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The word 'gospel' means good news. The good news of the gospel is that God promises to provide everything
He requires of us to live forever with Him in heaven. God freely gives eternal life as a gift out of the
richness of His grace, mercy and love (Ephesians 2:4-8). There are at least two reasons why heaven must be given
as a gift and cannot be earned or deserved.
First, God's personal perfect righteousness is the straightedge by which He will judge us fit for heaven
or not. Jesus says that in order to go to heaven we must be 'perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect'
(Matthew 5:48). We are not going to so-andso's heaven, or your personal
heaven, or the heaven of a particular country, culture, or religion. So our status before God is not a result
of how we compare with others, but how we compare to His perfect righteousness. God Himself is the standard
to Whom we must all give account.
Yet the Bible clearly affirms that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Therefore, we are not fit for heaven. The proof is that we
do not love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and do not love our neighbors as ourselves
(Matthew 22:36-40). If the Lord should keep count of the ways we fall short
of His glory, who would be able to stand in the presence of His infinite holiness?
Second, eternal life must be a gift of grace because it is impossible for us to earn it. The Bible teaches
that even if we could keep every last detail of what God's law has required of us, yet stumble at a single
point, we would be guilty of breaking all of God's commandments (James 2:10). This is what the Bible calls the curse of the law. Once we
try to relate to God based upon doing what He requires, we are obligated to actually keep all His
commandments perfectly (Galatians 3:10). The Bible also says that the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, a person can only be saved from God's just
judgment by God's free gift of grace alone and not according to righteous deeds he or she has done (Titus 3:4-7). The promise of the gospel is that God reconciles sinners to
Himself and makes them His beloved children as a gift (II Corinthians 5:18-21).
The Bible tells us that God is love (I John 4:7-8). It also explains that the salvation He provides for
sinful mankind is an expression of His love (John 3:16, I John 4:9-10). God's love is not like ours (Romans 5:8, I John 3:1-2). We love because we find someone or something lovely or
lovable. That which we find attractive about someone draws out our love for him or her. But this is not true
of God's love. God does not love us because we are attractive or desirable to Him; God loves us in spite of
ourselves.
God hates sin and all things sinful. We sin because we are sinful. Therefore there is nothing in us that
could ever draw God toward us or cause Him to pour out His love upon us. In fact, God demonstrates His own
unique love when He saves us while we are yet sinful, helplessly enslaved to our sins, and totally repulsive
to Him (Romans 5:8).
He makes us pleasing to His perfect holiness and righteousness. Why? Because He desires to make known the
surpassing riches of His mercy, grace and love that is unknown among mankind (Ephesians 2:7, 3:18-19, I John 3:1). By grace alone, God the Holy Spirit supernaturally
unites us to Christ, releasing us from the bondage of our sin, raising us from spiritual death, creating new
life in us, and clothing us with all the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23-26, II Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9-10).
We have answered at least in part why God forgives us of our sins and makes us objects of His eternal
blessing. It is because of His grace alone! But how is God able to forgive us all our sins? The Bible informs
us that God, while He is love, is much more than love. God is also perfectly holy, righteous and just.
Salvation must meet man's desperate need as a sinner before a holy, just and righteous God.
How can a Holy God allow sinful people into His presence without destroying them? How can He clear us of
our guilt and not violate His unassailable justice? How is God able to make us lovely and desirable to
Himself and not compromise His perfect righteousness? The answer is so simple, yet entire books have been
written to explain it. How? By Christ alone!
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