock. :-)
I'vebeen getting Edward Fudge's gracEmails for years now. They rock. :-)
I will never say that someone is not a christian because they are a Democrat, or vice versa.
That is a personal matter between the individual and God.
I can only speak for myself, and the reason I am conservative is based solely on my Christian upbringing, values, and beliefs.
I have a difficult time keeping my comments secular in nature.
That is a personal matter between the individual and God.
I can only speak for myself, and the reason I am conservative is based solely on my Christian upbringing, values, and beliefs.
I have a difficult time keeping my comments secular in nature.
I love this, from the blogspam:
"The publisher of this newsletter does not represent
that the information contained herein are true and correct."
Then, they're a bunch of lyin' no-good bastages then, aren't they?
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"The publisher of this newsletter does not represent
that the information contained herein are true and correct."
Then, they're a bunch of lyin' no-good bastages then, aren't they?
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