Read Romans 1:1-4; 3:21-26
X. The
Bible is proven to be uniquely the Word of God by its gospel. The word gospel
simply means good news. Any holy book
must bear good news, by which we do not mean simply happy words. We mean: it
must bring satisfaction to the souls of those who read and study it,
satisfaction that comes from answering the basic questions: who am I? why am I
here (on earth, in the universe)? and where am I headed (after I die)?
The typical answer of religion and religious
writings is to acknowledge that we are here because of a Creator, that we are at
odds with this Creator, and that our destiny is not good unless we go through
the proper actions to appease the Creator.
It is simple justice: we sinned; we must pay the price!
The problem with this is that there is never
any assurance. Take the Koran and Islam
for example. In the book Sura it is
clear that man’s peace with God is based on each man’s works (Sura 2:25; 4:57;
36:54; 65:1). The difficulty is that
none of these tell us the level of good works necessary. And any human being who pays attention to his
soul knows that his soul tells him he is at odds with the universe. Guilt
is very real in every human being, telling us it is not just a matter of how we
were raised or some other thing. We have
a real problem. In Islam the most
righteous of people will not have any assurance at the end of his life if he
has, in fact, earned a joyful life
beyond the grave.
On the other hand, consider the gospel of the Bible.
·
It first explains why we feel guilty. Sin is real, and the guilt of our conscience
is a gift from the Creator to lead us to Him.
Blessed is the man who fears God, i.e. who acknowledges he has a need
for reconciliation. The Bible’s
consistent message of the sinfulness of man is not negativity; it is important
truth.
·
The Bible establishes the need for the shedding of
blood for the salvation of man. In fact
it recognizes that the man himself, because he has offended the very God who
gave him life and all things to enjoy, is obligated to pay the price for sin
and that price is the forfeiture of his life.
·
At first that sounds hopeless. But in fact it is the basis for the good news. God has provided an answer that could only
come from Him, the offended Creator.
Beginning with the first sin when God shed the blood of an animal to
provide a covering for the sinful couple, God used animal sacrifice to explain
and anticipate the day when He Himself would come and be the sacrifice for
sin. Because it was a payment made by
the Creator Himself (Jesus was/is the Creator, John 1:1-3 and many other
passages) it was a satisfactory payment.
The Creator was appeased in a
way that is impossible if the man is left to himself.
As we noted this is the story that ties the
Bible together. It is consistent in this
good news, that men cannot earn a right standing with God but that God Himself
must, by His grace, provide salvation as a gift. Thus the only way for a man to be saved has
been and is by faith, faith in the Creator’s provision! Friends, this is good news. It is good news that makes sense. It is good news that works.
Being right with God means you have
acknowledged you are a sinner, in need of salvation; that you desire to turn
from your sin; that you are willing to come to God with an empty hand of faith,
reaching out to receive what He alone offers.
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