The Meaning Of The Gospel Message
The Gospel is the good news that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised back to life (see 1 Cor. 15:1-4).
What does it all mean? What does it all imply?
The death of the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins is the provisional payment He made on the cross for all our spiritual crimes against God.
That He was raised to life again refers to the fact that God was satisfied with the provisional payment He made on the cross. God accepted the payment the Lord Jesus provided. For if God was not satisfied with what the Lord Jesus did, He would never raise Him back to life.
His resurrection was God's "Amen!" to the Lord Jesus' "It is finished!"
So, summing it all up, the Gospel message just simply means this---we are all sinners, but the Lord Jesus provided a satisfactory payment for us and God has accepted it as the only acceptable payment for our sins! At last an open door has been provided in order for us to be saved and forgiven!
Note however that the payment is provisional. Meaning, we must avail ourselves of the payment He freely provided for us all.
Look at it this way. Christ did not provide cash for us all. No, He provided checks for our sins against God. There is therefore the need to receive the checks and endorse it by faith as it were.
After all, what are available and free and good checks if we don't receive it and endorse it? What is an available and provisional bridge if you don't cross it? What is free medication if we don't take it in? What is a provisional payment if we don't avail ourselves of it? What is an open door if we don't enter in?
