Mystery: Embracing the Truth of the GospelSample

God created people so we could enjoy intimate fellowship with Him and glorify Him (give Him the praise and recognition He deserves for being Who He is), but we messed things up. Through Adam and Eve, sin entered the world. Sin became a part of our spiritual DNA and separated us from God, not because He wanted it that way, but because God is holy and cannot be around anything unholy. On the contrary, true to His nature, God loved us and did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Seeing that we were helpless to cross the huge chasm created by sin, God sent His Son, Jesus, to become the bridge we could cross back into right relationship with Him. Fully man and fully God, Jesus lived the same life we live and was tempted in every way but never sinned. Because Jesus never sinned, His relationship with God was never broken, and His blood was free to pay the penalty we owed for our sin. Jesus’ death and resurrection made forgiveness and eternal life available to everyone—available, but not automatic.

To be rescued from the penalty, power, and future presence of sin and enjoy eternal life in communion with God in Heaven as He intended all along, we must put our faith in the Gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ by surrendering control of our lives to Him. When we do this, proving through our actions that we believe Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life He claimed to be, God adopts us as His own children now and forever; and our continued obedience brings glory to Him.

How will you respond to the Gospel of Jesus? That’s exactly what the people you will read about over the next few days had to ask themselves—what we ALL have to ask ourselves.