Introduction
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“For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
John 3:16
God in human form came down to us, was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of
a virgin. He died for us so that we may one day live with Him. Many people know
the Sunday school basics - that Jesus died for our sins, but it usually ends there.
Why did He have to die for our sins and what exactly does that mean?
This "Gospel In A Nutshell" will try to give you an overview of the Christian faith,
of sin and why Jesus is so important. Please keep in mind that what you are about
to read is simplified, just to give you an idea of the overall picture of the Gospel.
If you have questions or maybe the Lord is tugging at your heart, please read on!
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The Fall
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Sometime between creation and Adam and Eve's first sin, God created the angels.
Not a lot of information is given to us, but we do know some things.
Lucifer, the devil, a fallen angel, all one in the same is a created being. He was
the most beautiful angel, Gods right hand, higher than all the other Angels. But
iniquity was found in his heart. He became prideful, and wanted to be higher than
God. Because of this, he was cast down, and ended up taking a third of the angles
of heaven with him. These fallen angels are demons, and Lucifer is the head of them.
Ever since his fall, he has tried to do whatever he could to thwart God’s power
and plan. I think this movie quote sums it up, "The greatest trick the devil ever
pulled was convincing the world he did not exist."
Adam and Eve
When God created Adam and Eve they were without sin, very simply, because they had
not sinned. However, they still had the capability of sinning. At first, Adam and
Eve were able to walk with God, side by side fellowshipping with Him, because they
were without sin. There was nothing separating them. That’s when Lucifer entered
the picture, tempted them and they sinned for the first time. Eating an apple that
God told them not to eat, and through this act brought sin to the human race, and
has been passed down through every human generation since.
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and
death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”
Romans 5:12
Because of this, we ALL are born into sin. No one is perfect.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”
Romans 3:23
When that happened to Adam and Eve they were separated from God, because he is Holy.
A chasm, a great canyon so to speak, appeared between us and God. We could never
have the relationship we had in Eden with Him because of sin. Not only that, but
because of that sin, we would never get to enter heaven, but die a second spiritual
death, separated from God for eternity. A price has to be paid for our sin and that
is death.
Just like if you stole a car, you break the law and go to jail. Same thing, we all
have broken Gods law. Because of that, we are all entitled to death and eternal
separation from God.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Romans 6:23
All this can be really depressing, and should be. But there is hope, and you see
it in the last part of that verse. But why Jesus? Back to Adam and Eve. Sin had
entered the world. Corrupting Gods beautiful creation. God still wanted a relationship
with us, he does not wish anyone should perish.
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone
to come to repentance”
2 Peter 3:8
Even before the creation of the world, God had a plan - a way to allow us to be
in his presence again. One could say, "why would he even allow this separation to
occur in the first place?". One word, LOVE. Were not built as robots, we have a
free will of our own. True love is the freedom of choosing and that's what he gave
us. We could either follow Him or reject Him.
God had a plan, and that involved our Jewish brothers and sisters, a covenant with
Abraham that would forever change the course of sin in our lives.
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Sacrifices
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God chose Abraham, that from him a great nation would come about. God chose the
Jewish people to show Himself to the world and to give us a way of redemption and
salvation.
Through the Jewish people, God set up the sacrificial system. A price for sin had
to be paid and was fulfilled through that system of animal sacrifices. This was
a temporary but important solution, which sets the stage for the ultimate redemption.
Animals are innocent. Their blood is innocent, ours is not. So God gave the Jewish
people rituals in which they would sacrifice an animal for their own sin. Essentially,
transferring their own sin to the animal and therefore clearing them, for a time.
(This actual process and theology is MUCH more complicated than this, but you should
get the idea)
But there was a problem with this current system, every time they sinned, they would
have to sacrifice another animal to cover that sin. God knew and had planned another
way, from the beginning. The ultimate sacrifice, the once and for all sacrifice.
A sacrifice that would remove our sins forever.
On a side note:
The Jewish people still have a role to play in these end times. Many people forget
that we were grafted in and have not taken their place. They are still God’s chosen
people, His promise and convent still stands. One of the worst things in the church
history is the persecution of the Jewish people. They are the fathers of our faith.
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The Perfect Sacrifice
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“For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”
John 3:16
This is where Christ comes in. Jesus, is Gods only Son. God himself came down in
human form, to live as we did, experience the same temptations and lived a perfect,
sinless life.
This was only possible by God. Remember, He was conceived in Mary through the Holy
Spirit by which mans sinful seed was not passed to Him and just as an animal's blood
was innocent for the sacrifice, His blood also needed to be sinless and innocent.
Then in order to reconcile us all to Himself, He had to die and take our sin onto
Himself, permanently removing our sin, giving us a way to come to the Father, to
the throne of grace and find mercy. No longer do we have to keep sacrificing animals,
Christ is the once and for all sacrifice for our sins.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
1 John 1:9
When we repent and turn from our sins, Jesus washes them away- they are gone forever!
“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our
transgressions from us”
Psalms 103:12
So now, because of what He did on the cross, we can have remission of sins and everlasting
life through Christ Jesus. We may die physically, but spiritually we will live forever
with the Lord in heaven and have new bodies that will never die again.
But the only way to take part in this is to accept what he did for us. Not just
with words, but in our hearts. We have to acknowledge and confess with our mouths
our sin, relinquish control over our life and accept Him as Lord, Master, and King,
over our lives.
Before Christ, the devil prevents us from coming to Him. After
we have accepted Him, the devil has lost, but continues to work, to prevent
you from serving Christ.
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The Effects of Sin
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“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”
1 Corinthians 1:18
Now that you have seen the brief history of sin, it’s a little easier to understand
this world. We live in a sinful world that does not want to acknowledge their sin.
We wonder why such bad things happen, why God would allow the suffering that takes
place in this world. It comes down to sin. Our sin corrupted this beautiful world.
We do live in this physical world, but a spiritual battle is all about us. The devil
knows his time is short and is doing all that is within his power to prevent us
from finding Christ. If it's by confusion, filling our life with so many worries
that we cannot focus on God, materialism, other false teachings... the list could
go on forever. Our enemy has had thousands and thousands of years to perfect his
tools and he's really good at it.
We could die at any time, and if we die in our sins without accepting what Jesus
did on the cross we forever will be separated from God. Many people die unexpectedly
every day. Don't wait until it's too late! If you died now, where would you go?
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Alter Call
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“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my
voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me”
Rev 3:20
Do you want forgiveness of sins?
Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for you and rose again?
Are you willing to surrender yourself to Christ?
Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart and into your life?
If you the Lord is calling you, knocking on your door, open it! There is no gray
area in this matter. You have to make a choice, to accept or reject Christ. There
is no middle ground here, you are either on one side or the other.
“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father
except though me”
John 14:6
It's up to you to open that door. We are not robots, God did not make us that way.
He gave us a free will, even to choose not to follow Him, he loves us enough to
let us make that choice. Without Christ we are dead in our sins. When we accept
Christ, we are born again, made alive in Christ. It is then that we truly live.
Our debt is gone and paid for and we live not for this world, and its fleeting pleasures,
but for our life with Jesus. We no longer live for ourselves but for Him.
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe
in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with
your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved”
Romans 10:1
If you are ready to choose Christ and want to make Him Lord of your life, please
say this prayer:
Prayer Of Faith
Oh God, I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sin. I am willing to turn from my sin,
I receive Jesus as my Savior; I confess He as my LORD. From now on I want to follow
Him. In Jesus name, Amen!
“In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not
so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there
you may be also”
John 14:2-3
“He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly
" Amen Come, Lord Jesus. ”
Revelation 22:20
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